Time Has Passed

It's been too long since I've updated her blog. We seemed to have gotten lost in the day-to-day activities and have spent so much one-on-one time with her that I haven't made time to update. For her, I am sorry that I haven't recorded more. For me, I am not as sorry because I have enjoyed all of the time I spend with her.... She has become such a little fireball! She has more spunk and independence in her little body than most adults! She wants to do everything herself and will sometimes even undo what you did for her in order to do it independently. Her favorite words are, 'I got it.' She has discovered a love for the Sound of Music and wants to listen to 'Do Re Mei' about 10 times a day. She loves to sing along and gets better with each replay.

I Love You

Ryn told me she loved me yesterday! She has said it in response to us telling her, 'I love you,' but this is the first time she has said it without being prompted. Nothing special was going on - we were just shopping in Kohl's and she looked up from her stroller and said it as clear as day! It made my heart soar! I responded with, 'I love you, too,' and told her I was lucky to be her mommy. I love that little girl SO much!

Preschool and Gymnastics

Ryn started preschool today. She set out with her ladybug backpack and lunchbox and was ready to take on the world until she realized what was going on, which didn't take long. She wanted me to carry her inside and I wanted her to walk like a big girl, but I told myself that she needed me and pretty soon she wouldn't want me to carry her, so I conceded. When we got to her room we worked on a puzzle together and I tried to say good-bye. She became upset so I stayed a few more minutes to work another puzzle. She noticed I was trying not to cry and this only made it worse. She started crying again and Ms. Nicole, one of her teachers, was kind enough to hold her when I left. I cried all the way to the car and had to call my mom for comfort. Mom was good about reassuring me and I felt better by the time I got to work, but barely held it together when everyone asked me how things went. I thought about her all day and couldn't wait to pick her up from daycare. Ms. Sherrie said the teachers told her that they had tried to do a craft with Ryn that involved her hand being dipped in paint. Ryn would have no part of it. This doesn't surprise me AT ALL. She is a very neat child that doesn't like things to be on her hands. Other than that, I think things went okay for her first day. We went for ice cream this afternoon to celebrate. She is zonked out right now, no trouble going to sleep at all! She did a little better at gymnastics last night. She was a little more cooperative during stretching and center rotations. She enjoyed the balance beam again and was willing to try it with holding only one of her hands. Each child had three to four turns on the trampoline and by the last time she went halfway out by herself and turned around and grinned at us. She is such a stinker! I could tell after we left that she had a twinkle in her eye. She knew she had done better this week and was proud of herself. She is growing up too fast!

Gymnastics

Ryn and I started a "Parent and Me" gymnastics tonight. I was so excited and hoped she would enjoy the activity. I could not be more wrong! During the stretching time, Ryn scurried away and tried to climb on the equipment while all the other participants followed directions and had fun stretching! She did slightly better during rotation time and actually did a couple of flips. She seemed to enjoy the balance beam the most. When it came time for the trampoline, Ryn wouldn't climb out there without me. Then she froze and wouldn't jump. "Okay, we tried," I told myself. During the next two rotations on the trampoline, Ryn wanted to go out when it was someone else's turn, but not hers. She is such a stinker! Luckily a friend of ours reassured me that all the other kids went through the same thing. Here's hoping next week goes better! :)

Happy Second Birthday!!

We recently celebrated Ryn's second birthday surrounded by her closest friends and family. We wanted to have the celebration where it wasn't too hot and there would be an activity for the other children at the party. After looking around, we settled on an indoor putt-putt place in Opelika. It was a perfect arrangement because it had been raining and was nice to been indoors and almost all of the children could play putt-putt. Family members included were: all four grandparents; Allan, Jennifer, and Caro; and Manley and Lauryn. Friends in attendance were: Bennett and his parents; Olivia and her mom; Abby, from daycare, and her brother and mother: Jade, from daycare, and her mom; Carter and his parents; Miss Angie; Mr. and Mrs. Tate and Austin; Mr. Jack and Ms. Lydia; Mr. and Mrs. Browning; and Mrs. Popwell. She has so many people that love her! The theme was Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar book and we decorated with a picture from each month of your life. Some pictures were serious and some were funny - all were adorable! Ryn helped Nana make the head for her caterpillar cake while we had cupcakes on round plates to fill in the rest of the body. Ryn enjoyed opening her gifts and wanted to examine each one. After the gifts were opened everyone went to play putt-putt. Everyone except Ryn, of course, because her mission was to crawl all over the course and see how much she could get into. She had more fun running around and greeting her guests. In fact, most of our pictures turned out to be blurry because she wasn't still for more than a couple of seconds at a time! We have been so blessed to have her as a part of our family! We look forward to many more years to come!! Thank you, God for your many blessings!

