Life in the fast lane

I have not posted in awhile. And life has changed. A LOT. I literally have not had 15 minutes to sit down and write about everything that has gone on. Partly, because I was afraid that if I wrote it down, I would somehow jinx it all. Haha.

There is so much I want to tell you. So sit back and get comfy. This is going to be a long one.

The day we found out we were having a baby boy (May 21), I was cooking dinner. Jesse's phone rang. The job he has been waiting for was available. You see, his brother is a partner in a golf course management company- a company which has recently purchased and manages Traditions Golf Club in College Station. For those of you non-Aggies who read this blog, Traditions is a very nice, exclusive golf course, and the home of the Texas A&M golf team. It is played by some of the elite Aggies, if-you-will, including university Presidents, head coaches, and big name former students (including George Bush, Sr, a few years ago, so we hear). So the golf course itself, was of course enticing for an Aggie. Not only that, but Jesse (and I) loved living in College Station when we were in school. It is kind of like a big city in a small town- everything you need, but friendly, warm people who love to love. We have always talked about moving back eventually. And suddenly an opportunity was on the table. The superintendent there gave his 2-weeks notice. So Jesse would not only be at Traditions, in College Station, but also getting a promotion to head superintendent. Life changed for us really quickly.

Jesse started interviewing the next day. The management company is based out of Houston, so first he met with another owner/partner in the company on Friday. The following day, Saturday, he drove up to College Station to meet with the Director of Golf. Sunday night, on Ryleigh's birthday, he received an official offer letter. And oh yeah, he had to be there in 10 days.

We had known that this job was a possibility in the future, but had no idea how quickly it would come about. So about a month prior, we had had a real estate agent come to the house and tell us her thoughts. We had a few new projects in mind and wanted to know if she thought they would help us, should we decide to sell in the near future. She told us what to do, and we kind of put it to the back-burner, waiting until we had more time.

Obviously, when the job situation happened so quickly, we had to jump to it and get our house on the market!! So, for one week, we worked night and day finalizing all the projects and fixing up our house. We re-did the master bathroom, staining the cabinets, putting in new decorative mirrors, changing the light fixtures and faucets, and of course, painting from top to bottom. We finished up all projects around the house, including all white trim, changing out all the door knobs (no more gold!), and updating all the electrical plugs. There was some trim work and paint that had to get done, and lots of organizing closets. We also purchased a new gas range so that we could officially claim "all new kitchen appliances." Some yard work and new flowers, and many sleepless nights later, we called in a maid service (my first time ever!!) and had them clean from top to bottom. As they were finishing up, the realtor arrived, we signed the paperwork, and the sign was officially in the front yard.

Our realtor asked me if I minded if the house showed right away (that night), to which I told her, "Please do anything you can to sell this house. Of course, I don't mind if you show it tonight! My husband has to be in College Station by the end of this week, I'm 5.5 months pregnant, and I need to be up there with him! If you could sell this house tonight, you'd be my new best friend!" So, I went to dinner with my mom and sister to "celebrate" putting the house on the market while someone was coming to look. After dinner, Ryleigh wanted to go to the park, so we stopped on the way in the neighborhood. A got another call, saying someone else wanted to see the house that night! Two showings...the first night, within hours of us putting it on the market! Fine by me! That evening we got a call from our realtor- both viewers had put in offers, of full price. WHAT?! What about this "horrible" market we have been hearing about? The next day, the two buyers went into a bidding war, and we eventually signed a contract with the one who was the strongest buyer. Within 24 hours, our house was sold.
We still had to deal with the scary periods- the inspection and the appraisal, both which had no major issues. We had to fix a few breakers on our breaker box from the inspection, but that's it. No big deal. Then the real crunch began. Jesse was already up in College Station, starting his new job, leaving Ryleigh and I here to deal with the rest of the move. My mom came several days last week, helping me pack up the major areas of the house, and Jesse came home this weekend to help with the garage and the attic. Needless to say, I'm living in a sea of boxes. Talk about chaotic!! We have to be out by this weekend, haul off all our stuff to a storage facility in College Station, and then close next Monday, June 29th.

It will be sad to leave our home. Not only was this our first house, our first big purchase together (huge purchase, I should say), but also we have had a lot of memories here these past 4 years. We have worked late into the night on projects, transforming our house into our home. We have had family and friends gather in the backyard or sit around our living room. We have spent countless hours laughing together, cuddling, talking about life, and sharing in some of our greatest moments as a couple. And of course, we brought Ryleigh home to this house, to her nursery, to her first "big girl bed." We have memories of her 1st movements, 1st food, 1st steps, 1st words...all in this house. But you know what? It's just that. A house. Four walls, some doors, a roof, and windows. What made this our home was us. Our family, our friends, our memories. And those will not go away simply because we change location.

And changing location, we are! When our house sold so stinkin' quickly, we realized right away that we would soon be without a place to live. Luckily, Jesse is able to live for free in the casitas on site at Traditions until we find a new home. Ryleigh and I have been going up on weekends to see him and we can stay with him. Originally, Jesse thought we could easily move up there and just stay with him once our house sold. Well, he lives like a nomad. He moves around, sometimes nightly, depending on what rooms are available. And the casitas are nice, so I constantly tell Ryleigh, "no- don't touch that!" The environment is not conducive to an active two year old.

So, we started thinking about what to do up there. We started looking around at areas, trying to find a neighborhood that we liked. The problem was that if we live in Bryan, you get a whole lot more bang for your buck, but the school districts are not as good and the neighborhoods are a little iffy- some are okay, but then right next door is not the best. We just did not feel comfortable there. We like College Station, but we clearly did not want to live in the heart of the city, amongst all the college students. Once we started moving to the outskirts of town, we found some beautiful, family neighborhoods. We fell in love! And then we saw a price tag.

I have not felt so discouraged in a long time. We are hard working people. We make an honest living. We have paid off our debt. We have excellent credit. And we just knew after seeing the price tag that there was no way we could afford to live there. I cried a lot that weekend.

The following week, while back in Houston, I started doing some online research and got in contact with a realtor up there. She helped me find some middle-of-the-road homes and we planned to see them the following weekend. I also met with a lender, who helped us get pre-approved for a home loan and helped me crunch a bunch of numbers, regarding cost of house = monthly mortgage payment. We were approved for a heck of a lot, which we knew we would be, because we have such outstanding credit and no debt. But we were worried about living outside of our means and having a huge monthly payment. So we started low.

The next weekend, we went to meet the realtor. She was probably in her 70's with a sidekick, also in her 70's. Both very sweet ladies, but not our type. We moved slow and saw some not-too-exciting property. The next day, we couldn't see anything because they could not get their key to work. We left discouraged and frustrated. We drove around on our own and if we liked a house, we called the listing agent. This one agent was literally everywhere. We figured she had to be good! So we called on a property we liked, and sure enough, it had already sold. But, we did get hooked up with her, and saw a few properties the next day. Unfortunately, we kept going higher and higher on our budget, and again got discouraged that we would never get into a house that we liked, in an area we liked, with good schools, for our price range. Jesse and I argued that night- him suggesting we consider renting property for awhile, saving up money and waiting to get what we really want. Of course, I did not like that idea. First off, in a college town, renting is the thing to do. So every rental property is pretty expensive and the leases are all 1-year minimum. No thank you. Not to mention, I am 6 months pregnant, and not wanting to unpack, only to repack again in awhile, with two babies at home!! No way. So we fought. And I again, cried the whole way home.

