Snack Protection

Our dog, Cooper, is a total mooch.  While having snacks this afternoon, Reed came up with a way to keep Cooper away from their snacks.  He set up the sofa cushions to block the snack thief.  Reed is always thinking.

Pool Remodel Continues

As the rain keeps coming, the pool project keeps going.  We had a good amount of rain overnight, so the once empty pool is filling up.  The boys had a blast playing in the few inches of water, and Cooper even wanted in on the action!

Buddies

The boys wanted to watch one more show, so they laid out their nap mats beside one another.  I was thrilled to see them be so sweet to one another.  Of course Cooper wanted in on the buddy action, and he curled right up between them.

 

Toy dreaming

The Toys R Us Christmas catalog arrived in the mail today, and Ryland immediately took possession.  He looked through it hundreds of times and refused to put it down.  I noticed him watching his nightly show while flipping the pages.  He was using Cooper as a pillow and dreaming of all the toys pictured.  He has already marked the special things we need to share with Santa.

Family evening

What could be better than an evening of family fun? It was nice to relax and visit with each other before our crazy week begins. Ryland was Mr. Flips tonight, and he only wanted to roll around on the floor to entertain us.

Reed laughed and played with the blocks, but he really like the block bucket the best. He took every block out of the bucket, so he could put the bucket over his head. He burst into laughter, because this was hilarious!

John Chris and Cooper watched the performers from the sofa.

Ryland took over the camera and began taking pictures of the things he loves. This is his car box. He loves this box of cars and likes to put all his cars, trucks, and tractors inside. It is completely off limits to Reed. Completely off limits!

Next he took a picture of the toy basket. He apparently was quite fond of his toys tonight. He has started understanding my camera and is able to actually capture his intended target now.

The boys

One of my favorite things is watching Ryland and Reed play together. They are getting more and more interactive, and I love their little giggles. Cooper got in on the fun tonight, and he was roughed up a little by the boys.

Going Potty with Cooper

What a sight! Ryland was playing in the backyard with our dog, Cooper, and they were having the best time. They play chase, modified fetch, and they love to wrestle. Ryland thought he would go pee pee like Cooper, so he dropped his pants. Before I knew it, Ryland was going potty with Cooper. I grabbed my camera and caught him in action, and I love Cooper's reaction. He is just staring at Ryland.

Matching pj"s

We had a cold blast of weather come through, so we pulled out the footed pj's to keep the boys warm. Nana gave Ryland and Reed these adorable green puppy pajamas, and they loved them. They really liked the puppies on the feet. So darn cute!
While trying to get the boys to ready for bed, one of Cooper's toys ended up in the plastic pumpkin bucket. He tried to get it himself and his head was stuck.

Ryland to the rescue. He pulled the pumpkin off Cooper's head while we all had a good laugh.

My assistants

I am so lucky to have three dedicated assistants. They are always right there to help with whatever project I am working on that day. Today I was working on a diaper cake for an upcoming baby shower. I needed to finish rolling the diapers, so I could start assembling the cake later this week.
I would roll the diapers. Ryland would hand me a rubber band. After I wrapped the diaper, I handed the diaper to Ryland. He would then strategically place the diaper in its specific place.

As we worked on this project, we talked about who it was for and the occasion. He was extremely chatty about Brad and Chanda having a baby. I asked him if he was excited about meeting their baby soon, and he informed me that he already had a baby. I tried to explain, but he continued to tell me "no mommy, baby Reed".

We finished rolling all the diapers today, and we will work on assembly later this week. This project is sure to be remembered. I am so lucky to have such wonderful helpers.

Daddy time

The boys had wonderful fun with Daddy today since I had to do wedding flowers. This is the scene. Too funny! They are all sitting around playing with each other. Even Cooper is sitting in the circle.

Ryland sharing

I caught Ryland sitting in the hall with Cooper and Doodle sharing his corn pops. He absolutely loves these dogs, and they love him. Maybe now we know why? I am happy to see that he understands the sharing concept, and he is applying it to dogs. I just hope he is doing the same thing at school. I am so proud.

Cooper's calm buddy

Cooper and Reed are great buddies. I think Cooper loves to help take care of Reed. He is always right by his side and is still very protective. I was able to catch a quick picture of them both catching some Zs.

