Family date night

Since John Chris and I don't get many date nights any more, we loaded up the boys for a family date night. We had a delicious dinner at Stir Crazy, complete with the best dessert I have tasted in a while. It was nice to visit and catch up on the day without having to cook. I like family date nights.

Goggles

Ryland has been talking about goggles lately. Every time we get in the pool, he says he needs goggles because the water burns his eyes. While we were at Walmart I found some children's goggles and purchased them for him. He was all about putting them on inside.
He was pretty bummed when we told him it wasn't time to go swimming. The tears started filling his new goggles. Life is so terrible!

John Chris put on the extra pair that came in the package. Ryland thought this was amusing and wanted to get right up close to his daddy.

The goofy goggle boys.

Notice Ryland's clothes? We had been drawing with markers and having fun. The mess quickly got away from us.

I had slipped out of sight in an attempt to put Reed down for a nap, but the goggles helped Ryland find me. You can't hide, mommy!

Before I knew it, Ryland had found the paint sprayer attachment. He thought it was so cool and wanted to show me. It was really cool until he dropped it and the valve broke off.

Oooops. Should have put your toys up when you were finished playing, daddy.

Reed's Ziggy

My grandmother sent an adorable plush zebra to Reed after he came home from the hospital. We named it Ziggy, and he has recently started playing with it.
Reed's play is really chewing on something, so Ziggy's ear was perfect.

I just love this look. He is such a sweetheart!

Climbing the cabinets

Ryland was on a rampage today. He was into everything. I grabbed the camera to get a picture of him in my heels attempting to dribble a basketball. When I turned back around, he had kicked off the shoes, lost the ball, and was climbing the cabinets. Really?

I asked him what he was doing and just laughed. He is a silly boy.

My assistants

I am so lucky to have three dedicated assistants. They are always right there to help with whatever project I am working on that day. Today I was working on a diaper cake for an upcoming baby shower. I needed to finish rolling the diapers, so I could start assembling the cake later this week.
I would roll the diapers. Ryland would hand me a rubber band. After I wrapped the diaper, I handed the diaper to Ryland. He would then strategically place the diaper in its specific place.

As we worked on this project, we talked about who it was for and the occasion. He was extremely chatty about Brad and Chanda having a baby. I asked him if he was excited about meeting their baby soon, and he informed me that he already had a baby. I tried to explain, but he continued to tell me "no mommy, baby Reed".

We finished rolling all the diapers today, and we will work on assembly later this week. This project is sure to be remembered. I am so lucky to have such wonderful helpers.

At the movies

I thought we would give the movies another try. The local theater was showing Shrek this week, so we headed out for some popcorn and fun. We bought some snacks and found the perfect seats. Reed went to sleep in about 30 minutes, and Ryland was really into the movie. Right as the ogres were about to start their revolution, Ryland stood up and informed me that he was ready to go home. I asked him about 10 times as we gathered our things if he was sure he wanted to leave. He continued to tell me he was ready to go home. As we walked out of the theater to our truck, Ryland said "no mommy, shrek". He had decided to stay. Oh geeze! Why do I even try? Needless to say, we headed home.

Tickling

The boys were playing in the floor in the master bedroom when I overhead a little fussing. I asked what was wrong, Ryland said that Reed was pulling his hair and grabbing him. I explained that Reed wasn't trying to be mean, and he was just trying to tickle him.
Ryland decided that he would tickle Reed. He jumped around and started a tickle attack. They were both laughing out loud and giggling. It was the cutest thing.

And just like that, everything was good again. I love watching their relationship develop. I know I will have many moments of the fighting in the future, but I cherish the sweet little moments.

New windows

The new windows are in, and they are being installed tomorrow. I am thrilled beyond words. These hideous windows have bothered me since we purchased the house months ago. We gathered estimates of replacing the glass, and it was harsh. We elected to go ahead and install new energy efficient windows instead of the glass replacement. It cost us more, but we really wanted to get more energy benefits. We replaced the 4 in the family room, Ryland's room, and the 2 in the game room. If they make a big difference in energy conservation we are planning on replacing all of them. Needless to say, I was happy to say bye, bye.
Yuck, I have kept the plantations shutters closed on these back windows to avoid looking at the nasty mess.

Beautiful!!!!!! I am beyond words right now. I just love the clean, crisp glass. Hooray!

This is the view from the outside before the replacement.

This is the new view. Don't they look amazing! I am sad that we had to hold off on our Anguilla vacation, but the gorgeous things might just be worth it!

Snorkeling in the hot tub

John Chris pulled out the snorkeling gear to show Ryland. He understands the goggles, but the snorkel threw him for a loop. John Chris explained that it lets you breath under water, but Ryland thought it was more about blowing bubbles.

Afternoon fun

One of our new favorite places to play is Reed's room. Ryland is drawn to Reed's basket of baby toys and loves to empty the basket in the floor. I told him that he can play with Reed's toys, but he has to show Reed how to play with them. Ryland is really great about showing the toys to Reed and telling him what they are. I ran to grab the camera and capture the fun moment. I know it looks like just a bunch of toys on the floor, but the boys are all there.
When Ryland saw the camera, he decided it was time to play photographer. He started snapping a few shots. This is the floor shot of Reed, Cooper, and some toys.