Last Monday, I called the lender and went into to meet with him. He was supposed to be on vacation, but he came in (in shorts and t-shirt) to meet with me. He said I sounded distressed on the phone, and he could tell I needed some assurance. So, we met. We re-crunched numbers on the higher priced homes, and he was able to show me that we could get into a home that cost more, while still maintaining our lower monthly payments. I almost cried again. He laughed at me. He told me that Jesse and I have some of the best credit he has ever seen for a couple our age and that he wished Jesse would come in and council all his clients because he loved our conservative attitude, despite the fact that we could afford so much. He said we were the perfect client for any lender- approved for more, but choosing to pay less to live within our means. It made me so proud of my husband all over again, for all his hard work and constantly reminding me that all the work (Elfa) was a means to an end. And it was- it got us out of debt and in a place where we could even consider buying a more expensive home in College Station.

SO, that brings us to this past week. (If you are still reading this, I'm most impressed!) The new realtor in College Station met with Jesse a couple of days, showing him close to 20 or so properties throughout the week. She would send a list to me, I would weed them out from there, and then they would go look at what was left on my list. Sure enough, Jesse found one he liked. We made plans to see it together again on Friday, when Ryleigh and I came up for the weekend. We went and looked at it together, and I liked it right away. It is a little bit larger than our current house, but not much. Frankly, it will fit us like a glove. The kitchen and living area felt a little small, so we went to a couple other houses that Jesse liked, though not as much. And I did not like them as much either. I asked if we could go back to the first house. We did. And then we went back to the realtor's house and wrote out an offer.

Yesterday and today have been the waiting game. But late this afternoon, right before Jesse had to head back to College Station for the week, we got the call. Our offer was accepted! Jesse went back tonight to sign the contract and pay the earnest money. We have to make it through inspection and the appraisal, but otherwise, the closing date is set for July 24.

We are excited and anxious. I'm so thankful that everything has worked out-- seriously the way things have more-or-less fallen in our lap has further confirmed that God wants us in College Station. Timing is perfect. We will have almost 2 months to "settle" before the baby arrives, and we made it into a nice home, in a nice neighborhood, with a great school district. Jesse loves his new job. I get to keep my current job, working from College Station and commuting when I need to come in for meetings. God is so good, and we recognize His hand and His blessings all over our life right now. It has been an insanely busy and stressful time, but again, all a blessing.

Want to see the cute house? I thought you might. Here are a few pictures I pulled from the MLS site.

The good news? The house does not require a single project. For those of you who have read this blog for awhile, you know that we have constantly worked projects since we moved into our house. We love the way they turned out, but I think Jesse is "over" it. With another baby on the way and a new job to focus on, we just will not have the time or energy to do anything major. Sure, we will do some painting according to preference, but no projects. Everything is great. It's beautiful. And it will soon become our new home.

Whew. I told you a lot has happened. As long as this post is, I cannot even begin to tell you how long the past month has been. We have not stopped. We're all exhausted and running on adrenaline I think. Once we close on our house next week and get all of our stuff into storage for the next month, I plan on hibernating for a few days. Then we get a week to go to Minnesota for my sister Susan's wedding (wahoo!), and when we come back, we close and start the move all over again. :)

Crazy, but good. Crazy, but good.

We'd appreciate your prayers, as we endure the exhaustion (physical, mental, and emotional) from all of this. Ryleigh has handled it all pretty well thus far, but I'm sure we will have more adjustments once we get settled again into a routine. Pray for Jesse, as he is working crazy hours trying to get things situated with his new job, while being away from his family. Pray that all the little details get worked out during the move and that we are able to successfully close on both houses, as planned. Pray that we all maintain the rest we need to handle the stress of the move. And mostly, pray for peace about all of the decisions and life changes we are experiencing. Thanks, friends!

We know God has a plan and we are pretty excited watching it all unfold. Can't wait to share more of our roller coaster with you in the weeks and months ahead!

My baby turned 2

Ryleigh turned two over Memorial Day weekend. Two. Years. Old. WOW.

I have so many thoughts and feelings about her being two, but truthfully cannot articulate them very well. In so many ways, it feels like she was only born yesterday. I look at her little cheeks, and still see my baby. Then, there are times like she has always been a part of our family, and I do not remember what life was like before her. Ryleigh is a part of us in a way that I never could have anticipated or understood before she came along. So to celebrate the day she entered our lives, we will always stop and remember how much blessing she brings to our lives.

This year we celebrated the night before her birthday and just had family over for hot dogs and cake. It was very low-key, but a fun night.

Little Miss was showing everyone "how Mommy sits" in the lounger. Ha!
Cute picture of Ryleigh with Aunt Julie

Hanging out in the backyard

The kids playing ball...the big kids, that is...Justin and Jesse :)

Time to sing and blow out candles! Ryleigh was a little apprehensive at first, holding onto Daddy, but then she enjoyed blowing out the candles, with a little help from her cousins.

Present-opening time!! Note to self for the future: don't open the "fun" presents first. Ryleigh was not really into opening presents, so Jesse brought her a big package, which happened to be a lawn mower that blows bubbles. Well, we could NOT get her to stop playing with her toy long enough to open any more presents- she simply was not interested in anything else! So, next time, we open clothes and such first, and then work our way up to the toys. She received tons of great clothes and fun toys, and no one can say that this little girl is not spoiled!!

Check out some of the toys:

Ryleigh "cuttin' a grass" wearing her "cool dude" sunglasses.

Learning how to use the scooter

Her first tricycle from Gaga and Grandaddy. Bell and all!

And just for fun (fun for all of you, not so much for me), here is a picture of the belly! Keep in mind that when you are squished on a toddler tricycle, things stick out more than normal, but still. The belly is definitely there, and now, being 23 weeks along (almost 6 months), I guess that is okay with me.

Happy 2nd birthday, baby girl. Mommy and Daddy love you more than we can say, and cannot imagine life without you! Thank you for all the memories these past two years, and we look forward to the next...oh, 50 years or so. We love you!

It's a...

BOY!!

Yes, you read correctly. And, most of you guessed correctly! Baby Shulse is indeed a boy! Jesse and I were excited about either possibility, but we were really excited to hear he is a boy. I have no idea what to do with a boy or what a house looks like with blue (I had all sisters growing up, for those who don't know), but it will be fun to try something new. Jesse's comment was, "yay! Someone to help me cut the grass!" Haha.

He is very healthy and measuring perfect for his original due date of October 6. Apparently, when we had our 12-week ultrasound, over 2 months ago, the ultrasound technician thought it was a boy, but did not say anything! She said it is a game they play, trying to see how accurate they can guess from the early appointment.

