Raising Rylee

Catch up!!!

2009-07-23T12:13:00.006-05:00

So I've seriously been meaning to blog for a month and a half now. Here's a quick catch-up. We went to the lake for a couple of weekends but I never even got my camera out. You're just going to have to trust me that Rylee had a super fun time with all of her cousins. We've also been enjoying time in the pool but I don't ever seem to remember to take pics. Whitney always has her camera with her and so I let her take them and then she NEVER sends them to me! (hint, hint!)

Here she is enjoying a homemade popsicle. I remember my mom making them for me as a little girl and I couldn't resist. They beat the store bought kind any day!!!

Doing another favorite activity....watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. FOCUSED!!!

My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage this past week and the weekend before we threw an intimate family dinner for them. We presented them with a trip for 4 to Branson (they don't need anything and Branson is a pretty close drive). You can tell by the look on their faces that Mom was excited and my dad not so much. He never likes to be away from home. We'll see if they actually go!!!

Rylee enjoying spending time with Uncle Jeff.

Here's the funny cake story- I went to order the cake and told them I didn't want it too cutesy. I also told them I didn't want it completely covered with flowers either- maybe just a few "blooms". Obviously the girl thought that I meant "balloons" not "blooms". I guess she didn't know that although I have slipped back into my real Southern accent somewhat, I'm an SLP and would never shorten a two syllable word into one syllable!!!

Random funny picture..... She's such a ham!

We're still reeling from the loss of Morgan. I miss her and think about her everyday multiple times a day. I caught Rylee last night before church doing this. I was in the kitchen and the camera happened to be on the bar. I keep Morgan's latest school picture in a frame on this side table and every once in a while she will just randomly run over there and pick it up and kiss it. She doesn't kiss any of the other pictures. I knew when she headed that way what she was doing and although it kills me to see her do this I also want to keep Morgan's memory alive so she will always know her cousin in some way. She definitely misses her a ton also! We can't wait to see her again one day!Here she is kissing it. Breaks my heart!!! Please continue to pray for my entire family!

Memorial Day and More

2009-05-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

Rylee's crib (or should I say Whitney's crib from 20 years ago!) recently started to have a problem spot and I was scared it was about to break so I decided to get her a toddler bed. She loves it during the day but then gets a little scared at night. The past three nights have been an adventure to say the least but she is doing much better in it! I can't believe how fast she is growing up!!!

Big girl

"Ry-Ry's bed" (She calls herself Ry-Ry and Peyton is Pey-Pey)

We all gathered at my grandparents' house for Memorial Day since we were rained out from our yearly camping weekend. It was very bittersweet. It seems that we as a family have been "yearning" to spend more time together however it is so hard because it is so evident that a piece of our hearts is absent (at least absent from here on earth with us- we know where she is!).

Rylee riding the 4 wheeler with Gingy.

Dancing with Kim
Tired out- and loving on Nana.

Watching TV at home sporting the pigtail/dogear look

She brought me the camera and said "cheese" so I obliged!

Thought I should update......

2009-05-12T21:54:00.002-05:00

Even though I don't really feel like doing much of anything productive these days! Oh well- at least I've remembered to take a few pictures here and there!

I just liked the look on her face (the I want something so I'm being sweet look) and her eyes in this picture.

Cole had just left Nana's and had been blowing bubbles with his gum so this is Rylee's attempt at telling Nana she wanted a piece of gum. It took us a minute to figure out what she was doing. She kept going to the shelf where the gum is kept and when we figured it out we just busted out laughing.

"Talking" to Aunt Sandy on the phone while lying on the bed with Gingy.

It looks like she is missing a sombrero in this pic. The dress was only $6 at Walmart so I got it for summer- I just didn't realize how it looked like it belongs in Mexico. Oh well, I still like it.

She's been very interested in the potty lately- and not doing too bad of a job- but this is what she was most interested in doing the other day. Silly girl!

And finally- I told her I wanted a picture of her new outfit that Aunt Sandy got her so she proceeded to climb on top of her truck and pose while never taking her eyes off of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Please still be praying for my family. Mother's Day was very hard and we are all still reeling from our loss. Thanks!

I got nothing!

2009-04-29T21:49:00.003-05:00

That is exactly how I feel- "I got nothing". Nothing to say or do that can make anything better. Just have to keep going praying that God's peace will envelop all of us effected by the past week's events. Thank you to all who have been praying for us. Please continue to pray for the upcoming days, weeks, months, years.

For those who don't know- my 13 year old niece Morgan was tragically killed last Friday evening when her dirtbike struck an SUV. (see the post below) Please also continue to pray for the driver and passenger in the SUV as they are not doing well at all.

Here are some random pics taken over the last couple of weeks to hopefully brighten the mood of this post.

Forever Loved

2009-04-29T21:09:00.005-05:00

Sara "Morgan" McRae

February 26, 1996- April 24,2009

We miss you so much already. Thank you for all the wonderful memories! We love you and can't wait to see you again someday!!!

Miss Me -- But Let Me Go
Unknown
When I come to the end of the road And the sun has set for me I want no rites in a gloom-filled room. Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little--but not too long And not with your head bowed low. Remember the love that we once shared, Miss me--but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take And each must go alone. It's all a part of the Master's plan, A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart Go to the friends we know And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds. Miss Me--But Let me Go!

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T21:56:00.002-05:00

We had a good weekend- despite the rain today. We were bummed that we couldn't hide eggs and then take pictures outside but oh well....

She always has such a serious look of concentration!

Peyton is getting so big!

The girls. Peyton gives her this look frequently :)

Finally- the good stuff

Can we just go to Bible Class already???

We went to my parents' house on Saturday. All of my immediate family was there (except for one SIL- we missed you Sharon!) and we had such a great day. The weather was wonderful, we dyed eggs, and of course ate a great lunch.

My niece Morgan is so good to play outside with Rylee. Funny how she never wants to ride in a stroller when we're shopping but she will ride for an hour with Morgan pushing her.

Rylee also enjoyed playing ball with Morgan and my other niece Macy.
DeQueen, where my parents live, got hit by the storms Thursday. My brother took me to look at some of the damage. It was awful and it doesn't even compare to what happened up the road in Mena. My parents and grandparents got hit but thankfully not much damage was done.
This is my parents' neighbors' shed. One of my parents' trees and two of their trees fell on it. And look at that tree that is broken in two. These are not small trees either!

This tree is right outside my parents' bedroom window. Half of it snapped off but thankfully the wind was blowing the other way and it didn't land on their roof.

Hope everyone had a blessed Easter weekend!

