Sleeping

As I was kissing everyone goodnight, I noticed they all are sleeping in some sort of crazy way tonight.  Reed is surrounded by pillows and 25 stuffed animals.

Ridley is wiped out on the sofa after enjoying her Nabi.  She even lost her wolf ears.

I found Ryland upstairs in his pillow fort behind the chair in the gameroom.  I don't see how this is comfortable, but he is out.

The Wetlands

We finally got everything loaded, and we are on the road!  Here we come Louisiana!  

In the middle of packing and loading, Ryland smacked himself in the mouth.  It was pretty bad, and there was blood and screaming.  He did end up losing a top front tooth, so the Tooth Fairy had to find him way out at the Wetlands.  I don't know how she did it, but she found him and left a sweet surprise.  $20 bill!  The tooth fairy must not have had change for her unexpected trip.

We all enjoyed being outdoors and spent a little time fishing.  It was nice to be outside and ride around in the boat.  Ryland reeled in a fish, and we saw a pretty large snake in the water.  Ryland also lost his other top front tooth today, so we had to send a memo to the Tooth Fairy, again.

We had a ton of fun visiting and catching up with everyone.  It was nice to see how everyone is changing as more kiddos are born.  The corn hole, skeet shooting, and beer drinking are still in full effect, but there are some more yard toys and play pins.

Reed was the ultimate frog catcher.  He loved tracking and catching these frogs as they hopped across the porch and patio.  He was very stealth-like and grabbed them quickly.  He would play with them a little while, and then he would let them go.

The inflatable water slide was a huge hit again.  Reed wouldn't take a break for a picture, and I snapped this one of Ryland as he ran over for more sunscreen.  They loved it!  Ridley threw a fit to get on it, but it didn't go so well.  She slid down screaming one time, and that pretty much changed her mind about the slide.

Ridley had a blast at the Wetlands.  She was a trooper and went along with whatever we were doing.  I did have some long, wonderful naps with her in the cool bunk house.  I love those sweet still moments.  On the way home, I picked her up this Cinderella drink when they boys got ICEEs.  She was so excited and held the bottle like a baby.  Too funny!

Who is in Control?

We were headed to Dallas to enjoy crawfish with the Brashears, but first we needed to make a stop at a birthday party.  Ryland and I stopped off at Brady's party, while John Chris took the two littles to pick up a few last minute items for the crawfish boil.  When they came back to pick us up, Reed and Ridley were laughing and covered in chocolate.  This should make for an interesting evening.

Brothers

I was loading the dishwasher when I heard the chatter and giggles of the kiddos.  I looked around the corner to see what was going on, and I saw Ridley laying on the floor with her two brothers.  I asked what they were doing, and they said "playing with Ridley".  Fantastic, I thought.

Not long after, I hear louder giggles.  This time it was coming from my bedroom.  The boys were pulling Ridley, and they all were laughing.  She would put her head down on her blanket, and the boys would pull her around.  Bless her heart!  She has her hands full with those silly brothers.

No words

Some days are just too much.  Today was one of those days that needed to end, so I can refresh my mind and body.  Ryland started Jiu-Jitsu this evening, but you would think my other two children were recently released from the area zoo.  I tried to watch Ryland and listen to what the instructor was saying, but I ended up just chasing kids.  Goodness!  Is it 8 o'clock yet?

Two Babies

Now that Ryland is in Kindergarten, Reed and Ridley have lots of time to play together.  Reed absolutely adores Ridley.  She woke from her nap this afternoon, and Reed was the first one in her room to greet her.  I quickly wrapped up the dishes and walked to her room to get her out of the crib.  I walked in to find this...

Reed had climbed in her crib and helped her sit up.  He found her paci and decided to give it a try.  He cracks me up!  I love how she looked at him in the second picture.  I think she already knows he is crazy!

Mellow Mushroom

We tried out the Mellow Mushroom with the Bunch Family tonight, and it was insane.  Anytime you get a group of rowdy boys together, it is sure to be loud.  We were lucky enough to be seated in the bus, and this made the experience so much cooler for the boys.  The pizza was delicious, and we will definitely go back again.  

Oh my!

I am sure everyone has seen these little family stickers for your vehicles.  Every member of the family has one, even the pets.  They all are personalized for whatever that member is into.  Well, a few months ago John Chris and I pulled up behind a van with 11 stickers on it in the McDonalds line.  We laughed and joked about it, but couldn't get our phones out for a photo before the van turned the corner. 

Today, I saw the same Econo van at McDonalds again!  I grabbed my phone, so I could get a photo.  All I could think to myself is, Oh my! How do they do it?  I can't even imagine.

 

Crazy fun

I know, the photo is sideways.  I have tried everything to rotate the image, and I finally just gave up.  It's funny because that pretty much sums up the day. 

We needed to order passports for the boys, so they will arrive in time for our trip to Anguilla.  John Chris and I made plans and picked today to meet at City Hall.  I had printed all the documents and filled them out, and I also made sure I had all the necessary documents to validate citizenship and identity.  I loaded the boys in the truck and took off to Town Square.  I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to visit the Anthropologie sale before we had to meet John Chris. 

Town Square was bustling, so I was shocked that I lucked into a car leaving right by City Hall in the shade and on the end of the row.  I was more than thrilled.  It took a little while for the person to load up, but I was happy to wait.  I noticed another car pull up in the other direction and put their blinker on.  Hmmmm.  I sat there patiently, and as the car backed out the other car realized I wasn't budging and gave up.  I unloaded the boys and got them situated in the stroller, and we headed off the Anthropologie for 10 minutes of shopping.