My favorite picture from the ultrasound was his little wave- all fingers outstretched, saying "Hi Mom and Dad!"
And of course, you cannot beat the profile picture.

(Sorry for the lack of quality with the pictures, but hopefully you can at least see general outlines.)

When we told Ryleigh, she said "baby bubba?" So cute. Then Julie asked her if she wanted a baby brother and she said, "uh, nooooo!" We just laughed, because she truly has no idea what she is talking about.

I'm excited to continue to get to know this little man as he grows. Something tells me we will see him sooner than we realize...time is flying by right now! :)

Last chance!

Take your guess now- is Baby Shulse a boy or a girl?

A word

I do not read ahead in my daily bible- otherwise, what would I have to read the following day? So, I was whining yesterday because I was begging for a word from God, only to not get one. So guess what passage came up in today's study?

Proverbs 15:22-23
Plans fail for lack of cousel, but with many advisors they succeed.
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply- and how good is a timely word!

I just laughed out loud when I read it. "How good is a timely word??" I thought the timely part would have been yesterday, but perhaps God wanted me to wrestle it with Him a little more. Apparently, I might want to seek out some advisors to discuss options, in hopes that our plans will succeed. :)

Oh, I love the Lord's faithfulness.

Gotta get out

I'm sitting outside right now. I laid on my lounger for a bit and now I'm sitting under the patio. The weather is beautiful. And I needed out of my house.

Out of my office.

Out of my life.

Out of my head.

My brain has been working in over-drive lately, and I just need to stop. I need to quit thinking. I brought my new One Year Bible outside and have been enjoying a few quiet (well, besides the birds chirping and the gentle hum of the air conditioner...) minutes with God.

Does it ever feel like your prayers are simply a continuation of your thoughts? You know when you have something stuck in your mind and you constantly analyze and over analyze and just cannot stop thinking about it? And so you "take it to God," but really, you just continue to re-hash the same human thought process. And then of course, expect God to come back with some resounding truth and make your decision for you.

I'm not saying He can't. Sometimes doors close pretty abruptly, or windows miraculously open. I believe God has a hand in all of that. But what about the times when there is nothing opening and closing? Just options laid out in a row, each with positives and negatives. Then what? Is that God saying stay put? Or is that God saying that we need to trust Him and take a step of faith-- and the direction of that step, well, perhaps it is up to us??

I feel like we have so many balls in the air right now. Changes that might or might not happen. Changes that ARE happening, whether we like them or not. Changes that will happen, whether we are ready or not. And none of the change seems to come together in my mind. What will our lives look like when all is said and done? I'm such a planner by a nature, I like knowing what lies ahead on my road map. I like controlling the decisions that are made. And I like having the door slammed shut or the window flown open, so I know God is on board!

So now what? Pray and wait? Pray and cry and wait? Wait for what? Change? Or for life to resume as normal?

I think I was hoping after a rough night last night, full of thoughts and not much sleep, that when I opened my bible today, God would give me a word. Not just a word. But THE word I needed. The answer to my thoughts. But no go.

I guess this is where faith comes in right? Trusting in what you believe but do not see?

Well, here I go again, thinking. Time to get out. I'm going to lay back down in my lounger. Maybe God will meet me there.

A day of tears...not really

Last Thursday was our last day of Mother's Day Out for the year. And Mommy wanted to cry!!

But this was Ryleigh's face instead...sheer joy. All she knew was that it was "time for school," and she was about to go spend the day with her teachers and her friends.
I have been so blessed by MDO, I cannot even tell you. Not only has it given me some time to work or go into work if needed, it has given me some time away from my girl.

And that has done wonders. She has done wonders since having some time socializing, and I am such a better Mom when I have had a break. Honestly, my house is so quiet on MDO days, that I truly miss the noise! And I'm excited and ready to pick her up. What a joy!

BUT, now that my one day a week is gone for the summer, I was sad. And Ryleigh might not know it now, but she will be sad too. She has already asked to go back to school twice since Thursday and its only Monday! Her teacher was teary when I picked her up Thursday, saying it was so hard saying goodbye to "her babies." She has loved those kids and cared for them, and they love her too!

All in all, I'm so thankful I finally agreed to sign-up for MDO. If you have a little one and have this option available, you should do it. One day a week was perfect (though there were times I wished I had signed-up for two, if you know what I mean...) It's wonderful for all involved.

I'm counting down the days until August!! :)

Transition

We took a step- a big step- and got Ryleigh a new "big girl bed."

Jesse convinced me to only use a toddler bed instead of a twin bed, so she would still have some play room in her bedroom. The room is pretty small. Plus, it is low to the ground, so if she were to fall out, hopefully it would not hurt as much.

So last weekend, her new bed arrived. I set up the pack-n-play in my room and when it was time for her nap, that is where she slept. Meanwhile, I began to clean out her room. I removed clothing that was too small. I removed the dresser from her closet and re-organized her closet to hold some of her toys instead. I cleaned out the old dresser and brought in the new dresser, which had been mine growing up, that I refinished for her. Then Jesse took down the crib and put together her new big girl bed.

When Ryleigh woke up from her nap, her new "big girl room" was ready.
We decided for now to just use the bedding we had for the crib. It came with a quilt and everything, but obviously we did not use it in the crib- it just hung on the wall! So, now it is on the bed. Its a little small, but that's okay for now.

How do you like the dresser? Before, it was an off-white with gold trim and brass handles. I sanded it down, primed and painted, and then bought new hardware to use. Works like a champ!

When Ryleigh saw the big girl beds at the store, she was very excited and climbed up in them right away. We assumed she would do the same when it was in her room. Unfortunately, she was still a bit groggy from her nap, but Mommy and Daddy were too excited to wait to show her. She just kind of stood there, looking at us, not knowing what to do

After some cuddles with Daddy, and of course a snack and juice, she was ready to check it out again. This time, Ryleigh was excited!

She did not want to leave her room the rest of the day! At one point, I came in to find her in bed, with her baby dolls and books. It was as if she was reading them a story in bed, like I have read stories to her in my bed! So cute.

I'm sure the question you all want to ask is, "how did the transition go?" Honestly, it could have been much worse. I have been pleasantly surprised.

She has never tried to get back out of bed at night to play or come see us. When we put her to sleep, she is normally ready for bed, and happily crawls in, kisses goodnight, and rolls over. There have been several nights where she woke up in the middle of the night, and was nervous about it. Most nights, I have been able to go into her room, cuddle with her, stroke her back, and then she tells me goodnight (my cue to leave), and rolls back over. There was one really bad night (the 2nd night of the transition), and she ended up in our bed that night. Ever since, she has been great. And (knock on wood) she has slept all the way through the night without a peep for the past 3 nights! I have noticed she wakes up earlier, but that might be because the sun rises earlier and the light gets her. Who knows. I'm not complaining!