"ME"

2009-04-04T21:24:00.003-05:00

"God made the big round sun. God made the tall tall trees. God made the birds that fly, and God made........................ME" Rylee loves this song and always begs for "more". In fact on our Spring Break trip she went around babbling/humming for a few seconds and then would yell "ME" loudly. It's so funny because she never lets you get to the actual end before she starts yelling "me" repeatedly. So cute. Love her!

This is the "me" part. Most of the time she uses both hands though.

Orange Beach/Gulf Shores in Pictures

2009-03-19T22:32:00.005-05:00

We've had a great week. We leave tomorrow and start the long trip home......

Weekend Catch-up

2009-03-08T23:19:00.004-05:00

Has it really been 2 weeks since I blogged? We had a great but tiring weekend last weekend in DFW.

Rylee's bangs were out of control so on Saturday noon we headed to Pigtails and Crewcuts in Southlake to get them trimmed. I was a little nervous that she would not do well but as you can tell she thought it was great fun! Friday when we got in town we met up with my old co-worker Shelley and her son Cooper. It is hard to believe that when I left Keller, Cooper was a newborn and Rylee was still a ways from even being here.

We enjoyed staying with the Bailey's even if Rylee was a little hesitant at first about Ikey the super weinie dog! Steph cooked a fabulous dinner for a few friends on Friday night (still waiting on that pic P!), and Rylee, Rainey, and Emily enjoyed taking a bath together when we got back on Saturday. I also thoroughly enjoyed playing Rainey in bowling on the Wii- even if she did beat me!!!

I'm hoping some of the musical talent will rub off on Rylee if we keep staying with them when we visit!

We enjoyed seeing everyone at church on Sunday and then eating with some of our favorite people in the world!!! Thanks again Stacey for watching Rylee for a few minutes while I went into Swoozies!

Sacked out after a long weekend. Don't worry, I didn't look to take this picture- just pointed in the general direction and took several shots. She slept from Grapevine all the way until I pulled into our apartments in Texarkana!

We finally hooked up Sandy's Wii and Rylee decided she wanted in on the action (notice the remote in her hand- her own version of a Wii control).

Can't decide on the pigtail look!?!

Looking forward to a busy March and I CAN'T WAIT for Grad School Girls Weekend!!!

February so far...

2009-02-22T23:04:00.002-06:00

Time flies doesn't it? Between my grandaddy being in the hospital for over a week and a quick day trip to see a new cousin we have been keeping busy. Not to mention a trip to the ENT to find out that Rylee has fluid on her ears (see SLPs, I told you she wasn't talking as well as she should!). We go back in a few weeks to see if the fluid is gone- if it's not then we will discuss options (most likely tubes). We are coming to the DFW area this weekend. Hope to see some of you then!!!

Can you tell she has been on lots of meds lately?

Like mother like daughter. She has never really been still enough to enjoy tv but she is starting to sit for a few minutes at a time and watch.
She loves wearing her jacket- always has to have it zipped- and when one of mine was lying on the floor she had to have it on.

New baby cousin Tate. He belongs to my cousin Clint and his wife Tiffany. He is too precious!

Rylee making a mess with Tate's big sister Carly.

Hopefully I'll remember to take pictures some this weekend......

90 Years Young

2009-01-31T22:33:00.004-06:00

Today we celebrated my grandfather's 90th birthday. I feel so blessed to have this experience and Lord willing we will celebrate my grandmother's 90th in December. I am the youngest grandchild- my grandfather was 60 when I was born- so I think it is pretty amazing to still have both of them with us. Sandy hosted us at her house because it is a central location for everyone. It was a great time! Here's some pics from today and some random ones from the last few weeks.

Caroline helping Grandaddy blow out the candles.

Cheesin' for Whitney

Cousins!!! (the three on the lawnmower were all born the same year) We are eagerly waiting the arrival of the newest, Tate, due in less than 2 weeks!
She found the flipflops that I snagged at Children's Place yesterday and had to wear them(believe me, here in Texarkana if you see something you better get it because next time you are there it will be gone)

This is her spot for when I vacuum. She doesn't like the noise at all!

I can't believe how much her hair is growing. She wasn't too sure about this!

Her absolute favorite thing to do- READ!!!

Words...

2009-01-26T17:01:00.003-06:00

This is more of a post for me but I wanted to remember what all words Rylee is saying right now at 16 months. Of course as an speech-language pathologist I would prefer that she was talking in phrases and saying three times as many words as this but I have accepted that she is just too busy to sit down and talk so I will take what I can get! In no particular order-

bite, Bible, light, duck, bath, mama, hoo hoo (owl sound), Abby (Sandy's dog), woof, moo, milk, glasses, diaper, thank you, eye, ice, no, go, baby, ball, book, bye bye, hi, hot, drink, bottle, baa, yogurt, uh-oh, there, bag

She can imitate more than this but these are the words she actually uses spontaneously (sorry if that sounded too clinical). What is weird is that she won't say the names of anyone on her own. She calls everyone "mama" (sounds slightly different that the mama she calls me) but will eventually call them something else if I imitate their name a thousand times and won't drop it until she says something else. I wonder if it's because I'm the only one at home with her and that's the word she associates with people??? Fellow SLPs what do you think? The only exception to the rule is my sister's dog Abby. She starts calling her name as soon as we drive up to their house!

New things to show off

2009-01-07T12:57:00.002-06:00

Rylee had a few new things she wanted to show off. FIRST- let me say thanks to one of my very best friends for the new blog look! Thanks PP! We love it!!!

Showing off how she can use a fork. Look at that concentration. I think she would have stayed there all night if I would have let her. You don't see this child very still for long so I had to document this.

Showing off her new chair that Aunt Sandy and Uncle David got her for Christmas.

Showing off the first set of new pajamas.

And the second pair.

Hope everyone is having a blessed week!

Christmas 2008 and more

2008-12-31T22:54:00.008-06:00

Rylee was really sick the week leading up to Christmas, running a fever of over 101 for 4 days with it reaching 102.9 one day. I wasn't even sure if we were going to get to go to my parents but my mom threatened to drag me there so we went ahead. (After filling her prescription that was $87 even after insurance- but that's another story.) She didn't feel the greatest but we really enjoyed spending time with family anyway. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. They aren't in order but I'm too lazy to switch them. Hope everyone has a very blessed 2009.

Christmas morning at my parents' house right after she got up. She still looks so sleepy in this picture!

Loving on my niece Macy on Christmas Eve. Macy was the one reason I was sad to be going to college- she was 4 1/2 at the time and I had seen her pretty much every day of her life until then.

Peyton in the snowman onesie I made her (with some help from a friend- thanks M!) You can't see it really well. Rylee has one too but I haven't gotten a good picture of it so I'll post it when I do.

