Driving and drinking milk

Moving fast!

Ryland figured out the cup holder at the front of his 4wheeler today. He stuck his cup right in and took off. He isn't hesitant to go fast now.
I see a little dare devil coming out.

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.

Silhouettes

A local toy store was hosting a silhouette artist, and I thought it was a must do. Silhouettes remind me of my Grandmother Sue. She had silhouettes made of me and my brother when we were little. She had a collection of our family in one of her bedrooms. I remember as a child how cool they were. A little piece of the way it used to be.

The artist was so incredibly fast. She cut the silhouette by hand with no tracing in about 2 minutes. I was blown away at her speed and the end product. What a true talent!
After the silhouette, Ryland wanted to play. His idea of playing was to take as many toys off the shelf and throw them in the floor. He doesn't understand putting things back where they belong yet. Maybe he gets that from his Dad. (Ha,ha,ha)

Ryland went nuts when he saw this rocking horse. I think he would have ridden for hours. He loved it.

Art in the Square

Southlake held the annual Art in the Square this weekend, and it was a great time. We loaded up Ryland, Cooper, and the red wagon and headed out for some fun.

The boys stop for a little rest, so I can take a quick picture. Don't they look happy!

Ryland was really into wearing his hat and sunglasses. He got tons of cute comments and so did Cooper.

This was our favorite. The wind would turn the pieces different directions, and it created a vibrant wonder. The artist did an impeccable job on the welding and painting. They were really cool and a show stopper.

Before we could leave, we had to check out the music. We found a shady spot to sit and enjoy the tunes, but Ryland had other plans. He wanted to walk around and visit with everyone. He also liked to stomp around in the flower beads. He is all boy!

Frisbee & wagon fun

We spent the afternoon outside, because it was warm and sunny. We all had a bit of cabin fever, so it was nice to get out and soak up some sun.

Cooper could chase a frisbee for hours. He absolutely wears himself out. He just about can catch it in the air now.

It's dad's turn to take us for a spin. We love to ride in the wagon.

Sunglasses

Ryland is super cool. I have been trying to get him to wear his sunglasses for the past week. Every time I put them on him, he would pull them off. This is the first day that he thought the were cool enough for him.

Artfest

Ryland's MDO has an annual fundraiser called Artfest. All the kids work on special art projects that are put on display for the parents to come admire. It is like a kiddos art exhibit. Ryland was telling us all about the art, and what the art was "saying".

He couldn't quite figure out why we wouldn't let him touch the pictures. Well, let us think about this. He tried repeatedly to pull off the butterfly body and antennas.

What an artist! Isn't this piece amazing?

Another one of Ryland's priceless pieces of art.

Typical boy. He thought is was so funny to play in the decorative ferns. So very silly!

Yummy! A few Chick-fil-A nuggets, Cheetos, and a bottle of milk. The perfect dinner.

We had a great night. Of course we purchased our child's priceless artwork, and we also won 2 of the silent auction prizes. We will soon be going the Dallas Museum of Art and the Ft. Worth Zoo.

ENT

I saw a specialist about my ear. He said the eardrum is completely gone, so he can not put a patch on it. I am directed to stay on antibiotics, and he added a new stronger decongestant to keep the fluid from building up and putting pressure on the area that is trying to heal. He said to continue to take them both, and he expects the hearing to return in a few weeks.

Alumni Crawfish Boil

We headed out to the LA Tech Alumni Crawfish Boil today. It was a cloudy and rainy day, but we were excited to see some old friends and chow down on some crawfish. The Owens also went, so the boys had someone to play with. What we did not realize until we got there, was just how hard it is to eat crawfish with 2 toddlers running around.
Ryland and Jackson had fun running around and exploring.

Look at that big rock. At least I think that is what he was trying to say.

We had a great time at the boil, and we reconnected with several people that we did not even know they lived in the area. Good times!