Nap time has been a little different. We had several days last week when Ryleigh seemed more than happy to take a nap, only for me to hear her up and playing a few minutes later. Haha! I did go ahead and get a child-proof door knob thing, so she at least has to stay in her room. Normally after about 10 minutes of playing, I have said, "Ryleigh, it is time for nap- please get in your bed now!" And she will, and then she's out. The great part? She has been taking longer naps too! An average of 3 hours a day over the past week! Crazy!!

So far, so good. And much easier than I anticipated. I'm so proud of my little "big" girl!

You gotta read it

I have found a new blog that I enjoy reading. The author makes me laugh, makes me cry, and always seems to touch on subjects with a sensitivity and tact that I can never quite articulate.

With Mother's Day this weekend, you ALL need to go read her latest post. Trust me.

http://reallybadhairday.blogspot.com/2009/05/life-is-just-snapshot-really.html

Pop!

As of today, I am about 18.5 weeks pregnant.


Up until about 2 weeks ago, no one else would have even known. I had heard that the second pregnancy you tend to expand much sooner than the first, because those abdominal muscles are already stretched out and your uterus is familiar with the process of growing. To be honest, I don't remember when I started showing last time. I remember my pants feeling much more snug last time, lower in my abdomen. This time, it has felt more like the dreaded "muffin top" that sits over the top of my jeans. Cute, right? But on the plus side, since I typically wear t-shirts or loose shirts anyway, I have gotten away with wearing normal clothes much longer, and can still (relatively comfortably) wear a good portion of pants/shorts just fine. There have been a few times I have worn a pair of maternity pants, but only for comfort's sake in long sitting situations.


But the belly has officially popped. There is a belly there. It looks a little different to me than last time. Like I said, last time my lower abdomen filled out first. This time, the belly seems like a defined ball that sits higher. Go figure.


AND, I have started to feel the baby move! Yea! Again, I was told that a second-time mom would recognize these feelings much earlier in the pregnancy, and I felt slightly nervous when I could not say definitively that I felt the baby. But the past two weeks, there has been no denying that our newest little one is a mover, just like its big sister. A kick on one side of the belly, only to feel another kick on the complete opposite side a few seconds later. I guess it is enjoying the room to move around while it can!


So far, all of my blood work has come back perfect, with very, very low percentages of disorders such as Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida. I am incredibly thankful for every piece of good news, and thank God daily for blessing us (so far) with healthy babies. I do not take it for granted for one minute how fortunate we are.


Jesse and I will go back on May 21 for THE ultrasound to find out whether Baby Shulse #2 is a boy or a girl, and make sure that its growing on schedule. I have to say, I think this is a boy. I know that every pregnancy is different and despite the drastic differences between this pregnancy and Ryleigh's, I could still be carrying a little girl. And I'm truly excited about either one. If its a girl, we will get to see Ryleigh have a little sister, match clothing, and do all things girly. If its a boy, then we get all new experiences. Either way, it is going to be a blessing.


Oh, so why do I think it is a boy? Well, one night I was bored while Jesse was watching a baseball game on tv (baseball is so slow on tv!), and started playing around online seeing if you could 'tell' whether the baby was a boy or girl. According to a lot of old wives' tales, they say boy. But if you ask me, you can tailor your answers to get what you want, ya know? So I needed more "factual" evidence.

I tried several online predictors, and all said boy! The clincher was when I went back and tried them all again, using the information from Ryleigh's pregnancy, and they all said girl! So clearly, they must be accurate. :)

• http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html
• http://www.chineseastrology.com/wu/birthchart.html
• http://www.obfocus.com/calculators/birthchart.htm

Haha, it was fun to play around. I'm anxious to find out the real sex of our baby and continue to get to know this little one better. But for those who were concerned, yes, I am officially excited, though still apprehensive about the logistics of caring for two. I guess we'll figure it out as we go, just as we are figuring out how to parent Ryleigh- every day learning something new.

So there you have the baby update. :) I'll let you know how the May 21st appointment goes!

An unwelcome milestone

Ryleigh has finally figured it out. Darn it! I was hoping she would never figure it out. At least not until she was 5 or so...

She has learned how to open doors. (dun-da-da-da-daaaaaaaa!)

Therefore, a whole new playground has been opened for her.
The past few days I have seen:

• Contents of my pantry spread across my house and used as props for her games.
• Gift wrapping paper ripped in shreds.
• Old clothing and shoes from the bottom of her closet, being worn by her babies.
• My jewelry, makeup, and hairbrush being "used" by my toddler.
• Ryleigh barging in while I'm going to the bathroom.

Nothing is off-limits anymore. Or so she thinks! I do not think this is a good development. Help! I guess I'm back to Ryleigh-proofing, and will have to get those weird, hard-to-open door knobs for the doors we really don't want opened.

Lovely.

You guessed it!

I don't know how so many of you noticed right away... must have been the fact that Jesse was smiling and actually looked happy to be with us!! Strange enough to catch anyone's attention. :)

The braces came off! Well, at least the top braces. He should have the bottoms off next week. Then it's off to the dentist for a good clean, and finally laser whitening. You betcha. That is my birthday present to him. I am so proud of him for braving the "embarrassment" these past two years (his words, not mine), and now he has a beautiful smile to show for it.

Isn't it great to see what Jesse looks like happy?? What a cutie. Keep smilin' honey, keep smilin'!

New posts

I'm trying to catch up. I have uploaded many new posts below, so be sure to check them all out!

My stud athlete
Happy Easter!
Almost Two!!
April....showers

Dont miss the teaser in the Easter post...the big reveal to come soon! Extra points to the first person who guesses (except family, who already know). Get your guess on!

April...showers

It has been a rough couple of months.

You know that saying, "when it rains, it pours?" I believe it. I realize there is never a good time in our busy lives to deal with turmoil or drama, but seriously, sometimes the timing of it ALL, is just bad.

Since this is a public location, I will not go into the details of my work drama. Let's just say, it has been a BAD month. Really bad. Things happening outside of my control, getting pulled into issues that I have never had to deal with, having my hand slapped for things that I was held responsible for (though never warned I was was responsible for), and an absolute butt-load of work. And yes, I just wrote butt-load. That is the nice way of saying the amount of work that has hit me over the head this month. When I tell you I have been working 12 and 14 hour days, without feeling like I even make a dent in the work, surely that says something. Heck, the intense pain in my back and neck and the tension headaches I keep having say something about this workload. It sucks.

Yesterday, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, not because it's done, but because I could see a dent in the pile. There was progress. I'm no where near the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm doing my best to balance life a little. Lots of work = stressed, not-fun Melody, who often snaps at people (mainly Jesse and Ryleigh), who lives in a dirty house, with a never-ending to-do list. I just keep praying that this will all be over soon, and when all is said and done, someone will look back and say, wow- that girl works hard. Even if that someone does not say it until the judgement day. :)

I wont mention my continued morning sickness or Ryleigh getting sick, and the drama we have had with Jesse's job. Too much whining for one day. So, enough about me and my pity party. My stressful life has been nothing compared to a few other people I know and love.