Nana and Gingy got Ry a slide/tower thing and she and Aunt Sandy had lots of fun in the empty box.

I can't turn my back for one second anymore! Actually my mom was there and I thought she was watching her and I think she thought I was watching her and then I heard my mom dying laughing. She had found the scented trash bags in her changing table had lots of fun dragging them all over the place.

This was going to be the Christmas card picture if I had gotten around to sending them. She would not smile at all that day but I thought I could do the "better not pout" thing but just didn't fit it into my schedule.

Christmas day wore her out so she laid down by Uncle David to rest.

Playing on her slide- It has by far been the most used gift!

Glad to be back home so she can play with all of her new toys!

This was from a couple of weeks ago. We were trying to cook dinner at Sandy's and Rylee was wanting attention so distraction technique- spray Cool Whip on the highchair tray!

Rylee's new favorite past time. Loving on Peyton. Everytime she sees her she literally dives to love on her!

Long time no blog....

2008-11-22T22:22:00.005-06:00

I know it's been awhile. Between Rylee being sick, my babysitter being gone a few days so we were at my parents, sporadic internet service, a three day conference in arlington, and frankly a lack of interest I just haven't gotten around to it. We are doing well- have enjoyed our recent days of break and are looking forward to Christmas. Here are pics from the last month- enjoy!

She loves yummy bananas!

Helping Nana pick up the mess she made (Rylee made the mess- not Nana)

"I promise-I didn't pull out all the books again!"

She definitely got the McRae thighs!

She LOVES the Christmas trees! Every morning she wakes up and immediately points to the one in her room and says "lights" then walks straight into the living room and says it again until I plug them both into the wall.

Looking sassy in her cute outfit that Aunt Julie, Uncle Jeff, and Macy got her.

Bye for now! Hopefully it won't be that long next time!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T22:32:00.002-05:00

Pics are reversed order of what I had but it's too late for me to worry about that......especially since Rylee will more than likely be up at 5:30 instead of her usual 6:30. I used to love the "fall back" time change- It's funny how perspective changes everything.

Playing a game at our church Fall Festival (fyi- the only face paint I could find had lead in it so we went with red lipstick instead! Anyone need a barely used tube of bright red lipstick?)

This was when we first got to the church building and she saw all the lights and commotion happening

Peyton was a kitty cat

Not sure if she wants to wear this funny hat or not

My little Raggedy Anne

Baby Peyton! and more

2008-10-28T20:26:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the world Peyton Elizabeth! She was born at 10:44am yesterday morning weighing 8lb 9oz and 21 1/2 inches long. It was a tough time but well worth it (at least I think so- I haven't asked Whitney yet but I'm sure she would agree).

Peyton with her great-aunt

(that sounds so weird- I'm not even 30 yet and already a great-aunt!)

Rylee waiting to see the "baby" and playing with Uncle David's phone

The other night we were finishing up baby things and I heard Rylee just "singing" in the other room. I wondered what she was doing and I walked in on this- what a sweet kitty cat to let her just rub all over him. Abbi the dog was lying on the other side of the cat but she moved before I could get to my camera.

"I used to have a little seat like this!" And yes look how brillant she is- already reading the owner's manual.

We have found a new way to keep her entertained for a while. Too bad they are bringing a baby back here and this is probably a too loud form of entertainment.

She loves playing in her cabinet in the kitchen. Silly girl!

On Saturday we went with some church friends to the fire station. Thanks for inviting us!

Pumpkins!

2008-10-19T20:42:00.004-05:00

Sandy asked me if I wanted to do anything special for my birthday and I said the only thing I could think of was for her to go with me to take Rylee to the pumpkin patch. So off we went. Rylee was so overwhelmed by so many pumpkins that she was not interested in looking at me at all!!!

We had a very nice breeze!
So this isn't the pumpkin patch obviously but I wanted to add it since this is how I often find Rylee. She ALWAYS picks the red shoe.

2008-10-13T23:42:00.005-05:00

We have somehow accumulated several Halloween outfits so we have started wearing them quite frequently even though we have to roll up the sleeves on some. I have decided that the stores here shouldn't even put out fall/long sleeve clothes until December. I am so ready for some cool weather!
A friend of mine who works with me is so crafty and I am having a lot of fun doing "projects" with her. I get Family Fun magazine and when I let her read it she decided that we moms at the office had to the cover project. Here are the results (I did the shirt and she added the fabric). We are also going to do ones at Christmas with the circles being ornaments and blue shirts with three circles to make a snowman.

I asked her if she had ever made a bow and she said "no but how hard can it be- just bring me some ribbon". Here is the result.
Rylee LOVED having a kitty cat on her shirt.
I just like this dress so I wanted to post a picture so I would remember it.

Happy Anniversary and More

2008-10-05T20:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated my grandparents' 70th anniversary (dad's parents). Can you even imagine??? 70 years??? I am so proud of the legacy they are leaving....
We have had a mixed up couple of weeks and there will be a few more of those until we hopefully get back into a routine. Driving to and from my parents' is getting old but I think my mom may come here for a couple of days this week. Rylee has handled it very well- she loves being with Nana and Gingy- she just gets kind of bored without a lot of kids like she is used to.

Rylee with her great-grandparents. They live right next to my parents' house and she loves to go visit them.

Being silly with Nana.
The last time my granddad visited my Aunt Cathy he made a comment about how much he liked their tv so the grandchildren bought them this new 42 inch one for their anniversary. My Aunt Cathy made a 40 minute slide show and we played it during the party. (by the way- aren't the pumpkins cute? Another girl and I did the flowers in them and they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself)
Just because we're not there doesn't mean we aren't there in spirit....
A close-up
Rylee giving her baby kisses. We also spent a large portion of the day giving her baby snacks and drinks. At least Rylee shares!

BUSY!!!

2008-09-20T21:16:00.004-05:00

If I had to describe my child in one word that is what it would be without a doubt- BUSY! She is always wanting down and wanting to climb on everything in sight. She never stops unless she is sleeping or on her way to going to sleep. The doctor even made a comment at her one year checkup about how active she is! She is still a little thing weighing in at 19lb 14oz (I can't believe we didn't reach 20lbs!) which is 30th percentile and her height is also at the 30th percentile (down from the 50th). Our babysitter is having surgery this next week so be praying for my mom and dad because they are the ones who are going to be keeping up with her for the next month with me driving back and forth to work from their house. Here are some pics from the last week of her being busy. Makes me tired all over again just looking at them.

"What do you want to watch?"