Orange Beach 2013

I took Ryn to Orange Beach earlier this Summer and she had a great time! We joined my parents, brother and sister-in-law, and niece for the short vacation. Our trip began with spotting turtles at Wintzell's Oyster House and Ryn running around the condo squealing her little head of with her cousin. We spent most of the next day hanging around the condo, enjoying the view from the balcony and playing in the sand. Unfortunately, Ryn and I were not able to stay much longer, but we made memories that will last for a lifetime. I will look back at this someday with her and tell her stories that will make her eyes sparkle!

Chattanooga

We headed straight out of town on Memorial Day weekend, destination - Chattanooga, TN!! Ryn got to experience her first merry-go-round at the park and come face-to-face with sharks and penguins at the aquarium. She enjoyed sitting in dada's lap while riding the carousel. Maybe next time she will brave a horse - baby steps! The last time she came in contact with sharks and penguins was when she was only eight weeks old. This go round was much smoother! She ran around touching the glass and squealing with delight. I think she enjoyed watching the various types of jellyfish the most. We wait to take you back and enjoy more of Chattanooga. can't

One Last Roll

On Saturday, April 20th, we set out on an adventure, along with almost 100,000 other Auburn fans, to roll the beloved oak trees at Toomer's Corner. Ryn enjoyed walking as much as we would let her and was curious about the throng of fans that were everywhere. We thoroughly enjoyed watching her take it all in. She was so worn out that she fell asleep waiting for dinner - which never happens! The next day we went back to get some pictures closer to the trees because we didn't even come close the day of the celebration. This time, Ryn was taken aback by all the white, snow-like decorations. We were glad to be able to enjoy this milestone with the Auburn Family and eagerly await what is in store for Auburn's future.

Hugs and Kisses

I've been meaning to share that Ryn has learned how to give hugs and she is very good at it. In the past, she loves to get settled in at daycare and would barely wave goodbye. Now, I get two or three hugs before I leave each day. It's the best way to start my day and shows me she is a caring person. She is also learning how to give kisses from time to time. Today, Ryn's friend, Bennett, was leaving daycare at the same time and we let them play outside for a couple of minutes before getting in our cars. Well, Bennett's mom is a friend of mine from work and she had her camera ready to take pictures. She asked Ryn to give Bennett a hug and Ryn did as she was asked and snuck a kiss in there, as well. Little flirt!! Luckily it was all caught on camera and here it is! So, hugs and kisses all around :)

Afternoons

One of the good things about Ryn's daycare situation is that I get to see her every afternoon in the car rider line at school. Ms. Sherrie comes to pick up her son and I can sneak around to the other side of her car and say hey to Ryn. Most of the time Ryn giggles and is glad to see me. However, there have been times lately that she acts like a silly teenager and ignores mommy so I make sure to say hey to all the other kids in the car and she immediately starts paying attention to me! Well, it was raining pretty good the other day and I didn't have my umbrella so I opened the door on the opposite side of the car and she immediately looked at me and pointed to her door and said, "See"!! She was unhappy that I didn't come to her side and see her! Little stinker loves mommy whether she wants to admit it or not :)

Ryn's Second Christmas

Ryn has had such a wonderful time this Christmas. We took her to see Fantasy in Lights at Calloway Gardens and she was amazed by all of the interesting Christmas displays. She also wanted some of my kettle corn. :) The Sunday before Christmas we went to the Haynie gathering and had fun with cousin Lauryn and all of the toys. Then we headed to the McFee Christmas and played with cousins Caro and Emma. Lots of happy memories were made and she was spoiled rotten! Christmas Eve was spent at church for communion and the celebration of Jesus's birth. Christmas morning Ryn woke up right on time and with lots of enthusiasm and curiosity. She was more interested in Santa's footprints and cookies than the gifts he left for her. She loved all of her toys, especially the musical ones. Then we drove to see Grammy and Grampy and receive more gifts! She's not spoiled or anything :) We ended the day with a visit from Nana, PawPaw, Uncle Manley, and Ms Tina. We still have the tree up and hope that its presence will help her to remember everything special about Christmas.