My sister Sarah and her husband Micah have had quite a difficult couple of months. A few weeks/months ago, Sarah had been sick and so Micah took her to the doctor's office. While they were there, Micah passed out and starting having a pretty severe seizure. Originally, they went to see a neurologist to figure out what had happened in his brain to cause the seizure. They had him complete a sleep-deprived test to trigger the seizure and watch his brain waves. Sure enough, they triggered the seizure...and also caused his heart to stop. It started back up on its own, but a few more seconds, and they would have had to use the paddles. They scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist, who actually called them before their scheduled appointment wanting to see him right away. Within days, he was admitted to the hospital and being prepped for heart surgery to place a pacemaker. Please remember, this is a 26-year-old male. Most pacemaker candidates are over 50! Anyway, so sure enough they had the surgery as planned, and inserted the pacemaker, and within 48 hours, he was discharged to go home. A few days later, while changing the bandages, they noticed that the wound looked funny and had been oozing- not good. So they took him to the ER (it was after hours) and had it checked out in the same hospital where the surgery took place. The next morning, Sarah still did not feel right about it, so she called the doctor who performed the surgery, who immediately sent them back to the hospital. Micah was re-admitted and on watch for infection. Mind you, Micah felt fine and was extremely irritated about this. Within 24 hours, he was diagnosed with a stapph infection at the site of the wound, right over his heart. Not a good place for an infection! He was treated by serious IV antibiotics, hoping to clear it out, with no luck. A second heart surgery was scheduled to remove the current pacemaker and insert a new pacemaker to the other side of his heart. Meanwhile, the doctor spoke of transferring him to another doctor/hospital downtown, because he simply did not feel comfortable performing the procedure. Apparently,putting in a pacemaker is routine. Taking one out, is not. And its very risky. They literally are pulling it out of the heart muscle, hoping that when they pull, it does not tear a hole in the heart. The risks of course, are much higher, and if a hole is pulled, open heart surgery right then and there is inevitable. I could not sit in Houston while all this was going on, so Ryleigh and I went up to be there. As it turns out, they were not able to transfer Micah to another hospital, due to a shortage of beds, so the specialist doctor had to come out to him. The doctor did not feel it would be wise to remove one pacemaker and attempt to put in another one- no need to open new holes with a stapph infection! So, he performed the removal surgery and left the wound open and packed with antibiotics designed to draw the infection out and away from the wound. This surgery was much more painful for Micah, and he was in the hospital for over a week. They finally sent him home, but with home health care to come by and clean his open wound, check his heart, etc. He cannot be left alone, because without a pacemaker, and all the trauma his heart has endured, they dont want anything to happen. So, family has been staying with them non-stop. The plan is to make sure all signs of infection are gone, give his heart some time to recoup, and then have a third heart surgery to insert a new pacemaker into the other side of his heart. Needless to say, it has been a scary and emotional time for them. Not to mention the fact that he was supposed to be starting a new job and moving this month! Now he is on short-term disability and just praying his new boss is patient. They will celebrate their 1st anniversary in a few weeks, and I just cannot imagine all they have endured in their first year of marriage. Please pray for physical healing, emotional healing, and a little rest for their weary bodies and souls.

On to the next health prayer. My other sister, Sarah's twin, Susan and her fiance Brent, have been having their own share of issues!! Brent is a professional hockey player, and had been playing hurt for awhile. When I say, "hurt" I mean, it was STUPID of his team to ask him to play. Brent suffered a concussion awhile back and continued to play. He was having severe headaches and finally got it checked out by someone wise. It turns out he had several concussions, somehow stacked on top of each other, and his brain was a mess! Needless to say, he was officially pulled from playing hockey, as well as doing anything else in his life!! He has to rest his brain, meaning, no driving, no reading, no movies, no nothing. No nothing. Nothing. Catch that? What in the world do you do? Sleep? Well, since he was already out for this injury, he decided to have someone take a look at his shoulder too. Sure enough, it had some pretty significant damage and required surgery. Brent figured it was a good time, since he was already laying low, to take care of it.Problem was, due to his brain injury, they could not put him under. When he heard that he was going to have to be awake, he said "heck no!" So, back to the drawing boards, and sure enough the doctor agreed to put him under, which was a risk in and of itself. He had his shoulder surgery last week, and it went well, though with a lot of pain. Within 48 hours, they were discharged, and headed home to heal. Pray for their patience during this healing process and wisdom from the team doctors before attempting to let him (or anyone else!) play when hurt.

My mom lost her job about 2 months ago. It was a shock, and not a welcomed event. BUT, it has been a blessing in disguise, as she has suddenly been freed up to help out with all the family drama lately. She was able to go spend a week with my granddad when he was released from rehab and able to go home. She was able to go be with Sarah during each of Micah's surgery, and able to stay with them this week, allowing Sarah to go back to work and Micah to not be left alone. She has helped me out with Ryleigh during all my crazy work drama. She might need a little break and downtime from family once this is all said and done, but she sure has been a life saver for the rest of us!

So yeah, when it rains, it pours.

On a side note, I thought it was ironic that I started this post over the weekend, and then literally it rained for 36 hours straight, flooding large portions of Houston. I think they said we received 8 inches on Sunday night within a matter of hours. That's a lot of rain. Kind o a down pour, I would say.

And sure enough, that's what this month has been. A down pour. I'm sorry I have been absent from blogland, but there are only so many hours in a day! I'm just hoping that some of these April showers will bring...yep, you guessed it....May flowers.

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalms 30:11-12

Almost Two!!

Ryleigh turns two next month. W-O-W.

Some days I'm blown away by how smart she is and how much older than her age she seems, and then other days, I look at her, and still see my baby. But, she's not a baby. She's a toddler. A full-blown toddler who walks, talks (all the time), dresses up, sings, dances, pitches fits, cuddles whole-heartedly, and "tests" us at every turn.

Did you know that Ryleigh loves the Wiggles? Yes, the silly guys from Australia who dress up and sing silly songs. Ryleigh is their number 1 fan. And I am grateful, because without them, I would never get any work done during the day!! There is a Wiggles center in Dallas, and my family who lives up there took a trip over there. Ryleigh was sent a Wiggles t-shirt and "Henry" doll from Aunt Kathy and received this "Dorothy" tutu from Michelle and Savannah. Now she twirls along with Dorothy while singing and dancing to the Wiggles.
Honestly, I am amazed I was even able to get this picture of her with the tutu on. I fear that I might have a nudist on my hands. Seriously, the girl will NOT stay in her clothes. I thought at first that perhaps she just liked the freedom to take her clothes off and put them on herself. But now, she will not wear them! We have to force her to wear clothes in order to take her in public! And then I watch her like a hawk the whole time we are out, because inevitably, she starts pulling her arms out of her shirt or kicking off her shorts. The other day, I was working in my office and she was playing with her blocks in the living room. Or so I thought. The next thing I know, she is standing next to me, wearing nothing but my leopard print lingerie cami (which, for those of you are thinking "TMI!" I have not worn in YEARS. It has had more use from Ryleigh in the past week than it has from me in all the years I have owned it.) So yeah, my little nudist is on the loose! I'm kind of hoping she has just been bothered by her eczema lately and that is why she does not like clothing on her skin. I guess time will tell.