Yeah- she's definitely standing in the chair...
She loves to drag any type of bag/purse around so for her birthday she received a purse that she loves!
"Got my purse and my ride- gotta go!" (And how can she be in only the 30th percentile with that belly?)
Note that she still hasn't let go of that purse!

"Where did the stuff that was in here go?"

Standing in another chair.
She knows which cabinet is hers. And yes, if I need to use one of these I wash it first!

Birthday Week!

2008-09-14T21:55:00.004-05:00

Rylee's first birthday week has come to an end. It was a great one and we have had lots of fun together. I still can't believe that my baby is growing up so fast!!! ( I know that everyone says that but when they're yours it is so different!) I wrote her a birthday letter and I hope to continue that tradition every year. Here are some pics of our week.

The morning of her actual birthday. She was wondering why the lights were on and why I was taking her picture. This look says Crazy Lady!!!

"Oh, I like that birthday song!"
Playing with some of her new toys wearing her cute new outfit.
Playing in the kitchen cabinets. She always ends up with one pants leg pulled up high and the other one down lower. It drives me nuts!
The perfect present- a new phone!
Another cake??? This one was Cinderella with a very blue dress. Worn out from the busy week we had. She slept all the way from Rockwall to Texarkana!

Family Birthday Party

2008-09-06T22:02:00.003-05:00

We had a small family birthday party today. It is so hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I met my little girl. In ways I've known her forever and in other ways it has passed so quickly. Rylee's birthday is Wednesday so this weekend we celebrated with my family and next weekend we go to Dallas to celebrate with her other grandparents. We did a cupcake theme so her shirt had a big cupcake on it, her bib had a cupcake on it, we served yummy cupcakes, and her cake was a giant cupcake.

She loves her new tricyle that Aunt Sandy, Uncle David, and Whitney got her.

She got LOTS of fun gifts including these two dresses that my Aunt Cathy made and embroidered. Can't wait to wear them! Thank you everyone for the gifts!
She loved her cake. She wasn't hesistant at all and dove right in!

And she ended the day by taking a four-wheeler ride around the yard. What a fun day!!!

Laid Back Labor Day

2008-09-01T20:55:00.002-05:00

David has a sister that lives on a small "farm" about 30 minutes away so we decided to go visit the animals for a little while this afternoon. Rylee had been there once this summer and loved it so we knew she would be glad to see the animals again!

Eating Sonic ice with Uncle David.

A little apprehensive about petting the big horse.
Much more comfortable with the donkey.
Loves kitties!!!Trying to wink?!? Or maybe just the sun in her eyes?!?
Just relaxin' in the grass.
I love the look of concentration (she was watching the kitten again).

Squeakers!

2008-08-31T21:50:00.003-05:00

We have been shoe shopping this week and I couldn't resist these Itsy Bitsy Squeaker shoes! How is it that before I had a child I would think these are so annoying but when it's my own child I think they are precious? She absolutely loves them and gets mad when I take them off! Luckily the squeaker part comes out so she can wear them to church...

Fun at Nana's

2008-08-30T22:20:00.003-05:00

Rylee's babysitter is going through the preliminary stages of having a medical procedure done. She will be out for a month once the surgery actually takes place so Rylee will be getting to spend a lot of time with Nana and mommy will get to drive back and forth to work (don't know what I would do if they didn't live close!). The babysitter had a procedure this past week so Rylee got to go have fun and then I joined her and spent part of the weekend there.

On a side note, my brother and I were talking today about how we always say "we're going to mama's house, or grandma's house, or sandy's house" and never "daddy's house or grandaddy's house, etc.". We decided that it must be because the women are the ones who cook and since the kitchen is the heart of the home they get to claim the house.

Anyway, here's some pics of Rylee enjoying her time at Nana's (and Gingy's).

Playing in the dishwasher!

Yeah, I know - not the cleanest. Gotta build up antibodies sometime right?

Crazy hairdo!

Her favorite person in the world! She won't go to ANYONE including Aunt Sandy if he's around!

She loves phones! If there is one around she will find it and want it!

Just Living It Up!

2008-08-25T21:13:00.002-05:00

Nothing new here. Just trying to blog more often now that I have a computer here. Here's some new pics from the last week. Mainly loving being outside at Aunt Sandy's...

Cuddling with her new pony

Crinkling her nose when she laughs
Again- the crinkled nose

Seeing what she can find in the front of the house

Busy Weekend!

2008-08-18T20:51:00.003-05:00

We went to Southlake this past weekend for Whitney's baby shower and a little shopping. It's always such a mixture of emotions for me when I go back- soooooo glad to see all of my friends that I miss terribly but soooooooooo hard to leave again and know that it's not my home anymore. I never know how Rylee is going to do traveling, but since Nana came along she did great due to the extra entertainment.
Sandy's old neighbors were out of town for the weekend and they were generous enough to give us the run of their new house. It's absolutely beautiful and quite a change from apartment life!!!

Rylee especially had fun climbing the stairs. We always had to be on the lookout because she would just take off.....fearless!
Just relaxing at Whit's shower and loving on Nana. Whitney thought her outfit looked a little too 70s but I liked it.
Saturday night we had a few friends over for swimming and pizza. So glad we got to catch up!!! We also went out to eat with friends Friday night but I completely forgot to take pictures.
And glad to be back home. What is the deal with baskets lately? I think she played in this one for at least 20 minutes straight.

Walking!!!

2008-08-11T22:00:00.005-05:00

I know that it has been over a month and you probably don't even check anymore to see if I update but if you do what a surprise.....

I borrowed a laptop tonight so I decided to blog. We have been very busy and it is just getting busier but the biggest news is definitely that we have a walker! She has been walking for about two weeks now and this video (if it works) was taken a week and a half ago so she has gotten much better but I still thought it was cute. If you can't reach me tomorrow it's because either my mom or Whitney has seen it and I am now dead!

We went to Sandy's boss/good friend's lake house this past weekend. It was so beautiful and we had a lot of fun. We had missed out on a lake trip over the fourth due to my broken arms and I will admit that it was much nicer to be at a house and not in a camper. Thanks Olden's for the hospitality and wonderful food!

This is for all of my family members reading- yes she does have the McRae thighs!!!
She is such a concentrator. You can be repeatedly saying her name but if she is focused on something she will ignore you forever.
She has been loving her toy baskets!
And she has found a fun way to get out of them....

I just love those big blue eyes! They melt my heart!

Broken Arm Story

2008-07-03T16:07:00.002-05:00

Ok, a few of you have asked how I broke my arms. Here's the long story....
I was visiting my parents the weekend after I found a mouse in my apartment (I just couldn't stand the thought of staying there that weekend with other mice potentially running around). My mom was already planning on returning with me to Texarkana so she could go to court with me the next morning (divorce was final the next day- June 2nd- long time coming, hallelujah!).

