Leah turns 1/2 a Year!

I think I started this blog when Ryan was 6 months old and I said a little something about the kind of baby Ryan was. So in all sisterly fairness I will do the same for Leah. She is, by far, the happiest baby I have ever seen. All you have to do is look at her and she smiles and oh what a smile! You could be feeling so crummy, so tired, so blue and when she is in your lap and looks up at you and flashes that smile (almost inappropriately-almost like she is doing it on purpose) you cant help but feel instantly risen. She is very bright, alert, responsive, and most important to us-coordinated! :) She is a heartbeat away from crawling already (something it took Ryan 10 months to do) and can hold herself up quite well! She loves food (just like her sister) and while we initially thought she was going to be our skinny minny, she is getting to be a little chunk (also like her sister). Overall, she is a very easy going, easy to love little girl and I couldn't feel more blessed to have her!

GO USA!!!!!!!!

It doesnt matter that this game is what takes daddy away from us the majority of the year-Every 4 years, I become a SUPERFAN! It's the World Cup baby-the Worlds game-the Beautiful Game and I love it. Ask me my thoughts again in mid August to mid November and chances are I am singing a different tune...but for now, my family is doing it right. Got my girls dressed up in their finest Red White & Blue and ready to take on England (whos colors are also red white & blue-hmmm...oh well...we were clearly Americans!)however, in a blasphemous move Ryan wanted to only watch Toy Story. GASP! Jamey was clearly about to have a break down (not sure if it was because of Ryans lack of interest in soccer or the fact that he couldnt watch the game without a screaming 2 year old), so in a total self sacrificing gesture, I took Ryan upstairs to watch Toy Story and allow Jamey to watch the game in peace!
The game ended in a 1-1 tie....meh. But the girls looked cute, and everyone was happy and ultimately that is all that matters in the end!
As a side note: how hilarious are the last two pictures? Cant you almost hear the scene playing out-
Ryan: Whats up buddy?!
Leah: Wha? Who?
Next Picture-
Leah: Oh yeah! Hey buddy!

Ahhh-the dog days of..Spring?

"Summertime, and the living is eeeeasssyy"...wait what...its only MAY! Oh good grief Florida! And just like when I was little, thank goodness someone I know has a pool!
Aunt Meghan and Uncle Sam installed a glorious pool for us to enjoy when we visit! We got off to a bit of a rocky start-Ryan in full force "fear" mode, was scared to death by thier dogs and when one of them swam in the pool, I thought it was going to take a force of nature to get her in-enter Jamey! Perfect timing. Once he got in, she dove right in! Now Leah, at 5 month is still in "ignorance is bliss" phase and also (thankfully) has her fathers demeanor and is just happy to be around us! Never complains, just happy as a clam! I find it hysterical that Ryan looks just like dad, but acts just like mom, and Leah looks just like mom but acts just like dad. I guess that is how it should be I suppose.

Brevard Zoo-on the HOTTEST day of the year!

What are the odds that when you head down to Florida in May it is going to be 90+ degrees? Yeah, ok...I know, they are actually pretty good...but really? I decided long before we went down to visit Grandma that I wanted to take Ryan to the zoo-she has been obsessed with animals and I just knew she would love it! We got there and within 5 seconds of stepping out of the car we began sweating and the hard part was yet to come. Getting out the double stroller, two diaper bags (in case she wanted to go to the water park), two purses, and two cameras (well I do have TWO kids) took about all the energy my mother and I could muster. 10 minutes later we both lost 5 pounds! And we're off-Whew! It is a nice little zoo, not too big, not too small-just right for Ryan-or so I thought. We got to the main attraction-the Giraffe Exhibit-this is where you can actually feed the giraffes, and I just knew Ryan would adore this. I often wonder about these people who talk about a "Mother Intuition" cause apparently I don't have one-she HATED it! Now, in her defense, she loves giraffes IN PICTURES, but she is going through that 2 year old "fear of everything" phase, which is surprising because she was just in that scary as hell "fear NOTHING" phase that has her jumping off couches and grabbing Moe's ears. In any event, she was basically scared of anything that was up close-so between that and the Florida heat we were dragging our butts back to the car just after lunch. I am glad we went. I think she had a good time besides the rhino scaring the bejeesus out of her, and the birds landing on her head! I did what every good mom does (and what every good amusement park does as well) ended with gift shop! I will certainly take her again-but next time in the winter!
By the way, you are probably asking yourself what Leah was doing this entire time-well, in typical 2nd child fashion-she was just along for the ride.

File this under-WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!