Luckily, when she strips down, she does not care to remove her diaper. I have heard of toddlers doing this, and so far, thank you Lord, she is not doing this. I'm hoping the diaper situation will soon go away, as I intend to try and potty train her this summer. She already tells me as she is pooping, and wants to change her diaper right away when she does. So she knows that feeling. Now the pee-pee part, not so much, so we'll have to work on it. But hopefully the diapers will be gone soon!

We are also talking about moving Ryleigh out of her crib and into a "big girl" twin bed. This makes me more sad than any of the other changes she is experiencing. I think it makes her seem that much older. Right now, we put her to bed and we go in and get her out of bed in the morning. She crawls right out of her crib and into my snuggles. Once she is in a big girl bed, she can just jump down and get on with her day. It was always inevitable, and I definitely want to do it fairly soon so that she stops associating herself with the crib before the baby gets here, but its still hard. I'm sure we'll begin that transition within the next month or so. Pray for patience!

I could go on and on and tell you how incredibly smart this girl is, or how much she amazes me daily. My words do little justice. I'm telling you, this is one smart girl. She throws out new words daily and increases her sentences just as often. We are really, finally, able to communicate with her, without much (if any) confusion. She knows what she wants and eagerly lets us know. Granted, with this new found communication understanding has come a whole new world of learning as parents. When she wants something we do not want her to have, she does not simply nod and smile and say, "okay- you know best!" She's angry! And defiant! And she will try every single trick in the book to get it. I wish I could say that her whines are nothing compared to my stamina, but that's not always true. I'm not a patient person, and right now, her perseverance often beats mine. I'm working on this. We're also working on new methods of discipline when she does not obey and blatantly defies us. This is tough. I never knew I could love someone so much...or be so completely angry and frustrated with someone so much. She can make my blood boil like no one else. And she has already learned exactly which buttons to push to make that happen! Sneaky little thing! :)

In all honesty, this is a tough age. Ryleigh is learning and exploring and trying her wings, and often I have to remind her that though her wings might work, there is a big cliff ahead. It's all about setting boundaries and being consistent- two areas I struggle with daily. No matter how long or frustrating the day, I always get big smiles, hugs, and kisses in the evening, and it washes away the pains of the day. I know many-a-moms who have struggled with strong-willed, independent kids and still lived to tell about it, so I know we will get through it. I'm just learning the hard way, I afraid.

My baby is going to be two, and life is going to be an adjustment. We are learning together and I'm sure there will come a time when I look back at this phase and think what a breeze it was compared to our next big hurdle. I'm just trying to enjoy every positive thing I can right now and soak up all the sweetness that is my precious toddler.

Happy Easter!

Easter was a rainy morning...but luckily, as Christians, we rejoice through the rain and get our tails to church anyway and praise our God for sending a savior.

Jesse had to work in the morning, so I tried to hold Ryleigh off from her goodies as long as possible. As soon as Daddy was home, she was free to charge the baskets!
And of course, went straight for the chocolate! Ha!

We did not hide Easter eggs outside, due to the weather, but I did put a few around the living room for her to "find." I'm not a good hider, I must admit. I told Jesse that next year, it's his job!

We pulled up to church just as the skies decided to open up and POUR. Jesse let me and Ryleigh out, and I still had to run for it. Not the prettiest picture...mom, running through rain, carrying a toddler, diaper bag, purse, and bible....in heels... But my experience was nothing compared to Jesse's! Obviously, being Easter Sunday, there were a lot of guests, and he was pushed to the overflow lot way at the back of the church- in the dirt. Which, with the help of the pouring rain, was now mud. So he had to run all the way in, through the mud. He looked pretty when he made it inside. :) But all the drama faded once the worship began and we were able to praise our Lord and Savior. Then Ben Stuart preached, and as always, it was a great word.

After church, we went to my parent's house for the afternoon. Ryleigh got another Easter basket at their house,

...and had a better Easter egg hunt. :) Check her out on the run to find another egg! Haha.

After a nap for Ryleigh, fellowship and dinner for the rest of us, it was time to go home. A fun day was had by all.

Happy Easter!

Love the Shulse family

PS...Did you notice anything different in the pictures? Teaser, teaser, with details to come later!

My stud athlete

The first weekend in April, Jesse and I headed down to Moody Gardens in Galveston so he could compete in another triathlon. Originally, he had signed up to do the half-iron (which is a LOT) and a few weeks before the race, realizing he had not trained the way he should have, he dropped back to the quarter-iron, or Olympic triathlon. Still, no small feat!

Because of the time of year and the location of the swim (the ocean!), Jesse decided to bite the bullet and purchase a wetsuit. He was very embarrassed wearing it, but once we got there and everyone had one on, he fit right in. And I hear it really helped keep the cold out during the almost 1-mile swim.
After they get out of the water, there is a "wetsuit strip station" where the athlete lay down on the ground and the strippers literally rip that suit off them! I saw a couple suits go flying through the air, because they were pulled so hard. It was absolutely hilarious watching the strippers, and they made sure to have a good time with their job. Funny stuff. That is Jesse on the ground (the guy to the left) having his suit stripped.

Next it was time for the bike. I hear that the bike ride can really help you out if you use it correctly, and shave a lot of time off. In Galveston, they had the athletes ride up and down the Seawall, so you can imagine how the wind factored into the equation during the 28-mile bike ride. Jesse did alright on the bike, but he is really working on that portion of the race for his next triathlon.

And of course, last is the run. I cannot imagine running 6.5 miles period, but to do it AFTER all the other events-- no thank you. But, Jesse made it look easy.

Nice and steady, all the way through the finish line. Of course, he had set a goal, based on times he planned for each of the three events. He pretty much stayed true to his goals, except went over a bit on the bike. He wanted to finish under 3 hours, and his final time was 3 hours 8 minutes. Not to shabby.

It never ceases to amaze me the pride I feel as I watch him finish an event. I wish I could explain it! My heart is beating and feels like it could jump out of my chest. Plus, I love the smile he gives me when he sees me near the finish line, right before he lifts his chin and runs in with his head held high. Very cool.

Before the race, while all the athletes were setting up their transition areas, the rest of us spectators had to wait outside the parking lot. We could see them, but were roped off. Well, another girl was standing there with me and talking to her husband, who was only a couple spots down from Jesse. Turns out the guys were in the same heat. She and I got to talking, (her name is Devon) and it turns out we had a lot in common! They both went to Texas A&M and live in Houston. We had a good time getting to know each other, walking together during the different events and cheering for each other's husbands. Her husband finished a few minutes before Jesse, and they both came back to wait with me at the finish line and cheer him in. I think Jesse and John have a lot in common as well, and hopefully we will hang out with them sometime in the future.