I went out to unload bags of clothes out of my car to give to the charity at my parents church. My dad came out to get the bags to put them in his car and I thought to myself, " He really shuffles his feet when he walks and I do the same thing!" Too bad that thought left my mind the same instant it entered.

My dad put the bags up, I closed the back of my car and went to walk inside. My parents have a new carport and the gravel that leads up to it doesn't exactly match up with it leaving a slight overhang. The toe of my flip-flop caught on the overhang and I fell. It happened SO fast I had no idea that I put my arms up to protect myself. My dad said that he's never seen anyone fall that fast and flat. I couldn't push myself up so I rolled over and my dad helped me up. I immediately said that I thought my left arm was okay but I knew something was wrong with my right arm.

Another important part of the story- Rylee is supposed to be covered by insurance other than my own but I had found out two weeks prior that her coverage had been terminated over a month before that but I hadn't been informed. I made the decision to get a new insurance policy for the BOTH of us so I could have peace of mind that she would always have insurance. The day of the accident was June 1st and guess when my new policy went into effect??? June 1st! So I didn't have my new insurance cards yet so I couldn't go immediately to the ER. I go to church with my insurance agent so I called him and asked him to bring the info to church. I did take a Darvocet so I could make it through church without pain.

After church we went to the ER where they took x-rays and told me that my right arm was broken. They put a half cast on it and told me to call the orthopedist the next day. When we left (at 10pm by this point) I looked at my mom and said, "At least it wasn't both arms". By the time we had gotten back to my sister's the ER had called and said to come back because they had looked at the x-rays again and had discovered that the left one was fractured.

SOOOOO- no lifting anything over 5 lbs for the past month which means I have had to heavily rely on family- mainly my mom!!! She's been a real trouper. I went back yesterday and they did more x-rays and my arm looks great so I am back to normal activities. And there is your story for all who have asked!

"My mommy broke her arms...

2008-06-30T19:29:00.008-05:00

but I don't care because I'm having too much fun!!!"
Just a warning- there are a lot of pictures to follow. It seems that I have more time to take pictures nowadays since I am not chasing Rylee around everywhere. My mom has been staying with us in Texarkana during the week and then we have gone to her house a couple of weekends and have stayed with Aunt Sandy and Uncle David the other weekends.

Whitney took this picture the other night and I liked the innocent look on her face! Don't be deceived!

Brown Bear is one of our favorite books!

"Let me out of this thing, I promise I won't get into any trouble"

Cousin Cole really doesn't like holding babies....but she loves him!

This is what she is CONSTANTLY doing to my mom. She can't get anything done.

Relaxing after bath time...

Love summertime and all the good fruits- especially cantaloupe

And ESPECIALLY when we have a good helper like Cousin Morgan to hold a piece for her even if she is eating it for 20 minutes!

Cuddling with Gingy (we didn't make the name up- just inherited it from older grandkids)

"Hello- does anyone know when my Mommy is going to take care of me again?"

I go back to the doctor on Wednesday. Please pray that they are healed and I won't need pins!

Fun in the Sun!

2008-06-15T13:14:00.003-05:00

Thank you for buying a blow-up pool for me to play in Aunt Sandy!!!

Quick prayer request......my best friend since 4th grade, Cassi, was put in the hospital on Friday. She's 31 weeks, 5 days pregnant with twin girls and she is having contractions. They have her on medicine to stop them but it is not working the best that it should and it is making her extremely sick. She's already had her steriod shots for their lungs but every 24 hours extra on top of the shots makes a big difference! Pray for those little girls to stay in and grow a little while longer!

9 months!!!

2008-06-13T07:38:00.003-05:00

Rylee turned 9 months old this week. My how time flies! She is still pretty little weighing 17 lbs. 6.5 oz. (25th percentile). She is not liking the fact that her mommy can't pick her up when she pulls on my legs but as long as Nana is around she is dealing just fine! She is letting go for 30 second intervals and I'm afraid that she will be walking before I can pick her up again ( I go back for xrays on July 2nd).

She is so proud of herself for standing up!!!
Serious face.....
Having fun at Nana and Gingy's!

EEK!

2008-05-30T22:49:00.003-05:00

I have found it extremely hard to post since I don't have a computer in my apartment yet and I always posted after I put Rylee to bed. But tonight it was easy and here's why.......

So this morning I put Rylee in her jumperoo, turned on a PraiseBaby DVD and got in the shower. When I got out I went to the living room and sat in the floor with Rylee while she played and I started to put on my makeup. Next thing I know I look up and a MOUSE is running across the floor. If you know me at all you know what a wimp I am when it comes to "creatures". I immediately scream and call my mom and then Sandy and tell them that one of them needs to come get Rylee and catch this mouse. Basically, Sandy sent Whitney over to hold Rylee while I finished getting ready for work since I didn't want her crawling all over the mouse germed floor and I called my apartment office and told them they needed to fix the situation. Our apartments are not even two years old and I'm not paying for "luxury" apartments to have a mouse reside with us! I then told them that I might get a cat even though I don't want one and that I would NOT be paying a pet deposit. Anyway, sticky traps are set but nothing has been caught yet so that is why Rylee and I are spending the night with Sandy tonight sooooooooo I posted!

My camera is at home, so here are some random pictures from Sandy's camera from the past month.

Loving being naked!!! (Ignore the creepy cat on the TV in the background)

Rylee loves her Uncle David- especially when he's wearing his cap and glasses!

Biter Biscuits are the best! We only do them at Aunt Sandy's house because she is much better at the bath thing when she's this dirty!

We went to the lake for Memorial Day. Rylee greatly enjoyed the boat rides- they put her right to sleep. One day we got an hour and a half nap on the boat!

Hopefully I will be getting a computer for my apartment soon so the posts should be more frequent!

Update...

2008-05-01T13:11:00.001-05:00

Make that TWO teeth as of last night- approximately five minutes after I posted, another tooth was discovered and I had just checked not that long before...

What a busy week it was.....

2008-04-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

Last week was very eventful......

First she learned to really crawl instead of just scoot...

See, she found me!...

Then she learned to pull up (so proud of herself!)...

Then she got her first tooth (really feeling of it here)!

And here she is saying enough already! She has to be exhausted from all that hard work!

Dinner Saturday???

2008-04-03T14:29:00.002-05:00

Hello all five of you from the DFW area who check this....

I am coming into town this weekend and just thought I would check and see if anyone was available to meet Rylee and me for dinner on Saturday night. I was thinking 6:00 at Christina's by church. There are so many restaurants that I miss eating at but thought that Christina's was a good location for all...
I know that Saturday night is probably not good for everyone but I am hoping to see some of you. If your hubbies and kids want to come I would love to see them too!