Bounce

Today was the last day of BOUNCE for a few weeks. Ryland and I have really enjoyed going on Fridays, and we look forward to them bringing it back in a couple months. It is funny to see how much he loves it today. He was running around and falling on all the foam wedges and blocks. I can't help but think back to the first session. He just sat on the side of one of the foam blocks with a boogie wipe in his mouth and a jingle ball that was attached to the block in his hand. He would not budge. I would take the boogie wipe away, and he would scream bloody murder.
I am constantly amazed at how quickly he is growing up. I am so excited to show him new things and share experiences with him, but I have to admit that it makes me a little sad to see him grow so quickly. He is a little boy now, and I can't stop wondering where my little infant has gone.
OK, enough of me being sappy.

No more bottles

Bottles are gone! Ryland's pediatrician told us to get rid of the bottles at his one year well check, but with everything going on around here, we have delayed this transition. Well, no more. Ryland is now a sippy cup boy. He was a little upset about it tonight when we put him to bed. He was asking for a BA, and we just kept on giving him the sippy cup. Cross your fingers that we can keep this up.

Ear

Ouch! That is the only way I can even begin to describe today. I woke up at 3AM with a terrible earache. I took some medicine to try to get back to sleep, but I was unsuccessful. As soon as Ryland woke up, we headed to the urgent care clinic to see a doctor.
I felt so silly writing down my problems. Ear, congestion, cough - then I made the change to EAR!, congestion, cough. The doctor came in to examine me, and he asked about the medicine I had taken overnight. I told him I took a Vicadin that was left over from when I had Ryland. He made a funny little face and said "Vicadin for an earache". I wanted to slap him, but instead I just said "Yep".
He then looked in my hear, stepped back and said "How many Vicadin do you have left?" I told him probably around 4 or 5. He said "You are going to need some more". Duh! He then told me what I already knew was coming. He predicted that my eardrum would rupture do to a severe sinus infection. He gave me more Vicadin for pain and an antibiotic for the infection.
Of course my eardrum did rupture a couple of hours later. It is a funny feeling when your ear starts running and oozing. What was so scary about this time, is that I lost most of my hearing this time. I have ruptured both eardrums before, but I never had hearing loss like this. I am extremely concerned and very upset. Cross your fingers and say a prayer that it comes back.

Dirty boy

One of Ryland's favorite things to do is play outside. Of course that also means finding the dirt. We have a spot by the gate that holds a little water, and he decided that spot would be to sit down.

OK, then he decided to lay down.
He was very proud of his filth, but John Chris had other plans for him.

I thought this was hilarious, because Ryland's face looks unhappy and cold. Truth is, he was loving the hose.

What a great excuse to take off your clothes and relax with a bottle!

Ahhhh. This is the life!

Being silly

When we go out to eat and lemons come in the water, he loves to lick them. Of course he makes a silly sour face, but he always goes back for more. Ryland was looking in the fridge and found this lemon. What do you think he did? Yes, it went straight to his mouth. He tried to take a bite out of it.
After the bite, he tried to rub the sour taste off his tongue.

He loves to play outside, but until today he hasn't figured out how to step over the threshold. He did a little practicing and was successful.

Cooper is there for support.

Desitin is delicious!

Ryland has had a tube fetish for a little while now. He loves anything that comes in a tube!

Lotion, makeup, and Desitin

He finally figured out today how to snap the cap off of the tube. He must have been curious, so he decided to give it a taste test.

Broom man

Who needs toys? Not our child. He is loving brooms. He gets both of the brooms out of the pantry and sweeps the kitchen.

He gets out one and takes it to me or John Chris.

He then goes to get the other broom. He will sweep around a little and then put them back in the pantry.

What a great helper!

Widespread Panic fan

Cory and Leann picked up this Widespread Panic onesie a while back, and Ryland has quickly grown into it. I have been meaning to take a picture of him while wearing it, but I just now did.

He has already started asking when is the next show. We just tell him to call his Uncle Cory! The Backyard or ATL? Sounds like fun!

What can I say? He is totally his daddy's son. I just hope and pray he is not a little Sampson.

Playing on the patio

We were shopping at Garden Ridge when we came across this little chair. Ryland started pointing and wiggling in the shopping cart. He had to try this chair out. Needless to say, I bought it for the patio especially for him. He loves it!

Ryland's new thing is falling down on purpose and then whining for sympathy. It is so silly. He just falls down and then looks to see who is watching him and who he can trick into feeling sorry for him. Total drama!

Taking a ride on the lazy susan.