Christmas festival

I bundled up the boys for afternoon/evening of fun at our church's Christmas festival. White's Chapel holds an annual festival, and they go all out. Bounce houses, a petty zoo, pony rides, games, a laser light show, and more. Reed was a trooper as he took it all in. He laughed and giggled at all the sights.
Ryland loved all the cool bounce houses and games. He could have stayed all night in the cold weather.

John Chris joined us after work for dinner and more festival fun. Ryland and John Chris checked out the animals in the petting zoo.

We had a wonderful time, and the evening was finished with a laser light show. As I sat in front of the sanctuary with my family waiting on show to begin, I was in awe of the beautiful fountain. This was the first time I had seen it at night, and it was just absolutely striking. What a wonderful reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season!

Packing the fall

It was time to pack up the fall decorations. The boys were contently playing in the family room, so I slipped into the entry hallway to finish placing everything in the plastic tubs. It wasn't long before my two helpers came to help. It quickly turned into a discussion led by Ryland's favorite word "WHY?". We talked about the seasons, turkeys, and the attic, while the boys crawled all over the tubs and the decorations. It seems to be the simplest chores make the sweetest memories sometimes.

Fun in Ruston

Our travels continued to Ruston to see more family. The boys had fun playing with the trucks. I am not sure why Doodle's dog bed was the ideal spot to play, but they loved it. Ryland is still hesitant to share toys with Reed, but every once and a while we will catch a kind moment.
Aunt Barbara brought Ryland some gingerbread men cookies to decorate. These were a huge hit! He loaded each one with icing, Santa cap, and jelly buttons.

A favorite Ruston pastime of Ryland's is wrestling with the dogs. Ryland gets right in the middle of them and goes crazy. He loves it, and Cooper is always worn out when we go home.

Bonfire

We loaded up the boys and headed to Texarkana to see my side of the family. While visiting Nana, we had a bonfire. Ryland was a little scared at first, but he eventually "warmed" up.
John Chris kept a close watch on the fire and raked the nearby area to help keep it contained.

Reed loved the fire. He wasn't a big fan of his hoodie, but he was once again a trooper.

We had a great night visiting with family and enjoying the bonfire. Ryland ran around playing with his trucks and doing flips in the yard. This was the first bonfire for both the boys, and it was fun. We will have to do this again soon!

Dentist observation

I took Ryland along with me to the dentist, so he could observe my teeth cleaning. He was very interested and stood right by my side watching. The hygienist explained everything and what they will do when he comes to visit. She also told Ryland he would get to pick out a toy when he comes, and all of a sudden there was no hesitation. He told me he wanted to go to the dentist. Actually he screamed all the way home that he wanted to go to the dentist right now. I think the toy had some pull. I have to admit, I do love the new toothbrush and floss kit I get.

Big boy underwear

Ryland is now wearing his big boy underwear for the fourth day. He has only had 1 accident since the first day, and he is so proud of his big boy underwear. We followed up on our promise to go to the bounce house and buy him a toy tractor set. We only have Chuck E Cheese left on our special list. Way to go Ryland. We are so proud of you!

Town square tree lighting

Town Square held the annual tree lighting festivities tonight to kick off the Christmas season. A local hospital gave out the cute reindeer antlers that the boys loved. There were tons of craft stations to make reindeer food, cookies that needed icing, making mini snowmen, and much more.
There were a couple of stages for entertainment. We picked out a spot on the lawn to enjoy Christmas carols. This was the perfect spot for Ryland to run around and act silly. It was really cute because there was a little drizzle of snow falling from the snow machines. Unfortunately, it was pretty warm out so the snow didn't last long.

Ryland thought rolling around and flipping on the grass was a fun idea. He wasn't alone. Apparently other kids his age agreed. Before we knew it, we were front seat at a wild child event. We finished the night with dinner in the square and headed home exhausted.

Potty training Ryland

I put big boy underwear on Ryland yesterday thinking it would encourage him to use the potty. I asked him about every 20 minutes if he needed to go potty, and he always answered, "not yet". After about an hour, he had an accident. I changed his underwear, pants, and socks.

When we got home this morning from Reed's surgery, John Chris asked Ryland if he wanted to put on some big boy underwear again. Ryland quickly agreed. I was a bit annoyed because it wasn't the ideal situation. I now had to take care of an 8 month old after surgery who wanted to scream while the anesthesia wore off and deal with potty training a toddler all while my husband went to work. No thanks!