Please tell anyone you talk to if you think they would like to come :)

Easter 2008

2008-03-23T23:32:00.002-05:00

I know what you are thinking- two posts in one day, something must be wrong. Just thought that a first Easter deserved a separate post. She had a cute white sweater to wear over her dress but it was too cold for outside pics so I left it off.
I think she has her first ear infection- we're going to the doctor tomorrow to find out for sure. Here were some of the pictures I captured in between her pulling on her ear.

Thanks Aunt Cathy for putting her name on her basket!

Adventures!!!

2008-03-23T23:17:00.003-05:00

Here are some adventures from the last month.......

Rylee is such a cuddler...if she can't sleep on you then she just gets as snug up against the crib as possible, hence the removal of the bumper since she was trying to bury her face in it. Now I find her like this a lot and have to move her before her legs fall asleep.

Six months old!!! Big girl!

She has this fascination with Sonic cups. Not sure why since it's not like she sees them around Aunt Sandy's house much :) So after much distraction we finally decided it was time for her first taste- of ice! She wasn't too sure about it but then decided the cold felt great on her gums!

Happy first birthday Caden! The first of many new cousin birthdays of the year.

First Snow Day!

2008-03-08T15:15:00.003-06:00

Nothing much going on......I've had strep so I am finally feeling better and getting around to posting. Here's a few pics of our first snow day (we're very glad that Ms. Jenny B had gotten us this fleece outfit to keep warm!) and one of Rylee helping Aunt Sandy with the laundry.
We move into our new apartment next weekend!!!

Can you believe I'm five months old??

2008-02-17T20:59:00.002-06:00

Mommy can't!!!

Typical deer in the headlights look whenever I bring out the camera but I thought she looked so big and cute in her outfit that I had to post it. We need to visit Ms. Paige soon so we can get some good pictures instead of this look!

I love these last two pictures for two reasons: I think the rosy cheeks are cute and these were taken at my parents' house on a blanket that I spent many hours on and under when I was little.

January's Already Gone!?!

2008-02-04T22:52:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how fast time flies! I feel like January was the craziest month. Between two colds (three now since another one has struck) and the whole ordeal with my dad, I have been a slacker on pictures. I have taken several with my phone since we have been out and about so much without my camera but don't have the cord to transfer them to the computer (mine is in the storage unit and Sandy's is nowhere to be found). So....here are a few that show her personality! She has quite the faces and a temper that is promising to make me pay for my raising. Don't know where she got that! I promise to do better and will post more pics later (hopefully when Sandy is not in bed and can find her phone cord for me).

Thanks for all of your prayers and phone calls about my dad. He finally got to go home today after a two week three day ordeal. Hopefully he can get lots of rest now that he's able to sleep in his own bed!

On another note, it's officially been one year to the day that my world was rocked and I found out that the life I was living was a complete sham. I am constantly reminded how faithful God is and how far he has brought me. In so many ways I am a happier, more complete, more real person- and only God can make that happen out of something so yucky...Blessed Be The Name of the Lord!!!

On to pics of my sweet girl!

Love the look on her face! She's so rotten! Thanks cousin Carly for the bib- you should wear yours and we could get a matching picture!

This is her "I know that at this point I can get away with ANYTHING" face.

First experience with cereal. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. This is also her constant hand in the mouth look that she sports. Kind of making her speech therapist mother a little nervous about the thumb sucking:) (not condemning any thumb suckers- just as a speechie it's something that I've always wanted to avoid with my child)

Enough already! No really, she is eating like a champ. We've added some veggies and starting to add fruits and there has been nothing that my child has turned away. Don't know where she gets that either!

December...

2007-12-30T20:22:00.000-06:00

These last few weeks of December sure have flown by. The first three pics are from my cousin's wedding in Searcy. It sure makes you feel old when you remember the day he was born and the next thing you know he is getting married! Congrats Scott and Jennifer!

The next day one of my good friends from Harding and her family were on their way back to Nashville from a Houston wedding and decided they would stop by for a visit. We lived either as suitemates or apartment mates our first three years at Harding until she got married. I hadn't seen her in over 2 1/2 years so I was so excited! Jennifer- it wasn't the same without you! We really need to meet up for a girls weekend soon!!! Gena, Adam, Davis, and Abby- we are so glad you came to see us and can't wait to talk to you soon!

I didn't get that many pics this Christmas; I guess because she wasn't that excited about presents. It was good time spent with family though.

It was a gorgeous day today so this afternoon we decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood. You can tell how excited she was to be wearing a hat :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a safe and Happy New Year. We are going to my aunt's house in ElDorado so hopefully I will get lots of cute cousin pictures to post next week.

3 months!?! Really?

2007-12-10T21:33:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it has already been three months! Craziness! We had a great weekend because three of my four closest grad school friends (Michelle, Paige, Andrea) came for a visit. There have been lots of fun times had with this crew and this weekend was no exception, even though it did have a slightly different feel to it with a baby in the mix! Next, I am expecting a trip from some Keller girls! (Maybe Jan-Feb when I move into my own place?) And of course, I've added other pics of Rylee from this weekend and today.

The shirt says it all!

2007-12-06T22:11:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-24T11:39:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving....

Here are the cousins that have all been born this year plus 2 year old Caroline holding Rylee. Let's just say that my grandparents' house seemed a little more crowded than usual :)

Lots of Lovin'

2007-11-18T23:02:00.000-06:00

It was so good to be back "home" last weekend. We enjoyed seeing all of our friends and doing fun stuff that we had missed (like Dragon ballgames, Pei Wei, church to name a few). As I was thinking about needing to blog and what pics to post earlier today, something hit me like a ton of bricks. This past Sunday, November 11th, the elders prayed over my sweet baby girl. A year ago on Sunday, November 10th, I had to get up from singing on praise team and leave because I started having my miscarriage. What a difference a year makes!!! If you had told me that Sunday what all I would encounter during the next year I would have looked at you like you were crazy. There have been tremendous valley experiences but also tremendous mountaintop experiences, and through it all I have been blessed. God's hand has worked so many times in my life this past year from countless prayers answered, worries taken away, the unquestionable support of family and friends, and the most amazing miracle to ever enter into my life. Thank you all for being there for me and for loving me through it all!!!

We stayed with the Jones' in Southlake and we couldn't resist getting a picture of Rylee with the Kudu that Mr. Glenn brought home from Africa to show Uncle David. She wasn't too happy at the time! Thanks Ms. Marilyn for the wonderful hospitality and for making us feel at home!

