Lake weekend

John Chris wanted to take Ryland for a ride on the jet ski. I agreed as long as he would be careful and go slow.


I think Ryland's expression was pretty funny when John Chris cranked the jet ski.

At this point I am a little sick to my stomach. John Chris is going pretty fast with my precious baby. I could see that Ryland was smiling and seemed to be having fun, so I tried to relax. I am thinking that this child has a bit of a daredevil streak in him.

A refreshing swim in the lake. Ahhhhh!

We all hopped on the jet ski for a ride.

Look at Ryland's long hair blowing in the wind.

Ryland and Jackson are having a blast. They were soaking up the sun and eating crunchies. Those bellies are too cute.

The Allison family go for a ride on the tube.

Ryland laughed when we hit a little wake and the ride got bumpy. It was so much fun!!!!

Rodney and Jackson take their turn on the tube.

Kids and their toys

We traveled to Lake Claiborne for the weekend to hang out with the Owens and Wood families. The lake house was beautiful and had plenty of room for all of us and our necessary junk.

The kiddos loved these little cars and enjoyed being pushed around in them. John Chris took Harker and Ryland for a spin around the kitchen.

Oh no! This car has problems. John Chris and Rodney put this together, and I think they forgot some screws.

Harker loves the new "convertible", and she rides shotgun on Ryland's lap.

Obviously, Ryland wasn't pleased with this, so he started pushing her and screaming. KIDS!

House showing

Of course this would happen while I was out of town. Our REALTOR called to see if she could show our home, and I am out of town. Yikes! There was no way I was going to say no, but I was really nervous that John Chris would leave a mess. I stressed how important it was that the house was clean, picked up, and together. I maybe went a little overboard on all of my directions, and by the 3rd phone call of reminders he told me to back off.

After the showing, our REALTOR called with great news. The lady loved our home, and she asked lots of the "right" questions. How much earnest money? How soon can we close? What are the utility bills? Etc. I was told to expect an offer in the next few days. The only possible problem was if she could get her financing taken care of while she was in the US. Cross your fingers! Come on St. Joseph!

Missing my Bubby

Ryland is in LA this week visiting with his grandparents. They really wanted to spend some time with him this summer, and we thought we would be able to get some things accomplished at home. I was really hesitant to agree to a whole week, and I am now wishing I could see my Bubby. I am in west TX trying to go to sleep, but instead I am looking through pictures crying my eyes out. I miss him so much!

OK, Candice, pull it together. You will see him in just a few days, and you know he is having a blast. Now go to sleep!

Cooper gets a haircut

My poor Cooper is so embarrassed of his new haircut. After a long weekend in the country playing with Doodle and Whoody, Cooper's hair was so tangled and matted. I hated to do it to him, but it had to go. It took the groomer about 4.5 hours to finish Cooper get him presentable again. When I picked him up, he looked like a completely different dog. I know he has to feel so much better and cooler. It is pretty funny how I can tell he is embarrassed. He loves to look at himself in the floor mirror, but since this haircut he is not interested in his reflection. Poor dog!

Open house

John Chris and I decided to go ahead and list our home with a REALTOR. We thought that listing our home would get more showings and visibility online. I also was worn out on refilling fliers, taking phone calls, and scheduling appointments. We are hoping that it will take a little of the stress off of us, and speed up the time it takes to sell.

Our agent, Karen, set up our first open house this Sunday. John Chris and I worked really hard to make sure the house was in great condition, so it would show nicely. Karen put out lots of signage and fliers in hopes of increasing visitors. We were excited to see what kind of response we would have.

Unfortunately, we did not have one visitor come to the open house. The signs had been taken down over night and all of the fliers had been removed from the box. We were so very disappointed.

My friend, Sarah, has told me about a St. Joseph statue that she used to help sell her home in New Orleans after Katrina. I had looked it up online a few times, but never took the time to order one. While with her mom in Illinois, they found a statue and bought it for us. Sarah mailed it to us, and we got it right after the open house. John Chris and I immediately opened the box, read the inserts, said the prayer, and buried it in the yard. St. Joseph is the saint of real estate, so we are putting our trust in him and hoping for the best. We will keep you all updated.

Country fun

As soon as we got to Louisiana, Ryland was having a blast. He wanted to play with the dogs and go for a ride in the wagon.


Ryland took a brief little break to cool off in the rocking chair. He loves being outside!

Many hours have gone by, and Ryland is still playing outside.

After I pulled Ryland in the wagon, he decided he wanted to push it back to the garage. With a little steering assistance, he successfully backed into a great parking spot in the garage.

He is such a big boy. He sits and chats with all of the adults.