It was a fun race, and I was very proud of Jesse. He has signed up for another triathlon, of the same distance, for the end of May. He is really working on his speed so he can better his time and then maybe later on he will try again for the half-iron. Crazy boy. But oh-so-studly...especially in a wetsuit. :)

A fun Saturday afternoon

Ryleigh has been very interested in animals lately. She knows the names of the most common animals, and can identify their color and sound. So, with all the nice weather we have had lately, we thought it would be fun to take her back to the zoo. After all, the last time we went, she was only about 7 months old-- she was due a trip!

Last Saturday we laid her down for an early nap and anxiously awaited her waking up so we could surprise her with a trip to the zoo. And she was excited! We arrived and walked through all the animal exhibits, as she excitedly told us what she saw, what that animal says, and of course, said, "hi friend" to every child that passed us...which as you can imagine, was a LOT.

When we finally left, she talked about the "aminals" (no, that is not a misspelling, just Ryleigh language), nonstop. For days she kept asking to go back to the zoo. If it was not so far away, I would invest in a season pass!! Anyway, it was a fun afternoon. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Daddy showing Ryleigh how to use the brush to comb the goat at the petting zoo. I think this is why Ryleigh's allergies got so crazy when we got home that night...
An eagle! I couldn't resist snapping a picture of my elementary school mascot. :)

Daddy and Ryleigh

The baby elephant was cracking us up! He must have had an itch on it's back or something. First, he kept rubbing against the pole trying to scratch his back, but when that did not help, the elephant found this large "stick" and tried pushing it up so he could slide under it to scratch his back! Smart guy, I'd say!

The giraffes were my favorite. I wonder if it's because I'm so short that I love them so much...anyway. If you look closely in this picture, you can tell there are three giraffes, of three different ages and sizes. The youngest baby is only a few weeks old, and was so short and cute compared to the others!

A good time was had by all, and we look forward to going back again soon while the weather is still nice.

Reminder

Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.

I love the Willow Tree collectibles. I have several of them, all with a precious meaning to me. So, naturally seeing this tribute struck a cord.

The figurine shows a mom holding a baby, but it wouldn't have to be that relationship that we refer to. What about your spouse? Or a tired relative? Or a sick friend? Or just a friend's life in general?

This life is not all about us. As a matter of fact, its not about us at all.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

When I read this passage, it does not scream out that I must die for my friends, though I think that Jesus most definitely meant that we could be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for our friends. Instead, in this day and busy age, I think it means to not choose yourself over others. To put aside your busy life and take time to love on your friends and family. "Lay down your life," and get it, and yourself, out of your own way!

Do you have those friends or family members who are always too busy? (All of you reading this should be nodding, because you know me.) It can be hard to cultivate those relationships and you often feel like they simply do not care. Our busy lives, that we think only effect us, can actually hurt other people.

Friends, join with me to help stop this crazy cycle. Let's all lay aside our lives for the people we love. Let's take the time to call a friend just to say hi. Let's stop what we are working on and jump on the chance to meet a relative for lunch. Let's worry less about the cleanliness of our house, and worry more about playing with our babies. Let's stop folding laundry and watching mindless tv shows at night and talk to our spouses. Let's get out of our own way, and let our love for others truly show them we care. Let's touch their lives.

Because you know what? This life is not all about me.

So far, so good

We had our 12-week appointment and ultrasound this week. My mom watched Ryleigh so that Jesse and I could both actually watch the ultrasound and pay attention. Haha, last time, Jesse was on Daddy-duty so much, he practically missed the whole thing. So this time, it was just us.

The ultrasound was first, and we were able to see the little one squirming around on the big screen. Seriously- it never stopped moving! The ultrasound technician had a hard time getting measurements and trying to snap a cute picture, because the baby just kept doing flips. We laughed because we have been begging God for a quiet, laid back baby this time...so far, it looks like this little one is going to be every bit as active as its big sister!

I met with the doctor afterwards and she assured me that all the measurements from the ultrasound were perfect and that my body was handling the pregnancy great so far. I had lost a few more pounds, so she immediately asked if I was sick again. I had about two or three weeks where I was sick, but NOTHING compared to my pregnancy with Ryleigh. My uterus was still growing, so she's not worried. The only thing that gave her cause for concern was the blood work I did last time I was there. Apparently, my thyroid levels were pretty low, so she had me go do more blood work, including a whole panel for the thyroid, just to make sure things are okay. I'm not terribly worried about it.

My belly feels like it is growing, but my pants are not fitting too snug yet, which is a good thing. Without going into too much detail, I will say that the biggest side effect I have noticed this go around is my breasts! INCREDIBLY SORE, all the time, and have probably doubled in size already. I truly think it is because they had so much extra to make up, after getting so small last time, but I digress.

So, that's that! I'm about 13-weeks now, and just chuckin' right along. We will not find out the sex until 20 weeks, which I think is later than we found out last time, but that's okay. It will be sometime near the end of May. It's still plenty early, but we are thankful for every good day and every good report. Thank you all for your excitement and support. =)

"Whose girl are you?"

I ask Ryleigh this question probably about 5 times a day. And every single time, her face lights up and she answers with a strong and resounding, "Gaga's gul!"

Honestly, I have even tried to change her answer to Mommy's girl or Daddy's girl, but no. Ryleigh says without a second thought or hesitation that she is most definitely Gaga's girl. And now, it is fine by me. :)

When I first found out I was going to be a mom, I was excited and nervous all at the same time. As my pregnancy crept along the nerves began to get stronger. I had no idea what the heck being a Mom really meant. Please do not misunderstand me: My own mom is amazing and was a heck of an example, but how does that happen? How do you become a mom?

If I'm being honest, I had some strange thoughts and emotions towards the end of my pregnancy and even in the first few months (possibly up to the first year!) of Ryleigh's life. Jealousy. Because everyone else seemed to know what to do and how I should do things. In fact, it was such a jealousy issue that I refused to do anything the way others did. I did not bring my daughter home from the hospital in the gown my mother and I both wore home. I did not let my mom give her the first bath. I did not let anyone pick out her special occasion outfits. I wrote out specific instructions for every minute that I was away from her, so that everyone followed MY way. Ryleigh was MY daughter and I was going to make sure everyone else knew that.

It makes me sad now. Because God placed people in my life and in hers to enrich both of our lives. To help us learn. To show me how to be a mother. Not to be her mother, but to help me be her mother. I was so afraid that if I shared one ounce of her care with anyone else, that they would shame me. They would be good at it and I would be bad. My own insecurities robbed us of a lot of precious things during her first year.

I do feel like I have gotten at least a little bit better in this regard. When any family wants to spend time with her, I jump at the chance. And I bite my tongue a lot to let them be with her however it works best for them. My sisters love to be silly and play with her, tease her, and love on her. Whatever they like is fine by me. Jesse's parents love to sit outside with her, playing with a ball or bubbles or in a sand box. Fine by me. My dad took Ryleigh to the park and they played on the swings. Fine by me. My sister-in-law treats her like one of her own; snuggles and kisses, but discipline and naptime too!