Uncle David was at the deer camp all last week so Sandy and I went to stay a couple of nights at my parents' and I drove back and forth to work. My mom is covering a maternity leave at the high school and Sandy had to work during the day so my dad was left to babysit! He did a great job!

This is my nephew Cole who has refused to hold Rylee up until now. He really didn't have a choice this time either. Sandy just plopped her down in his lap and took the picture. Doesn't she look so big?

And one final picture from tonight.....

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Happy BOO Day!

2007-10-31T15:40:00.000-05:00

Even though Rylee isn't feeling the greatest (doctor says it's just a small stomach bug) she still looks pretty cute even if I do say so myself!!!
So far this week, with Aunt Sandy in Dallas and Nana working, we have only had two small catastrophes- one being that my babysitter forgot to tell me that she had doctor's appointments in Little Rock and wouldn't be able to keep Rylee on Tuesday (she told everyone else about the appointments before Rylee started staying there) and two being that Rylee is sick for the first time. No fun!!!
We are ready for you to come home Aunt Sandy!!!

I know, I know

2007-10-25T11:10:00.000-05:00

I know it's been forever. Sorry! Between spending pretty much all of the last two weeks at my parents and then starting back to work this week posting just didn't happen!
Leaving Rylee to go to work has been really hard!!! I cried a little the first day but haven't again so far. The first day when I got home (I'm only working afternoons at this point!), Aunt Sandy had picked her up for me and she was in her bouncy seat while Sandy fixed supper. Sandy said that she hadn't made one peep the whole time but Sandy saw me pull in the driveway and said "your mommy's home" and Rylee started making noises like crazy. Then I walked in and went straight to get her and leaned over and started talking and she stuck out her bottom lip hugely like "you left me" but then gave me the biggest smile and started cooing at me! It was so precious! Someone told Sandy recently that they knew a guy who said that he felt like it was Christmas every day when he got home because of the reaction he gets from his kids and his wife gets jealous because she never gets that kind of reaction since she is with them all of the time. I guess that is one small plus to working, even though I would much rather be home with her!!!
She's really growing and starting to lose her hair....

With Aunt Sandy at her first wedding shower.

More pics!

2007-10-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

Everything is going well. I can't believe I only have two more weeks off from work!!! Time is passing so quickly! I keep reminding myself how very fortunate I am to only have to go in at noon. I do not think I was made to where I could be the kind of parent who drops their child off by 7 in the morning and picks them up at 6 or so at night. Thankfully God knew what he was providing by leading me to the private speech clinic at this point in my life. Just another example of his faithfulness through this whole situation.

All you DFW friends- I have been missing everyone like crazy lately. I just can't wait for you to meet Rylee (and two of you to see her again PP and SB!) and I am really craving some Lake Cities love and worship :)

I know you don't really come here to read what I write, so here's the pics you came to see....

She really enjoyed the sermon at her first Sunday morning church service! Sandy was trying to close her mouth but it didn't work.

Uncle David's version of "babysitting".

So we now see where Rylee gets the habit of sleeping with her mouth open.

And yes, my mom will definitely kill me if she sees that I put this picture on here!

Rylee enjoying celebrating her great-grandparents' 69th wedding anniversary in Nana's arms.

This is cousin Carly (one of four new ones born this year). She was born July 16th.

And here are the other new cousins- Cade (March 22nd) and Maggie (April 6th). Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be fun with all of these new little ones!

This is cousin Caroline who turned 2 on July 1st. She is such a cutie and is so smart!!!

And two more examples of how she almost always likes to sleep with her hands by her face!

We've been busy!

2007-09-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

First of all, thanks Paige for the new header! Love it!!!
This has been a busy past 2 weeks. Last week Sandy was in Dallas for a couple of days so Rylee and I went to my parents' house for 3 1/2 days. Then this week we have been to the doctor twice, out to eat 3 times, attended a diaper shower in Rylee's honor, to church on Wednesday and went to Rylee's first football game to see her cousin Cole play(which I forgot my camera!). The first day at the doctor's she was 7 lb. 7 oz. (25 %ile) so we went back in two days to make sure she was gaining enough weight and she was 7 lb. 9 oz. which is exactly where she was supposed to be! Here's some pics....enjoy!

The church here wanted to give Rylee a diaper shower and here are some of the goodies we came home with (not all diapers by the way!). I thought it was so sweet for them to do this considering most of the 40+ people who attended I hadn't even met yet!

Rylee enjoying her shower :)

One of my favorite non-diaper gifts! It looks so big (12 month) but I know it won't be long at all until it fits!

Rylee's first bath before church on Wednesday. Her cord finally came off Tuesday morning!

My dad is famous for not holding babies who are really little, but I was in the bathroom putting on makeup and Rylee was lying on the couch and started "fussing" so of course he had to pick her up!

This is my 88 year old grandaddy holding Rylee who he calls Katie because he can only remember that her middle name is Kate. He and my grandma are celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary next week!!!

My 87 year old grandma.

She must have been having a really good dream!

And finally a special message from Rylee:
"Thanks Mrs. Kim for my very special Dragon purse! I love it! I can't wait to go to a Dragon game and carry it! I thought that it was the perfect time to take a picture with it since Whitney was holding me and had on a Dragon shirt. Go Dragons!"

One Week Already?!?

2007-09-17T21:34:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that my baby girl is already a week old. It it so weird because it seems like only yesterday I was heading to the hospital but at the same time I can't imagine life without her.
Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but today has really been the first day that I have been feeling pretty "normal". My incision site is still a little sore but mainly I have been having major headaches/neckaches from the gas that they pump into your body during surgery. They say that with some people it just takes a while to leave your body and I guess I am one of those people :)
Everything went very well last week- thanks so much for all of your prayers. I would type more but it is almost 11 and I probably need to get some sleep since Rylee will probably be up in a few hours ready to eat again.
Here are some pics from the past week...

My wide awake little girl!

We LOVE our swing- thanks Meadows families!

We really thought she was going to be bigger so most of her clothes are too big! I'm sure they will fit in a couple of weeks with the way she has been eating!

We never could see her face in the sonograms because she always had one of her hands covering it. Dr. New said that she would probably keep them up there even after she was born and he was sure right.

We've been practicing saying our prayers already :)

Happy Birthday Rylee!

2007-09-10T20:59:00.000-05:00

I sure was warm and cozy in here. This picture was taken today! This is MY mommy in MY room on MY birthday!

I WAS born today! September 10, 2007 at 8:44am, and my mommy named me Rylee Kate.

They weighed me and measured me all over and this is what they said:

I weighed 7lbs 11oz and was 20 inches long.

My mommy was a champ!

