Colds, Shopping and Puddles

Well, it's been a long couple weeks as far as sickness goes. First off, Ryland had that stomach bug, then caught a cold which the rest of us caught as well. Luckily, Natalie has done pretty well considering it was her first cold. She nursed and slept a ton, and was extra cuddly (which mama likes). She still has a little lingering cough, but has otherwise gotten better.



This picture of Ryland was from the other night at the craft store. We were buying a few Halloween decorations, and Ryland decided she wanted to go to the counter and purchase them all by herself. She was standing in line and kept telling us "they're probably going to think its funny when they just see a little girl buying the stuff". She seemed so proud of herself, and I think it may have made the employee's day.



The last few days have been full of rain and wind, which I kind of enjoy. As long as it doesn't get dangerously stormy, I'm all for it. Ryland especially loves the rain puddles. She insisted on going outside to stomp in them, and since she had grown out of her rain boots, she went out barefoot. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole time, and was laughing as she ran around in circles. This little girl makes me remember what life is all about!

I'm currently sitting here in bed holding my littlest lady while she sleeps. She seems to have caught a bit of Ryland's cold and is a bit stuffy. Having two sick girls makes this momma a bit sad. Although, even when sick, they are still very happy and sweet. And very cuddly!

Ryland is changing a lot these days. She is working on learning to read, which makes me so proud. Watching her grow and learn is so amazing. She soaks it up so fast and is having so much fun doing so. Before we know it, she will be reading her own bedtime books to us!

Natalie is headed towards being a half a year old. Time has flown by. Her and Ryland are becoming best buddies. First of all, Ryland LOVES Natalie. Like hug and kiss her all the time type love. And second, Natalie always has her eye on Ryland. She thinks everything her big sis does is hilarious. Watching them bond as Natalie grows older is amazing.

Chewing on everything

Natalie's favorite thing in life, besides eating, is chewing. If you have something in your hands and you're holding her, watch out, because this girl will take it from you and eat it. I'm sure it's because she's trying to help her little teeth to pop out. She's showed signs of teething for months now, so not sure when those little buggers will show up.

Chewing on mama's water...



Chewing on a book...



Chewing on a teether...



"Playing" cards...

Last week I was able to sneak out of the house and go to the much awaited Taylor Swift concert. Seeing as how I bought the tickets last December, it has been a much awaited event. I have been worried for months about how Natalie would do. Luckily, she has a very awesome dad and sister that comforted, fed and played with her while I was gone. It was an amazing concert and I am so happy I got to go. Here's some recent pictures of the girls. Ryland is just getting over being sick, and Natalie is just figuring out how to say "da-da". Which of course is making Champ very happy!

Happy happy little Ryland. She is becoming such a big girl. Hard to believe she will start school next year.


Champ reading books to the girls. Since Ryland is addicted to reading, Natalie has gotten some very early book exposure. She seems to love them. And what I really mean is that she loves eating them.


Looks like summer is coming to a close. As much as we like it when it arrives, it's nice to bring out the jeans and long sleeved shirts every once in a while.


Natalie is growing so fast, and she is getting to be quite the chubby baby. She's constantly grabbing at her feet, and playing with toys.


Ryland is finally getting some bike time, and doing pretty well with it. She seems to love riding it.

Reflection and ramblings

As I sit here and write this, Natalie is asleep on me and Ryland is in the bathroom singing away giving her Barbie a bath in the sink. It's surprisingly quiet in the house and I'm even feeling a little relaxed myself. Sometimes being a mom can be challenging when little ones are pulling you in different directions, but I would never trade this for anything! These little girls are my life, and teach me so much everyday. Ryland has been playing ALL DAY LONG, barely stopping to eat. And like every other day, she has managed to spread toys throughout the entire house. I always look at her in awe of how much fun she is having.


Summer is still here, but I can feel myself wanting fall to arrive more and more. And apparently Natalie is feeling this way to, since she is currently sporting her Halloween pajamas. Although, it was her big sister who actually picked them out.


I continue to take hundreds of pics of these girls daily because their cuteness and love for one another is constantly growing.

4 months

Today Natalie is 4 months old. We had her 4 month check up this morning, and she still proves to be a big healthy girl. She weighs 15 lbs 7.2 ounces (87% percentile) and is 25.5 inches tall (91% percentile). Today's visit was a dreaded one for momma because she had to get 4 shots. However, she actually did really well and was done crying after about a minute. Luckily we had Ryland with us to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to Natalie as she got her vaccines. Proud to have a daughter who loves her little sister so much.

Natalie is now asleep on my lap. If its anything like her 2 month visit, she will sleep the day away. Which I don't really mind. I enjoy the cuddles.