What a Diffrence a Year Makes!

Before starting this post about our 4th of July festivities (if you want to even call them that) I spent a few minutes to look back on how we celebrated last year. After reading that post, the flood of memories came back to me and they were even more horrible than I remember!! Because of that I was evermore thankful this year we were able to subconsciously learn from last year (having truly blocked it out of our minds) and keep it simple this year. This seems to be a theme for holidays since Leah was born-stay home, do nothing. I imagine this is the last official holiday that will happen-at some point the grandparents are going to expect us to resume traveling again. But for now I will enjoy the homestead if only because I don't have to pack (seems like a reasonable enough thought to me). I wasn't kidding, we kept it about as simple as you can-we got dressed, headed to the park, walked around, sat under a shady tree, and left just before the fireworks. Leah is in full-on teething mode and we saw no need to torture her, ourselves, Ryan or the party people with her pain, hence, leaving early. That was it!!! No beach sand fiasco, no bugs to speak of, no ants in the pants, no lawn on fire and most important we spent only a total of 30 minutes in the car!!!! Happy Birthday America!!

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"!

Ryan's New Chair-A present for her or for ME?!

When my mom came to visit one time and saw Ryan taking over the recliner and then the couch she casually mentioned, "Ryan needs her own chair." Hmmm, I initially blew this notion off cause honestly where in the hell would i put it? But if I heard, Move mommy" or "Mommy sit on the couch" one more time I was going to freak out. This child has taken over all the furniture and we ended up on the floor most of the time-NOT RIGHT!
So my mom bought her a great chair/ottoman combo sized just for her! I honestly thought it was going to be tougher than it was for her to start using it-but she really likes the idea of having her very own chair. The only problem is she still has to have her pillow (that she usually uses on the couch) but now drags to her chair-but it is pretty big and takes up most of the seat so she ends up sitting straight up...but hey, whatever she wants and whatever gets her to stop yelling at me to MOVE MOMMY!

I'm 2 Years Old!!!!!!

If you go back and read about Ryan's 1st birthday (which I have all but blocked out) you may find a word or two like STRESSFUL or OVERWHELMING or AM I A CRAZY PERSON FOR DOING ALL THIS???!!!! (Ok, that is more than one word). In any event, I was going to take all my energy this year to AVOID having a repeat of last year-first step was having my tubes tied (NO chance of a shocking pregnancy to ruin this birthday!) and I was all prepared to keep it extremely low key (No losing balloons to insane wind meltdowns). Well, as they say-they best laid plans. My Uncle Scott wanted to come down and bring his girlfriend and my grandma. Ok-still planning to keep it simple I agreed. It wasnt until my mom said she would come a few days before they arrived to "help" me get ready that I realized that this was going to be more than simple gathering. All of a sudden I have to come up with a theme, order a cake, balloons, and GASP actually really clean my house (and not just Jenbug clean, which is pretty clean, but "Mom" clean clean clean-which involves baseboards and such).
So my stress free birthday was stress free no longer and I didnt have the "I just found out I'm pregnant" excuse to fall back on for any meltdowns. YIKES. Thankfully I didnt need them-it went perfectly! Mom came in, cleaned my house for me (always welcomed) and once Scott, Rhonda and grandma came it was very casual and Ryan had a great time.
Aunt Judy sent Ryan a very special crown & tutu outfit that was very pretty, and for once let Ryan dress like a little princess-sort of (I wasnt sure what to put underneath it, so I did the best I could with pants and a t-shirt. We all went outside to color with chalk (Ryan LOVES to color), we opened presents and then had lunch and cake! It was very pleasant but the best part was coming-The Wildlife Center-any chance I get to hear Ryan say, "Trurttlllle"! I was so thankful to have Rhona with us as we toured because she taught Ryan so much (it is her normal job in Columbus) and Ryan stuck very close to her side! As much as I was dreading another birthday bash for Ryan-this one turned out to be perfect. ON the list of presents Ryan got-A sit-n-spin (my fav as a child), a vacuum (oddly it only picks up white/red styrofoam balls), clothes, Rhonda made cute blankets for both girls, and even ABBY got in on the gifts with clothes and a brand new stroller! Ryan loved it all and had a really great weekend!
I should also mention that for the first time Ryan said "Grandma" over and over over and over (careful what you wish for Grandma) again. Anytime mom would leave the house, Ryan would ask, "Wheres grandma?" I think she really liked the sound of it-both of them!

Who is this Easter Bunny and Why is he Looking at Me?

Good Lord the drama of decisions that we have to make as parents is exhausting. On this particular day we wanted to take the girls to the Wildlife Center for the Easter Egg hunt that afternoon. Seems easy enough, but check this out-here is the list of events/questions that would dictate which direction this day would take:
*The event started at 1-this falls into Ryan's normal nap time-so do we wait on her nap until after the event, or try to get her down early so she would wake up before we leave? (which is easier said than done-ever try putting a wide awake 2 year old down early-it is like giving a cat a bath)
*It was threatening thunderstorms, raining off and on and the event was outside-this was the biggest factor that set off a domino of other choices and backup plans all of which had consequences. Here is how that goes:
If it was raining we would take the girls to the mall to meet the Easter Bunny-which would mean that they would have to wear their fancy Easter Dresses instead of just a cute play dress that I was going to put them in for the Easter Egg hunt. If after the mall it wasnt raining, then we would go to the Easter Egg hunt but I would change her outfit to the previous outfit so she could play, but we cant stay long in case she didnt nap early, she is going to get tired and need a nap. If however, it is still raining, then we can stay in the fancy dress and walk in the mall shopping. WHEW! Exhausting isnt it?! Here is what ended up happening:
No nap, we got dressed up in the fancy dress and headed to the mall because it was raining, the Easter Bunny FREAKED Ryan out and so Jamey (who didnt shower because in all our preparation, didnt leave time for that) had to get into the picture (hysterical picture), we noticed it had stopped raining, but forgot the other play dress so we heading to the Wildlife Center with our fancy dress on. Upon arriving there was another Easter Bunny, after keeping a wide perimeter around the bunny (they ARE sneaky Ryan)we found out we missed the Egg Hunt, disappointed, we headed over to the playground, but it was wet from he rain, still dressed up, we decided to let her play (you try telling her NO). After a brief playground episode in her fancy dress, she got tired and fussy and wanted to go home. So after all the debate, deliberations, and preparations-we ended up going home with a bad picture of the girls with the evil Easter Bunny, a dirty dress and a cranky child!