The toy basket, camera strap, and part of a soft animal book.

I asked him to take some pictures of me and baby Reed.

Mommy and Reed posing for a photo.

Mommy reading Reed a book.

Mommy showing Reed a rattle.

Thanks Ryland for snapping some great shots. You proved that I really do exist, at least partially.

Tree house

Our play group met at a church in north Ft. Worth to play in their indoor tree house. The church has a large open area about 2 or 3 stories tall that has a huge play area. It is shaped like a massive tree house with places to climb and slides to get back down. It was a little over Ryland's ability to climb without assistance, so he played in the younger kiddo area most of the morning.

I think this little tractor had something to do with the liking of the little play area. It was about 85 degrees in this room, but Ryland was having a blast "working".

Bedtime

One of the best times at our house is bedtime. We give the boys a bath, put on pjs, and have a little fun before bed. Some nights we read a book and other nights we play jump in the bean bean. Obviously tonight Reed was ready to go to sleep, and Ryland was ready to play a little longer.

Meeting Mattison

Suzanne, one of my friends from back home, was in Lewisville over the weekend visiting with friends. She came over with her daughter, Mattison, to meet the boys and catch up. Mattison is absolutely adorable, and Ryland was smitten immediately.
He was thrilled to sit beside her at dinner and having her sit beside him at home gave him the giggles.

Ryland and Matti played really well together and had fun destroying the playroom.

The fun lasted late into the night, and it was wonderful to chat and visit. The kiddos had a great night, and Ryland woke up asking about Mattison. "Mommy, where's Mattison?" I am not exaggerating when I say he asked 100 times.

Indoor dodge ball

We all were having a little fun playing with Ryland's soccer ball. Before we knew it, we had all started playing a game of dodge ball. It was hilarious! We were throwing the ball at each other and screaming "DODGE BALL"! We definitely weren't playing in the best location, but mommy and daddy's room was just as fun as the backyard. (Several degrees cooler!)
Reed was laughing and having a blast right along with us. I tried to catch a picture of him chuckling, but instead I got this crazy look. I guess the flash really caught his attention.

Ryland is about to nail daddy with the ball. I am pretty sure he knows what is about to happen, but he smiled and played along. It was a good time of pure silliness.

Breakfast

Reed is serious about eating food. He was happy to sit in his highchair and put on a bib, but when he didn't see anything waiting on his tray, he gave me this very serious look. I knew I better quickly prepare his rice cereal or else.

Reed's first food

The day that Reed has been looking forward to is finally here. He had his first taste of food today. It wasn't a very savory meal. Just a bit of rice cereal mixed with apple juice. He was pretty interested in all the new experiences. He got to sit up in the highchair and wore an adorable bib.

Ryland was right there to help coach Reed on opening his mouth and swallowing. Reed did wonderful and wanted to eat more after each bite. We will see how he likes veggies.

Reed's 4 month well check

Reed's 4 month well check went very well. He is meeting all the developmental milestones and growing quickly. We weighed 18 lbs 7.5 oz which is 97%. He is 26.5 inches which is 94%. Reed's head is 17.25 inches which is 88%. I think it is obvious that he is a big boy. He can now start eating rice cereal and stage one foods. I swear the child smiled when the doctor mentioned eating food. He wasn't a fan of the shots, but who ever is. He screamed and cried, but he quickly recovered. I love watching him grow and learn. I am amazed at how quickly he is growing.

Dragon in our house

I found this adorable felt dragon hat at Michaels. I knew that Ryland would just love it. He growls like a dragon when he puts it on his head. It is really funny how is imagination is starting to really take off. We take turns wearing the hat and chasing each other around the house. Of course we must growl like a dragon, or it just isn't fun.

Slip'n slide

I have been telling John Chris that Ryland needs a slip n' slide since the beginning of the summer. I have had several other things going on, so I haven't had a chance to actually find one. I was shopping at Marshalls for a bathing suit appropriate for aqua class when I saw a slip n' slide out of the corner of my eye. I probably looked like a complete nut, because I got so excited. I showed it to Ryland, and he got super excited too.

I made him take a nap as soon as we got home, so he would be rested to play outside. The second he woke up, he wanted to slip n' slide. The kid had no clue how or what to do. He just wanted to slip n' slide. We set it up in the backyard and turned on the water. He ran down the slide and splashed in the water.
He was laughing and giggling. He loved it!

After explaining that he was supposed to slide down it, he decided to get on his stomach. He crawled up the slide! Gosh! I was afraid of hurting myself, so I decided not to show him by example. I tried holding his arms and dragging him down the slide, but he kept sticking to the plastic. Hmmm. Nothing a little bit of joy soap can't handle. I squirted an ample amount of soap over the slide and slung him down it quickly. He loved it.

John Chris joined in the fun as soon as he got home. He and my dad took turns throwing Ryland down the slip n' slide. John Chris changed into his swim suit and demonstrated the correct way to run and slide down. Ryland loved this but was still a bit hesitant to run and jump head first. Maybe he will always be this cautious. Doubtful.