Illness

Our attempt to keep Reed well has failed. I heard him start coughing during the night, so I took him to the pediatrician this morning. Unfortunately, he has a little fluid in his lungs. He is now taking an oral steroid and 3 breathing treatments a day. It breaks my heart to see him sick, but he is a trooper. He remains calm during the breathing treatments, and I think he likes the taste of the medicine. He is extremely congested, and I am shocked at the amount of snot that comes out of his nose.
Ryland is feeling much better and back to his happy self.

Cooper is very aware that things are not normal. He has been right at my side while I take care of the boys. He runs to Reed when he cries and naps with Ryland.

Play mat

I brought Ryland's old play mat to the living room for Reed to play with. I wasn't expecting Reed to really play with it, but I thought it would be something for him to look at and stimulate his mind. Ryland was excited to see something different and thought it was for him. Reed wasn't impressed with the play mat. The second I laid him down on it, he started fussing.

Ryland crawled over beside Reed to show him how fun the play mat could be. Ryland kept pulling the singing monkey and showing Reed his reflection in the hanging mirror. Cooper sat on the mat to supervise.

I left the camera on the coffee table after taking pictures of the boys playing. A little while later, I heard a noise and saw flashing out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see Ryland snapping shots. This is one of our ceiling fan that he took.

Poop in the yard

So we get home today and park in the garage, when I open the door to the kitchen, Cooper runs out to greet us. He runs to the front yard and hikes his leg to use the bathroom. Before I know what is happening, Ryland is in the front yard in the flower bed with his leg hiked. I immediately realize that he is copying Cooper. Hilarious!

Cooper then moved on to the grass to go poop. He squats and starts taking care of his business. What happens next? Ryland starts squatting and taking care of business. The crazy thing about this is that Ryland really went poop and pee.

Guard dog

Cooper is very protective lately. If even the smallest little noise is heard, he goes nuts. He loves babies, and Reed is his buddy. When Reed naps on the sofa, Cooper is right there beside him making sure he is safe.

Ryland's birthday

Strike a pose! Ryland turns 2 today, and we can't believe the past couple years has flown by. Every day is an adventure. He is learning and growing so quickly, and he cracks us up with what he says and does. Ryland LOVES stickers. Notice the size sticker on his chest. I pulled it off the shorts and attempted to toss it in the trash. Think again, mom. Ryland wanted to wear the sticker, so he did. This is a rare still moment of the wild boys that keep me on my toes daily.

Reed is growing fast as well. He is looking more and more like Ryland.

Ryland wanted a lawn mower like Daddy's. We took him to Toys R Us this evening and found one that makes noises and blows lawn clippings around. We also saw a cool weed eater and thought it would make a great addition to his tool/equipment collection. He was so excited to come home and help Daddy with the yard.

Daddy and Ryland checking out the new lawn equipment.

Mommy helping Ryland with the weed eating.

Edging around the play set. It is cute and crazy how receptive he is. Apparently, he has been watching Daddy.

The last thing to do is clean the pool and hot tub. Cooper has to be right in the middle of things. He isn't much help, but he is a great supervisor. Silly dog!

Coming home

We have been released from the hospital, and we were anxious to get home. We loaded up all our stuff in a hurry, and the boys piled in the truck. I snapped a quick picture of the boys in the backseat. It will never be the same again.

When we arrived home, Cooper was quick to check out the new addition. He was very interested and wanted to sniff Reed. Cooper was wonderful, as expected.

Nana had balloons on the mailbox and inside tied to a blue bear. It was a great welcome home for our family. She had cleaned the house, and it felt wonderful to come home. It was one of the first times we had been away since we moved in the house, and it truly felt like coming home.

My dad sent roses and a stuffed animal. Ryland thought the animal was for him, and he enjoyed playing with the balloons.

One of many of the thousands of diapers I can look forward to changing over the next few years.

Bath time

Ryland shared some of his bath water with Cooper tonight. He would fill up his toy and give it to Cooper to drink. This went on for a while, and Ryland just laughed hysterically. He is such a sweet boy.

Silly boys

The boys were in rare form this morning. They were just plain silly. Ryland had to be just like Daddy and started mimicking the way John Chris put his legs.

The boys do have some nice hair!

After being like Daddy for a bit, Ryland decided to take a little nap like Cooper. What better place could there be than the rug on the bathroom floor?

Ahhhh, the silly is back. It was Cooper's turn for a little hugging.