Ryland is staying with his grandparents this week, while John Chris and I get some things done. I am traveling to west Texas for a couple of days, and John Chris has a new employee starting and an old one leaving. I know the week will fly by, but I am going to miss my little man so much. I know he will have a blast and so will his grandparents.

Evening silly time

The evenings during the week are some of the best times at our house. Ryland and Cooper are so excited to see John Chris after work. They love to bombard their daddy will all kinds of love and attention.

This particular evening, Ryland wanted to climb all over John Chris as soon as he walked upstairs.

Ryland shows John Chris his sofa swing with his putter. Watch out!

Wheels on a highchair make for some serious fun. Ryland knows how to unlock the wheels and move his chair all around the kitchen.

I think he found a new spot for his chair. I love how Cooper just sits there and observes.

Packing for trip

We all are heading to Louisiana this weekend, so we had to pack our stuff. I started folding and putting Ryland's things in the suitcase. I ran to the laundry room to grab a few things. When I returned I saw Ryland standing in the suitcase and the folded contents throw out on the floor. He was very proud of his accomplishment and grinned with pride.

After all the work of packing, what else could you want to do? Cooper decided to take a nap in the bathroom, and Ryland decided he would take a little rest as well. He plopped right down on Cooper.

BOUNCE

We enjoyed another Friday at BOUNCE. Ryland was over the soft wedge play areas today. He was curious about the books and balls today. He looks so smart reading this book.

Near the end of playtime, Ryland wanted to climb this wedge mirror. He never actually sat in front of it and looked at himself. He just leaned and climbed all over it.

On our way home, we saw a beautiful peacock perched on a mailbox. It is almost like there is a private zoo right outside the gates of our community. We pulled up close to the peacock, and I rolled the windows down so we could get a good look. Ryland was saying bird, bird, bird over and over. The peacock just sat there and stared back at us.

Patriotic fun

Aunt Emily and Uncle Jeffery came out to visit for the weekend. We had a great time hanging out and relaxing. We decided to visit Town Square for the patriotic festivities. There were tons of activities for kids, but they were just a little over Ryland's age. We did enjoy walking around listening to the live music.

Ryland spotted this fountain and wanted out of his stroller immediately. He ran right over to the fountain and tried to climb up the side.


We quickly figured out that Ryland wanted in the fountain. We were such fun killers by not letting Ryland get in the fountain. He immediately started screaming and crying. He was not happy!

Look at that bottom lip. He was really upset.

After walking around for a bit, we quickly worked up an appetite. We went to Gloria's for some delicious Mexican food. Ryland loves the bean dip, and he forgot all about the fountain. He starts with a chip by dipping it in the beans, but he doesn't bight the chip. He licks the beans off and redips the chip. Yummy!

What is this brown fuzzy thing?

Cooper has turned into a shag dog. I can barely find his eyes. He has been sleeping on the travertine floor in our master bathroom because it is cool. Don't worry Cooper. You have a hair appointment coming soon.

What a hairball!

Hiding

Ryland has really started to play hide and seek these days. He figured out my crappy childproofing on the entertainment cabinet, and he loves to try to get in it.

I play along with his hiding even though I can still clearly see him, and I shout boo when he opens the cabinet.

When I loaded these pictures and went back through them, this started to look a little like a peep show. Where are his pants?

BOUNCE

It's Friday, and that means it is time to BOUNCE at the library. Ryland and I had a fun time playing with the toys and visiting with our friends.

Better watch out! These two are pretty silly when they get together.

Once again my Blackberry camera can't keep up with Ryland's fast speed. He is a blur.

I signed Ryland up for the summer reading program at the library. We check out a few books each week and turn in our tickets to win prizes. All Ryland really wanted was their balloon. They have a cute little room set up for the program, and the theme is Piggy related thus the "Oink 4bks" license plate above. It is very cute and has been fun.

Special news

Ryland and I wrapped a special gift for Daddy. It was to be a wonderful surprise that would be great news.

Even though Ryland helped me wrap the gift, he was pretty curious about getting the box opened.

He swore Cooper to secrecy and told him not to open the box before Daddy comes home.

Cooper knew what this special box means, because he helped me wrap it last time. Almost 2 years ago exactly.

The same sweet frog is back to hold the pregnancy test. We are expecting baby #2!

Waiting for Dad

Ryland was excited to see his Dada this evening. After I spoke with John Chris, I knew he was about to be home, so I told Ryland that Daddy was coming. He immediately ran to the door to look for him.

Cooper also knew what this meant, so he ran to the door to help Ryland watch for him. I thought it was sweet how they were so very excited.

Showing off

When I get the camera out to take pictures of Ryland, he starts blinking his eyes real fast. I think he is trying to miss the flash. It is pretty funny, so I started telling him "here comes the paparazzi". He laughs, blinks, and poses.