Halloween

We celebrated Halloween this year by visiting the pumpkin carving at the university. She enjoyed looking at the different pumpkins, but she liked the music even more. On Sunday, we went to our church festivities and participated in a couple of the booths. Unfortunately it was too windy and chilly to enjoy many of the activities. Ryn's friend, Bennett, and his mom invited us to dinner and trick or treating in their neighborhood. Both Ryn and Bennett were dressed as tigers and were adorable! Ryn walked around with Bennett's bucket and collected enough candy for both of them. She would knock on doors and stick her had in everyone's candy dish. She is learning early!

More

I have been teaching Ryn a few signs not only to communicate with us, but hopefully for her to learn sign language as she grows older. We had a breakthrough this week when she tapped her cute little fingers together asking for "more" Cheerios. Of course I got very excited and she and I both giggled about it. I kept giving her a couple of cheerios at a time and she continued to ask for "more". She seems happy to be able to communicate something to us and we are excited that she is learning. Keep it up, smart girl!

Cheerios

Ryn's favorite snack food is Cheerios. We use those O's for bribery and keep the peace when out in public :). Lately, she has learned she can feed us Cheerios and gets a kick out of doing so. Yesterday, she and I were sharing a snack of O's when she started feeding them to me and leaning in for kisses between bites. This was hands down the best part of my day. We love her so much! :)

Kisses

Ryn has learned that if she leans in toward our faces she will receive a kiss. She'll do it three or four times in a row and just grin. She is such a precious little girl!

Straws

Ryn is learning how to drink through a straw and she is so cute about it. She will reach for the straw, put her mouth around it, and suck as hard as she can. When the liquid comes to her mouth, she lets go and just stares at the straw then looks at us and grins. Almost like she is saying, "Look what I did!" Then she won't let us have any more, especially if there is a smoothie in the cup!! :)

First Visit to the Lake

Eric and I took Ryn to visit Aunt Carol and Uncle Bryan at their lake house this weekend and she LOVED it! Her favorite part was the ride on the pontoon boat. She would stand next to the sides and hold her hands out past the railing. Then she would stomp her feet with excitement and grin at everyone. Before we knew it, she was at the controls and learning how to blow the horn! She got so worn out that the she fell asleep on the porch between rides. Saturday evening she enjoyed bites of a yummy steak and delicious peach tart made in Uncle Bryan and Aunt Carol's new Dutch oven. Later she discovered a beautiful cedar cup that Uncle Bryan made and didn't want to let it go. Uncle Bryan graciously gifted it to her and she proudly carried it around. She is eagerly awaiting her next visit to the lake. And to see Uncle Bryan and Aunt Carol, of course.

Singing and Praying

Every night I sing you to sleep and say your prayers for you. I thank God for all the people that love and care for you. I sing mostly songs I learned from church and at Camp Sumatanga so that you will find comfort in them when you grow older. Lately, you have been doing your best to "sing" with me and it brings me to tears. Such lovely and touching moments. I love you!

1st Birthday

Happy Birthday, beautiful girl!!! You turned one on July 7th and we had your party at Grammy and Grampy's house in Birmingham. Your Nana; Papa; Uncles Manley, Bryan, Thermon, and Allan; Aunts Carol Mae, Beverly, and Jennifer; Cousins Jennifer, Amy, Lauryn, Caro, and Emma Madison; and Miss Angie were all there to help you celebrate. And, of course Mommy and Daddy! Butterflies were the theme and you had two beautiful cakes decorate with butterflies - one for smashing and one for the guests. We had fruit and sandwiches cut like butterflies and your cousin, Caro, passed out cute little butterfly stickers. Fun was had by all and you received some wonderful gifts!

I Agree!

Last week, Ryn discovered how to nod her head and it looks like she is agreeing with things we say. Does this mean I can start asking her questions like, "Are you a mommy's girl?" or "Is chocolate your favorite food?" :) She is so much fun and I am so blessed to be her mommy!