The Looks

I am going to brag a bit about my awesome littles.  I was brave today and headed to the car dealership for a carwash and a new inspection sticker.  I was pretty nervous to confine my children in a public place, and let me just tell you all the crazy looks I received when we pulled in the service department. 

We all went to the bathroom and the snack bar and then headed to the kid friendly waiting room.  The boys played with blocks, watched TV, and played with puzzles.  I fed Ridley and enjoyed a little down time.  The people walking by would just look and smile.  I just know they were impressed that my children were so well behaved.  I was so proud.  

Laughter

I love the sound of laughter, especially when it is my children.  Today, I had the pleasure of hearing Ridley's first laugh.  It made my heart smile with joy!  

What a day of fun!

We started the day with a little blastball.  Reed's team cracks me up, because they still all run after the ball.  Instead of being a team, they race each other to the ball.  Today it was a team pile up.  

Ryland played in the foam pit at Brady's birthday party.  It started out fun, but then became a nasty mess of mud foam.  All the kiddos had to be hosed down before enjoying some baseball themed grub. 

We finished the afternoon playing at home.  Reed had some "headless" fun with the Lego men, which freaked me out a bit, but I was pleased to see a little OCD trait.  

The boys played a little rough house while Ridley grinned with delight that she could see them all.   She was playing, too!  

Recycling

Chapel Hill has focused some lessons on recycling in honor of Earth Day.  Students were asked to bring "trash" from home to use in a special creation.  A robot was made and her name was Rosie Ridley Robot.  

I think an Allison boy had a little input on the name, and I love hearing that he shares his thoughts with the class.  What an improvement!

Sleeping in Time Out

Ryland was being a real toot this afternoon.  After several times of reminding him that he wasn't playing nice, I told him to go to his room for time out.  I set the timer, and I went on about my business.  I noticed that he was immediately quiet, and he didn't ask me over and over if it was time for him to get out.  When the timer beeped, I headed upstairs.  Ryland was asleep in time out.

Easter 2014

The Easter Bunny came to visit, and he left quite a mess!  There were footprints from the pool bath door to the fireplace and a trail of jelly beans.  He left books, kites, candy, and art sets.  Awesome!

Ryland made tons of Easter themed pictures over the past few weeks.  Our favorite picture was of an Easter basket with a hand written message.

Family picture of the Allison crew all dressed up for church. 

Play Ball

Reed loves to play ball, and he is so excited for Saturdays.  He is really interested in baseball, and he pays attention to the game.  He gets "baseball ready" when he is in the field.  

One lucky player gets a game ball after each game, and it was Reed's lucky day.  He played very well and stayed engaged always learning new skills and having fun.

3 months

Ridley is so very sweet and happy.  She loves to smile and make precious baby noises.  Ridley is not a fan of napping during the day, and she prefers to stay up all day.  She still sleeps through the night, but she gets pretty cranky right before bedtime.  She will crash and then sleep the entire following day.  She does this at least once a week.  When she does nap during the day on the other days, it is only about 30-45 minutes.  Sweet girl with crazy sleeping habits.  Maybe she will be another night owl like her mom and big brother, Ryland.

Easter Bunny

This moment didn't quite end up looking like I thought it would.  I woke up early to make sure the littles' clothes were clean and ironed.  My plan was to pick up the boys at school and swing by the house to change for pictures with the Easter Bunny.  Needless to say things went completely crazy and it started to rain.  I finally just had everyone load up to head out to see if the bunny was still taking pictures.  The boys had on their dirty school clothes, and Ridley was still in her pajamas.  At least we were able to hide all the tattoos Reed put on his arms!  Creating memories!  

Team

One thing that Ryland has learned more about this baseball season is what it means to be part of a team.  The boys are encouraged to cheer for one another, and it is so nice to see them genuinely want each other to do well.  At the end of the game, the boys gather around to hear the play recaps.  For outs, hits, and other good plays, the boys are given a sticker for their helmet.  

Easter Party

It is party time!  Easter party time!  Ryland's class celebrated with painting a cross with watercolors and decorating sugar cookies.  

Spring Program

Chapel Hill hosted their annual Spring Program.  We have been prepping Ryland in hopes of a better reaction to this year after we left in tears last year.  Ryland was part of the art show, and he proudly posed by his contemporary masterpiece.

Due to the potential storms and rain, the singing presentations were moved to the sanctuary.  This made everyone a little nervous, because the students had been practicing in the chapel.  Reed's class was singing first, and like always, he was completely comfortable doing whatever.  I don't even think he noticed it was in a different location.  He smiled and acted like he was singing with his class.  He is so funny and keeps us on our toes.

Ryland's class took the stage about 45 minutes later, and he did awesome.  No tears or fears.  He did a great job singing, and he even smiled a little bit.  So much better than last year!  

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.  

My sweeties

Wouldn't you know that the coolest toy in our house is Ridley's new play mat.  She was in my office playing when her big brothers wanted to get in on the fun.  They were giggling and acting silly, and Ridley loved it.  She is lucky to have such wonderful big brothers that love to entertain.

Kindergarten Registration

It is getting real - Ryland starts Kindergarten this fall.  Today, we stopped by Old Union to pick up his registration packet.  I made sure to take him with me, so he could visit the school.  He was so excited and was looking around at everything.  He had no interest in answering any questions or making small talk with the principal, and it was obvious that his mind was going about a million miles an hour.  He thinks the school is huge, but he is excited to get started.  I am so proud of him, and I just know he will love it!

Star Student!

Ryland was very proud to show off his certificate from music class.  I asked him to sing the "Hello" song, and he happily started singing.  I am noticing that he is becoming more outgoing this year, and it makes me happy.

The Drive

The worst part of going to a wedding in Tuscaloosa, other than the ridiculous number of times I heard "Roll Tide", the long drive back home in the rain.  Good thing the boys are out!

Wedding

We all had a fantastic time at Trevor's wedding!  My hubby cleaned up nicely, and it was great to see him dressed up.  All the kiddos did very well during the wedding, and they had a great time at the reception.  They were a huge hit with the crowd.  Everyone had a fit over little Miss Ridley.  She was told about a million times that she was so beautiful, pretty, and sweet.  I love the look on her face when I said "smile" for this picture.  It was obvious the diva was worn out.

Dancing and running around the dance floor for hours really wears some boys out!  Ryland and Reed were the cutest little guys there, and they little girls were flirting like crazy with them.  As you can tell, Reed didn't want to stop dancing.  He was on a roll.

As the newlyweds left the museum, we all showered them with bird seeds.  The massive amount  of excess bird seed was then the perfect thing for the kids to play in afterwards. 

We all had a wonderful time, and I am so proud of my family.

Louisiana

We had a big weekend ahead of us and many miles to cover on the way to Trevor's wedding.  We left a few days prior, so we would have some time to stop in Louisiana on the way.  It was nice to see family and have some time out of the truck.  Lizee and Pops had a huge dirt pile for the boys to play in with their trucks.  They played for hours before it was time to call it a night.

Ridley visited with everyone and modeled the adorable outfit Aunt Emily had given her.  She is definitely filling it out these days, and I love the baby rolls she is getting.