I again asked Ryland numerous times if he needed to go potty. He said no, not yet every time. After about an hour and a half. He had an accident. I admit that I just wanted to put him in diaper, but he wanted more big boy underwear. I couldn't go back, and he was obviously interested. I put another pair of underwear on him and off he went. He told me the next time he needed to go potty, and he did great all afternoon. He had a poop accident and quickly learned that poop in underwear is not fun.

We are really proud of Ryland being such a big boy. It is amazing how much faster he can run in big boy underwear, and we keep telling him he is super fast! So far, so good.

Reed gets tubes

Reed got tubes in both ears today, and he is doing well. He was a little fussy when he woke up from anesthesia, but it quickly wore off. We will spend the afternoon relaxing and cuddling. We are hoping the tubes put an end to the continuous ear infections.

Pilgrim and Indian

The boys made adorable craft headpieces today at school. Ryland was a very serious pilgrim leader, and Reed was the crazy Indian. They were happy to model their creations, and Ryland told me all about the pilgrims and Indians.

Trip to the library

I finally took Reed to the library for the first time today. I can't believe it has taken me 8 months to get there, but we made it. Our library has a wonderful children's program with age appropriate story times. We doubled up and enjoyed the infant walkers and toddler stories. Ryland was totally over the younger version, but he was a trooper. Reed loved both programs, but he really liked the books on the shelves. He was just drawn to them. Even buckled in the stroller he gave me a mischievous grin and started grabbing them.

Mom down

I give in! I have been fighting a terrible sinus infection, ear ache, and sore throat for days, and it has finally got the best of me. It is beautiful outside, and I want nothing more than to play with the boys. Instead, I find myself cuddled in the bed with tons tissues and meds on the night stand. I hate that I feel like this on the weekend, but I am happy that John Chris is home to take care of the boys.

My tongue is blue?

Ryland ate very well at dinner tonight, so he chose a cupcake for dessert. Of course he picked out the bright blue iced one. He licks the icing off the top and then eats the cake. We told him his tongue was blue, and it was really cute when he checked himself out in the mirror.

I can feed myself

Reed is all about finger foods and holding his own bottle. He loves Cheerios, Puffs, and Goldfish. He makes a total mess and enjoys every bite that actually makes it to his mouth.

MOPS

I am really enjoying my MOPS group this year. I have met so many great women, and I look forward to our bi-weekly meetings. I am thankful for the awesome steering committee that graciously give their time to create a fun, relaxed, and spiritual environment. At times I feel a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility I have taken on, but I am somehow always reminded of the impact we have. Today was one of those special days. I continue to look forward to where this group is going, and I treasure the friendships I make along the way!

Fun by the fire

We were having fun playing on the family room floor when John Chris had an idea. We had a minor cool front come through this afternoon, so John Chris lit our first fire of the fall.
Ryland was very chatty about the fire. He explained how it was hot and how it can hurt you. He gathered the toys that were on the hearth and pushed them away from the heat.

Ryland wouldn't let Reed near the fireplace, so he found a new place to play. I pulled out the remaining toys in the cabinet and then realized he wanted to play with the cabinet. Have at it!

Boys and their toys

I was happy to see Ryland and Reed playing together today. Ryland was sweet enough to share his toys and show Reed how to play monster trucks. This made Reed very happy and warmed my heart.

Small fries

After playing hard at the park for a couple hours, we grabbed a happy meal and headed home. Ryland wanted his fries immediately. I opened the box and noticed the fries were in a new smaller package. I knew Ryland would notice, so I grabbed my phone to take a picture. I handed the small fries and his expression was hilarious. He pointed at the package and said "Mommy, what's this?" I told him that they were a little smaller, but he also got apple slices. His response, "No Mommy, what's this?" I couldn't help but start laughing. I thought it was hilarious that he noticed and called them out. He was very serious and a little disappointed, but he forgot about it when he devoured the apple slices.

ENT appointment

Reed had an appointment with the ENT doctor to discuss tubes. It was a bit crazy juggling two little ones at the doctor's office, but it was something that had to be done. The doctor agreed that it was time for tubes and set up the surgery. We are trying to squeeze it in before Thanksgiving in hopes of Reed staying clear of ear infections. Cross your fingers.

Funny faces

Nana put these super funny glasses in Ryland's Halloween bag, and he loves them. He was acting like a funny man tonight!