You can never accuse us of NOT being ambitious! I tell people that I do NOT like to NOT do stuff because it is hard, but in reality I think I'm just either stupid, or forgetful. If I had thought how insane a trip to the beach with 2 babies would be-I never would have gone...or if I had remembered how hard it was the previous year with just 1 baby-I never would have gone. But we ventured out there anyway-both babies in tow, in the blistering sun, and just like last year, Jamey playing the pack mule. It started out just fine-got the umbrella up, Leah safely hidden in the shade. Got the toys and beach towel all set up for Ryan-smooth. We were almost tricked into thinking this was a good idea-then the waterworks started-NOTHING made Ryan happy, no amount of toys, or sand, or water, or kite flying (WHO doesn't love a kite? I mean the sight of mommy alone trying to get this thing in the air should have put a small smile on her face. I know I saw daddy smirk) but no. She wasn't thirsty, hungry or tired-that's when things got worse. The umbrella flew away. I know this sounds simple-but now I have a freaked out 2 year old, a 5 month old sitting in the blazing sun, now beginning to cry herself, and a pissed off husband running all over the beach chasing this umbrella (karma is all I'm sayin about that). Poor Jamey spent the next 1/2 hour holding on to the umbrella with his right hand, feeding Leah a bottle with his left, all the while Ryan is clinging to his side. Needless to say, he was not enjoying the beach. So after only 2 hours, we packed everything back up, thanked everyone around us for not laughing at us too hard, and made the long arduous journey back to the car-then a 1 hour car ride! Good times!!!
Please know that when I tell people, "It was worth all the work" I'M LYING!!!!!!!!!!!

And I get to Witness this First Hand!

I think if I looked back I probably have several blogs posts about how Ryan is a Daddy's Girl. And in each post I probably mention how I am "ok" with that, blah blah blah...But after looking at these photos I had an epiphany, a sudden and profound realization-I get to see it. I get to watch second hand the immense cuteness when Ryan looks at Jamey when he doesn't know she is looking. I get to see the insane smile on her face when he drives into the driveway. I get to hear, "DADDY!!!!" as he is walking towards the door. I get to witness these moments that while Jamey may get the adoration, he misses because he is up close, in the moment. I get to sit back and just enjoy my daughters love for her father and capture it all on film! I used to think that he was the lucky one-but I am beginning to realize that I am just as lucky. Why wouldn't she fall head over heals in love with him-I did-and she IS her mothers daughter! :)
As a side note-look at the last picture and how they are EXACTLY alike-from the position of their head, to their feet-This picture is way better than I orginially thought...I just LOVE IT!

BEST Drool Bomb Shot EVER!!!!!

Deos anything more NEED to be said about this shot?! Might be in my Top 10 Favorite Shot! It's Perfect!

Hey Ryan, you arent the only one with Beautiful BLUE eyes!

I have very pale grey cat eyes. Jamey has big sapphire blue eyes. And together it makes the most gorgeous shade of blue! I didnt think anyone (and yes, of coarse I am biased) could have more beautiful blue eyes than Ryan. They are such a dark, sharp blue with amazing lashes. But here comes Leah, giving Ryan a serious run for her money with striking blue eyes of her own. You dont often refer to ones eye color as "teal" but as evidence from the shirt I put on Leah (not a coincidence btw, I was coordinating with her eyes) that is indeed the color of her eyes! Amazing!!! They are both a perfect blend if you ask me!!!

I am just THAT good!

Thank goodness my camera has a "sport" feature to capture moments that are happening at the speed of light-like someone hitting a fastball, or someone hitting a 156 mph serve, or my two girls getting along. That may be a slight exaggeration- for the most part, Ryan loves the IDEA of her sister, loves to tell people that is her sister and show her off, but HATES it when her sister gets too close to her or touches anything that Ryan has deemed hers (which is pretty much anything in the house, in the car, or on this planet). So imagine my delight when I placed Leah at the table to play "tea party" and Ryan actually gave her some tea? (I sincerely hope it wasn't laced with anything) What I keep "behind the curtain" was the split second after she gave her the tea, when Ryan knocked the cup out of Leah's hand, saying, "MINE!" (Then why did you give it to her?!) A sign of times to come?! Lordie, help me!

Why Helllooooo Diana Ross...

Just out of curiosity I decided to braid Ryan's pigtails. But her hair is so curly that it didn't turn out as cute as I had hoped. However, it did keep her hair out of her face and she seemed alright with it, so I left them in...ALL DAY. She went outside playing, sweating, took a nap in them. So needless to say when I took her hair down at the end of the day-it looked like this-A giant frizzy, curly, mop of hair that expanded the size of her head to triple its original size! It honestly looked like a wig-a Diana Ross wig-all she needed was a low cut gold bedazzled dress and a microphone-she already has the "attitude"!