I was in a heavenly place.  The rustic, clean scent of the store and the beautiful clothing and accessories almost had me in a trance.  Until I had to catch the clothes rack before it crashed to the ground.  My dear Reed must have really loved the feel of the adorable pants, because he was desperately trying to take them.  After a couple of sweet mom moments that included a few threats, I almost found myself begging them to be good for just a few more moments while I looked at the new sales items.  My nightmare was fueled by the young employee who kept telling Ryland how cute he was as he ran and climbed under the clothes rack.  Thanks!  He is so cute.  I then realized that my two angels were really putting a damper on my heavenly excursion.  I made a bee line for the door, just as John Chris walked in.

We head to City Hall only to find that the passport office was slammed.  There were 5 other groups of people waiting ahead of us, and I couldn't help but feel bad for them.  As we sat and entertained the boys, we overheard that checks were the only payment method accepted, and that 3 checks per transaction were necessary.  What?  I skimmed back over the paperwork, and the payment section said nothing of that nature.  I had only one check, so we had to make a decision.  I voted to give up and go home, but John Chris didn't think he would be able to get another afternoon off.  He headed to the house to grab the checkbook. 

I did the best I could to keep the boys from tearing that place apart, but there is only such much 2 active little boys could do in a waiting room.  We played with the globe a little before it turned into a pushing contest with the winner knocking it over.  I safely kept Reed from electrocuting himself with any one of the million electrical outlets.  I remembered I had a toy in my bag, so I pulled it out and started entertaining them with the circus zebra that flies out of the cannon.  I really felt great as they argued about whose turn it was to chase the flying zebra.  It was finally our turn, and John Chris walks in right before she calls us over to the desk.  All our paperwork looks great and our documents pass her inspection.  They boys take their photos, and I write out 3 individual checks for the fees. 

We are done.  Task complete.  John Chris is completely overwhelmed in just the fifteen total minutes he was there.  We both agree that MiCocina's dinner and drinks sound perfect.  The craziness only got a worse, and I knew it was time to go when the bus boy walked by our table and mumbled "JESUS" under his breath.  Yes, I would have to agree.  It was a mess.  I attempted to clean up as John Chris paid our tab.  We politely apologized to the tables around us as we head out, and both of the couples smile and laugh as they tell us how adorable the boys are.  I have to agree, but today was just off.

When we arrive home, Ryland starts begging to go swimming.  He immediately starts whining and crying.  I slipped his water wings on, and I made a dash for the pool.  I jumped right in which made him shriek with laughter, because I had my clothes on.  He jumped right in, and Reed followed right behind too.  The three of us laughed and giggled as John Chris snapped our picture.  This was the perfect end to a crazy fun day. 

Climbing the cabinets

Ryland was on a rampage today. He was into everything. I grabbed the camera to get a picture of him in my heels attempting to dribble a basketball. When I turned back around, he had kicked off the shoes, lost the ball, and was climbing the cabinets. Really?

I asked him what he was doing and just laughed. He is a silly boy.

Wild man

Ryland is a wild man! He has started going crazy with climbing, throwing, and running. He is into EVERYTHING these days, and I can barely keep the child safe. The climbing is ridiculous because it is followed by jumping. Sofa, fireplace, toy box, rocking chair, bed, you name it. He climbs and then jumps off with no fear.

Slides

The resort where we are staying had a great playground on the fourth floor deck. John Chris and Ryland had a blast sliding. We had to be careful sliding when we were wet, because you can fly right off the end of the slide.
Right inside from the playground was an indoor pool. The boys had a great time playing on this slide as well.

Don't worry. We checked the weight limit first! It was pretty hilarious to see the slide rock back and forth when the dads took their turns. Poor slide.

Even though Ryland went completely under the water, he was having fun. We slid over and over, and he never seemed to get tired.

Ryland and Jackson had a great time finding new things to play with in the condo. The warming drawer was a huge hit. After we pulled both of them out of the drawer, you could see little footprints on the bottom. I am sure the housekeepers will be wondering, what in the world went on here.

Ryland wanted nothing to do with this float when it was in the pool. He actually had a complete meltdown when I put him in it earlier today, but he has decided it isn't too bad out of the water.

Animal visit goes crazy

I will start by saying I should have known better.......

It was pretty outside this afternoon, so I thought we could go for a walk. I put Ryland in his wagon, Cooper on his leash, and grabbed a bag of carrots for the animals. We walked to the front of the community and across the street to see the animals. As soon as Cooper knew where we were going, he started walking a little faster and got out in front of us. He was practically dragging us.

We parked the wagon on the side of the road, and we walked up to the fence. The animals came right over to us. The carrots must have really been tasty to them. We could not feed them quick enough. This was the first time I have let Ryland touch and feed the miniature horses, and he laughed like crazy. Cooper was a bit jealous that the other animals were getting fed, so we had to give him a few carrots.

Everything went just fine until we got ready to head home. I pulled the wagon back to the side of the road and put Ryland inside. My cell phone rang and spooked the horses. Off they went running down the fence. Cooper took off after them, yanking the leash out of my hand. I tried backing the wagon down the hill to grab Cooper, but he would not come to me. He just ran and barked at the horses. Ryland started screaming with excitement! I tried calling Cooper back, but he was uninterested. Come on, I thought to myself. Why did I do this?

About that time a police car pulls up. The officer pulls up and asked if I was OK. I told him yes, and that I was just trying to wrangle a toddler, wagon, and a crazy dog. He called in a "citizen assistance". He parked the car and chased Cooper down for me. He thought it was hilarious. I am thankful he came along, but I was a little embarrassed. Oh well.

Citizen assistance. I will have to remember that one.