My mom is really super mom. I think that is how the term "Grand-mother" came about. Because Grandma's really are the BEST moms. My own grandmas were that way to me growing up. I LOVED to go see them and stay with them. There house was always a house of love, fun, and the most amazing memories. To this day, nothing warms may heart more than a great visit with my Grandma.

And Ryleigh already gets that. She LOVES her Gaga. She knows where she lives and talks excitedly in the car when we are headed there. She gives Gaga snuggles and laughter and yet knows when Gaga means business. When Gaga calls, Ryleigh practically takes the phone from my hand to talk to her Gaga. My mom is the ultimate mom. She entertains like no one else, and I have never seen her battery go low (like mine does daily). She will sit for hours, reading book after book, or watching silly shows, singing and dancing with Ryleigh, playing on the floor with toys, taking her to the park, feeding, cleaning, and caring for my daughter. It warms me to the core to see the love Ryleigh has for her Gaga.

So when Gaga tells Ryleigh, "you're my girl!" And Ryleigh gets it to the point that when asked, "Whose girl are you?" answers heartily, "Gaga's girl!!" She is right.

She is Gaga's girl.

Thanks Mom for loving my daughter like no one else. I appreciate all you do to help me out with her and I appreciate your patience waiting for me to "come around" and realize how important relationships are for Miss Ryleigh. She learns so much from you-- and so do I. We love you!

My girl

A Ryleigh update, complete with pictures, is probably long overdue.


My little girl is almost two, and wow, does this girl have a personality! She goes and goes and goes....ALL. DAY. LONG. She loves to be "a-side" (aka: outside), and if you want to be her best friend, all you need to do is take her to the park. She can swing and slide for hours!

Lately her vocabulary and overall understanding of the world has exploded. I know every parent probably thinks their kid is a genius, but seriously, she blows me away. Things she says and concepts she understands, things I have never consciously taught her, are beyond my wildest imagination. Kids really are more intelligent than we give them credit for.

Just a few examples of her extreme intelligence:

• So, earlier this week, the car was covered in pollen (yes, the yellow rain has come) so after I filled up with gas, I decided to go through the car wash. Very unlike me. I was curious how Ryleigh would react. At first, she was slightly nervous, but then started laughing and saying "silly bubbles!" It was a fun experience that she talked about for the rest of the night. Well, two days later, I had to go to the grocery store, and passed the car wash. She pointed out the window and said, "silly bubbles!!" as she knew the exact location! How does she know that??
  
• One of our neighbors always hangs outside in front of their house with their son (Jake). If we are running an errand, and drive by, Ryleigh always says, "bye bye, Jake," without prompting from me. And even if they are not outside, she will point to his house and ask about Jake.


• There is a common road between my parents house and Jesse's parents house. As long as we are on the common portion, she remains quiet in the background. But as soon as you either turn, or stay straight past the turn, she immediately begins saying either "Gaga's house?" or "RaRa's house?"


• She can count (on her own) to ten. No joke. And she counts along with me all the way to 20.


• She knows all her colors, most animals and animal noises.


• Ryleigh is the most polite little one ever (disclaimer: most of the time she is polite...)! She knows how to ask nicely "peeasse?" and if you get her what she wants, she will say, "tank you, Mommy!" Yesterday, while a nice older gentleman was bagging our groceries and loading them into the basket, Ryleigh leaned down to catch his eye and enthusiastically said, "tank you!" He said it made his day. :)
  

Now, all you moms out there know that this age is NOT all fun and games. Ryleigh is gaining independence and confidence...and her natural instinct is to deliberately disobey everything we say, and see just how far she can push before she gets in trouble. Jesse and I have had quite a difficult time learning how to discipline her. Half the time, one (or both) of us is laughing at what she just tried to do, though trying to keep a straight face to show it is not okay. And talk about having to learn to be consistent...toddlers do not learn the first time. Or the second. Or third...you get my point. Actually, at this point, I'm still wondering when they do learn. And how to help them learn. Originally, we said we would try the spanking thing, if the disobedience could result in physical harm to her or someone else, ie, running in the street, biting Daddy, etc. While our "spanks" were no more than a swat on the (diaper-padded) behind, we quickly learned that might not work for Ryleigh. When she started getting frustrated with us, she would swat our behinds!! No joke. Talk about trying not to laugh!! She got the concept from OUR side (when I'm not happy with what you have done, I spank), but not the fact that she was getting spanked as a result of what she had done--and thus changing her behavior! Sooooo, we moved on to Plan B. Time out. She has a small wooden chair in her room where she must sit for time out. She sits, and Mommy counts out loud (from the other room) for 30 seconds. If the temper-tantrum continues, we count again. After she is calm, normally after the first 30 seconds, I tell her she can get up, and I meet her at the doorway. She has to apologize for what she did, say "saw-wy" and give Mommy (or Daddy) a hug. So far, it seems to be working okay. The best thing for Ryleigh is to completely remove her from the situation all together and re-direct her attention to something more suitable for her. Doesn't always work, but hey, this is a learning process! For us as much as her! Some days, even more so for us than her...

Well, I'm sure you have read more than you cared to know, so I'll move onto a few pictures from last month.

While working one day, Ryleigh refused to nap. She laid down in her bed for all of 20 minutes. So after listening to her cry for another 30 minutes, I finally got her up. She played and played, insisting she was NOT "sweepy." I had to get some work done, so I stayed in my office while she played in the living room. A little while later, I noticed it had gotten really quiet...I went to check on her and she was not in the living room. She had gone into my room, climbed in our bed, and fallen asleep. I knew she was tired!

No matter what anyone else says, she is a Mommy's girl for sure. :) I love it!

Aunt Sarah came to town over Valentine's Day and Ryleigh wanted to help make dinner for the boys. Aunt Sarah let her help smash the crouton crumbles with the miniature rolling pin.

Ryleigh's Mother's Day Out teacher made them cupcakes for Valentine's Day, and of course, it was all I could do to make her wait until we got home before she devoured it. Couldn't help but snap a few pictures of her pink lips.

I cannot believe my baby is going to be 2 in a matter of months. Time has seriously flown by. She never ceases to amaze me, and I'm so blessed by her presence in my life. As difficult as this age can be, it is also an exciting time of learning and exploring, and her own excitement at life has rubbed off on Jesse and I. Never again will a "weaf" (aka:leaf) be just a leaf. Creation is even more beautiful when seen through the eyes of a child. Especially, my girl.

Great thought!

I just read this, and LOVED the analogy. Whether you have been married 2 weeks, 5 years, or 34 years....this is a great way to think of your marriage.

A friend at church once told me that we should always think of marriage as a room with the door closed and locked from the outside. If you think of the door as unlocked, then if a fire gets set inside, you'll be fixated on trying to get to the door and get out. But if you know the door is locked from the outside, all your energies will be focused on putting out the fire, rather than trying to escape.

The author then went on to explain that the fire IS going to come, and you want someone in that room with you who is just as determined to put out the fire. You fight together to stay together. "Co-fighters" she called it.

Love it.