How do you like my FOOT? They say I have long toes like my mommy, but we haven't had time to compare.

They finally put a diaper on me. I wish those nurses would have moved the blinds so that all those crazy ladies could have gotten a better picture of me. My nana got some great ones though. I bet she will share those when she gets a minute.Please people, no more pictures!
FINALLY they put some clothes on me! I was getting really cold.
I learned that this is how you get some attention!
My mommy is ONE fabulous chick! I know she has prayed for me and loves me with all of her heart. When she holds me, I feel so protected.

I get my good looks from her! And guess what is under my cap...curly hair! Light, curly hair!

I will try to post as I can, but I have lots to do now that I am in this world. Thanks for all of your prayers, and don't forget to leave a comment for my MOMMY!

Did she really just say what I think she said???

2007-09-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

I couldn't sleep so I decided to blog about what happened to me this morning at church. So far my experience with the people at church here has been very positve. I went to lunch on Friday with seven ladies, one who has only been here eight months and has an 11 month old son, and really enjoyed it. Some of the ladies also want to throw a diaper shower for Rylee after she gets here and I haven't even placed membership yet. Pretty nice and welcoming huh?
Anyway....today was a different story. Sandy and I were on our way out the front door when a lady stops and asks me how I'm doing. I don't know her but I just figure this is someone else that Sandy knows and I haven't met yet. I tell her I'm fine. She then says, "I was asking someone the other day if they had met the new girl who is 11 months pregnant!" Then she turns to Sandy and says, "And tell me your name." Seriously, she doesn't know either of us and that is her opening line- 11 MONTHS PREGNANT!!! Thanks lady. I am pretty sure that people have gotten mad at a lot less and have never shown back up at church again. Glad that I'm a preacher's daughter and it takes a lot more than that to deter me.
I know I am probably just a tad bit sensitive at this point but was that really an appropriate thing to say to someone who is new at your church that you've never met? My mom said that I should have either started crying or told her that there was more than one baby in there. My dad said that I should have told her that I was leaving it all up to the Lord and maybe she should too. Too bad I don't think that fast on my feet :)

Rylee's Room and other stuff

2007-08-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

So I have been hearing through the grapevine that some people think I should update more often....so here goes. If I had anything major going on I would feel like I needed to post, but I don't want to bore everyone to tears so I guess I'm just telling myself that once Rylee gets here I'll post more.
No new news from Texarkana. I go to the doctor next Thursday and then I start going every week. I have 4 1/2 weeks until my due date. I am feeling so many emotions right now- which I am sure most of you reading this remember. On one hand I can't wait for her to get here- I can't wait to see what she looks like, can't wait to get to know her personality, can't wait to teach her all sorts of things and learn all sorts of things from her, am ready to not be big and pregnant in August, etc. On the other hand I am scared silly- wondering if I'll be a good mom, wondering how I'm going to do this being single and worrying about everything that goes with that whole situation, wondering if I will be a good spiritual leader that will show her God and Jesus and not just tell her about them, etc. etc. etc. etc.
I took a childbirth class last Saturday and did an infant CPR class Thursday night. The childbirth class was pretty much just four hours long and all in one day. I really liked that format. It was nice to learn the hospital policies and what to expect during labor/delivery but not feel like I had been bombarded with tons of information.
I guess that's about it for right now. Oh yeah- and I added some pics of Rylee's room. It's been very nice having my sister around to help me hang things on the walls! There is also a full size bed in the room so I can sleep in there when Sandy has company, but I don't have the pillows made for it yet and don't have anything on the walls so I didn't post any pics of that side of the room except for the night stand that I got at Hobby Lobby. I was also going to post a belly shot but I am just too huge...couldn't torment myself like that.

Quads and ******'*!

2007-08-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

First of all, it was SOOOOOOO great to be back this weekend and catch up with everyone. I wish I could have spent more time with you all!
No, I'm not having quads even though I may look like it :), but a girl I went to Harding with had hers today! Short version of her story...I ran across her blog right when I moved to Texarkana and have been "stalking" ever since. I didn't personally know her at Harding but she lived on my hall my sophomore year so I knew her enough to recognize her and say Hi when we passed each other. About three weeks after I took the lowest dosage of Clomid, she did the same. I repeat, we each took the same low dosage of Clomid. God sure knew what he was doing by not giving me 4 babies at this point in my life!!! It is really neat to go back and read about when she first found out that she was pregnant and then found out she was having quads. If you have a few spare minutes check out her blog and be sure to lift those little ones up in prayer. They came today at 30 weeks and the only information so far is that they are all here and breathing. Hopefully someone will post new info soon. Her blog is www.thelifeofsuz.blogspot.com.
As for the ******'* in the title- I have a story about my job and being back in good ole Texarkana but I didn't really want the word "Hooter's" in the actual title. So it starts out with my last client of the day. He is a ten year old boy who is typical Arkansas redneck (I can say that since I am from here!). His tshirt that he is proudly displaying says, "I wish my babysitter was a Hooter's girl!" I came home and was telling Sandy because we have been waiting on Hooter's to open here because we really like their wings and sometimes ordered take out in Grapevine. So she calls to find out if they are really open because there has been no advertisement whatsoever that they are. This is the summary of the conversation:
Sandy: "Hi, I was just calling to see if you were open for business."
Hooter's girl: "What do you mean?"
S: "How long have you been open?"- meaning this week, for two weeks, etc.
H: "Since eleven."
It's great to finally be back around some intelligent people!!!

9 weeks to go and counting!

2007-07-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who all will even read this (it probably depends on who all Paige tells about it) but I thought I would give everyone who does read it a quick update. Well, I've officically been here in Texarkana for almost two months. God has continued to answer many prayers in my life. I have a job that I am really liking and it has been a tremendous blessing to be so close to all of my family. For instance, my cousin Clint and his wife Tiffany just had their first baby this week and it was so nice to be close enough to go to the hospital and visit her. The main negative has been how much I miss my church family, and I can't wait to see everyone when I come visit next weekend!

I have gone to see my new doctor here three times. He is very nice but I really miss Dr. New and getting to SEE Rylee every doctor's appointment and not just hear her heartbeat :) He told me that he would not let me go over my due date so that was a relief!!! So Rylee should be here in 9 weeks or less! Crazy!!!

I posted a few belly shots so you all can see how big I have gotten....

Also, for all of you GH fans, I got my hair cut today and I told her that I wanted Kate Howard hair and luckily the girl watches GH as well so she knew what I meant. I thought it turned out pretty good. Disclaimer on the pics-----they were taken at 9:15 pm and I wasn't wearing any makeup. Hopefully I'll look better when you see me next in person!

Hope you are happy now Paige!!!