the ClayCo is going away

Ryland's girlfriend, Ella, has let him borrow some toys that she has outgrown. We called this toy the ClayCo, and Ryland has really enjoyed playing in it. Since he has started pulling up and holding on, he wants to stand up to play now. He hasn't had any interest in the ClayCo for the past month, so I decided to clean it and return it to the Huffts.

It was like a moth to a flame. Ryland was all about the ClayCo all of a sudden. He realized he could stand and play. I thought that we would just keep it for a little while longer, but.....

then he was on to the Christmas carols book. Talk about a short attention span!

Needless to say, the ClayCo will "sneak out" soon. I don't think he will even notice.

Christmas tree

I know it is December 15th, and I can't believe we are just now getting our tree decorated. We pulled it out of the attic about a week ago, but it has just taken a while for us to have a calm night.

We have a pretty gaudy tree, and we just love it. Our whole house is very monochromatic shades of green and tan. POP! Our red tree is a great conversation piece that is bright and fun.

The tree glows really red with the overhead lights turned down.

Ryland helps Dad hang an ornament.

Ryland is a little confused. He wants the ornament back, so he can play with it. He loves to touch the tree, ribbon, and ornaments.

Elf on the Shelf

We received The Elf on the Shelf from the Owens family this weekend. I was absolutely thrilled because I saw it on TV last year, and I thought it was just the cutest idea.

The elf, whom we named Tom, will arrive every year after Thanksgiving to observe for Santa. Every night he travels back to the North Pole to report what he has seen. Each day Tom will come back and be in a different place. He has started on the fireplace and who knows where he will be sitting in the morning. Ryland will have to find him. The only catch is, the elf can never be touched or played with. He is a great listener but has been told by Santa not to talk back. Everyone better be on their best behavior, so Tom can't report any naughty only nice!

Christmas cantana

Our church held their annual Christmas cantana service today, and we were so impressed. The church really goes all out and creates an amazing production. Lights, dancers, costumes, and more. The cantana is all about the birth of Jesus and is a truly special service. Hours of work and dedication are put in to make this an amazing and memorable service.

Game night

We all headed over to the Woods' home for some weekend fun. The kiddos are so funny together, and I just love to watch them interact. After the babies went down, us grownups played a game of 90s Trivial Pursuit. Let me just start off by saying, I suck at any kind of trivia or q & a. Needless to say, Robert, my partner, carried our team to victory.

Pretty obvious that these old dads have had way too much fun.
Thanks for having us over!

All aboard the North Pole Express

We headed out to Grapevine for some much needed Christmas spirit. We met up with the Woods and the Owens for a little weekend fun. We all attended the North Pole Express gig. It started off with a cute skit and some Christmas jingles and then we all headed for the train. The conductor did a great job of getting all the little ones interested and excited.


SNOW! As we headed to the train, we were led down a path through the trees where it was snowing. It was artificial snow, but it was neat to watch Ryland try to figure out what it was.

The boys are being silly on the way to the North Pole.

We climbed aboard an old authentic train for a little ride. As we traveled down the rails, we listened to the Night Before Christmas.

Ryland, Daddy, and Mom

Lindsey, Jackson, and Rodney

Harker, Sarah, and Robert

I just love Harker's expression. She is so over this train.

Ryland told Santa to check out his bowl full of jelly. Eat your heart out Santa.

Santa was available for pictures after the train ride, so we snapped a quick pic before headed off.

We had a great time, and we look forward to coming again next year. It is a perfect family tradition and will become even more fun as Ryland gets older.

Fun with dad's hat

Ryland is always grabbing for John Chris' hat, so John Chris put it on his head. He took a little while to figure out what the heck was going on, and it was funny to watch him grab and spin the hat around.

The smallest things bring the most joy.

Feeling much better

Ryland is feeling much, much, much better today! I am relieved that he is getting well. I finally got him to smile today! We will continue the meds until we run out of antibiotics and will hope for no more complications from the flu. He is sleeping again and is getting his appetite back.

Back to the doctor

Ryland has started pulling at both ears, his eyes are almost matted shut, and I now hear a substantial amount of congestion when he breathes. He still is not running a fever or sleeping comfortably. We decided to make another trip to the doctor because he is not improving, and he is now out of medicine.

The doctor examined him, and he has a double ear & sinus infection. We started antibiotics immediately with motrin and dimetapp. We hope to see a smile from him soon. Poor baby!

Moms' brunch at church

I attended the Christmas brunch for the moms' group at the church today. It was nice to finally meet Suzanne and Cissie, the organizers. They did a great job on the food. It was tasty. The funniest thing happened, I met another mom with a baby girl that is about 2 months older than Ryland. Her daughter's name is Rylan.
That is just super crazy. What are the chances? So much for an original and unique name.

Doctor follow up visit

Ryland went to the pediatrician today for a follow up visit. He looks OK, and his temperature has remained low. We are to continue to watch his temp and keep him on the medicine. What is very scary about the flu is that it lowers your immune system making him more susceptible to catching something else. I was instructed to watch him for other symptoms and bring him back immediately if anything changes.

My poor little baby is very uncomfortable, and he can only sleep while resting on my chest. He is exhausted.

FLU!!!

Ryland had a rough night, and he looks and sounds terrible this morning. We decided to go ahead and take him to see the doctor after his temperature continued going up. He tested positive for the flu, and he was prescribed Tamiflu for the next five days in combination with motrin. We have to take his temp around the clock, and if it goes over 103 we were told to go straight to the emergency room. It is so hard to watch him in pain. He just whines, cries, and wants to be held. We will follow up with his regular pediatrician Monday for a follow up on his progress.

Christmas spirit

Ryland is in the Christmas spirit today. He is about to get a red face.

Hanging in the footed jams

Since it has gotten colder outside, Ryland has started wearing his footed jams. He loves to just hang around and play in them. There is nothing better than still wearing your pj's after lunch.

Mom's ride is ready

The second week I had my new SUV, I ran into the garage wall and scuffed up the front bumper. This seems like it has become a terrible habit of mine. This makes the 3rd time for me, and I don't know what my problem is. We had the front bumper repaired, and it is ready to be picked up. Thank the Lord!
After driving home from Louisiana last night, I realized how much I love the DVD player. It is normally a 4 hour trip, but due to massive rain, holiday traffic, and several wrecks the trip took us about 5 and half hours. At one point Ryland was having a complete meltdown, John Chris was yelling, and I was crying. There we were packed in a truck with all of our stuff in the cab, so it would not get soaked, completely stopped on the interstate, Cooper in my lap, rain pouring down, and Ryland having a fit.
I would have given anything for that darn DVD player! Anything!

Crazy chickens

We took a little look at the chickens as they were getting fed. They crack Ryland up. John Chris makes a chicken noise, and he just starts laughing. Now when he gets a little fussy, we both start clucking.

Happy 60th birthday

We traveled to Louisiana to celebrate Randy's 60th birthday. We had a great time visiting and catching up, and it was nice to slow down a little. I took a few shots of Ryland playing in the grass. He loved picking up the leaves and talking all about them.
I wish I could understand what he was saying.
"oh, you crunchy leaf. How do you taste?"

A kiss from Whody

Ryland's first 4wheeler ride.

Poor Doodle. Somehow he always gets mistaken for a pony or a horse. Ryland loves to ride on Doodle's back.

The boys like to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather!

Cooper loves to chase the frisbee. I swear you could never throw it enough times for him to give up. He is totally focused on fetching it over and over.

Black Friday

We started Black Friday with a huge breakfast at Cracker Barrell with the family. Uncle Clint and Aunt Kristi got off work at 7 AM, so we met them for breakfast. Grandma Bobby was able to meet us and get to hold Ryland.

After breakfast mom and I ran to a few stores to due a little shopping. We ventured into Kohls and racked up on toys for Ryland at 50% off! I think Nanna must have told him, because he can't stop smiling.

Visit to Clint's fire station

Uncle Clint was on duty this Thanksgiving, so we stopped by the fire station to visit. It was really cute to see him and Ryland interact and play. Putting on the fireman's uniform
Ryland did not care for the helmet. This is the only picture I was able to snap before he slung it off.

Ryland loved the fire engine. He would talk, scream, and beat on the glass. He had a blast.

What is scarier than Uncle Clint driving a fire engine? Ryland driving one.

Great times and memories at the fire station. Uncle Clint is our hero.

Downtown photos

We recently had professional family pictures taken, but we were missing Cooper. Our photo Christmas card needed a photo of us all, so we made a trip downtown to take a couple shots. We took several pictures very quickly because it was cold and windy. We found an old church that made for a perfect backdrop. Not bad photography for amatuers.
3 generation picture of me, my mom, and Ryland

Me and Ryland

John Chris and Cooper

Me and the boys.

John Chris and Ryland. I LOVE this picture!

A candid shot I snapped of the grandparents watching Ryland.