Bathtime

Bath Toys: $7.49

Shampoo: $2.99

Bubble Bath: $3.50

Being there to watch as your 2 year old discovers that her movement is causing the water to move, which is causing the toys at the other end of the tub to move: Priceless

Cute Story...

"Mom, can I use the backwash?" asked Rylee last night when she was getting ready to brush her teeth.

I think she meant "mouthwash."

That's my RyRy Belle!! :)

Rylee

Looking pretty, 2009



Ready for her first game, 2009



Easter, 2009



Playing in the snow, Jan. 2009



Super model in training, 2008


Crazy hair, 2007



2007



Round little face, 2007



Showing off her pretty dress, 2007



2006


Getting ready for a ride, 2005



Her first birthday, June 2005



Baby girl, 2004



Funny face, 2004



Sleeping peacefully, 2004



All dressed up for her first Halloween, Oct. 2004



Happy girl, 2005






So today my Rylee Belle is 5 years old. Can't believe it! In 2 1/2 short months she will be starting kindergarten (and we all know that she will rule that school!). It seems like just yesterday that she was born (my fastest labor and delivery...Thanks RyRy!). Time sure does fly! Happy 5th Birthday little Miss RyRy Belle!! :)

Jessie

Jess and her friend Morgan...2009

Her 1st birthday!! 1997


"Rock On!" 1998/1999?


Easter 2009


Wearing her "feet" pajamas, 2008


First day of school, fourth grade, Aug. 2005


First day of school, 6th grade, Aug. 2007


Showing off her new haircut, 2006/2007?


Jan. 2006





All dressed up for Halloween, Oct. 2004



Little Miss Soccer Star, 2002/2003



First day of school, third grade, Aug. 2004



Being sweet, 2005



So today my baby girl is 13. I just can't believe it! Where did the time go? You always hear people talk about how quickly the time goes by. You never really fully understand that, though, until you have children. It absolutely amazes me how fast my perfect little baby has turned into a sweet young lady. Wow. Happy birthday baby girl! :)

I can't get this song out of my head....

Taxi, taxi
Riding in the back seat
Roll the window up
Roll the window down
Put the money through the slot
See you later
Thanks a lot
Sure beats walking 'cross town.

The Hazards of Texting

The other night we went for a nice dinner at Del Taco. ;) Jessie obeyed the "no cell phones at the table" rule and kept her phone in her pocket the whole time, which I'm sure is always an incredibly hard thing for her to do. So as soon as we were done and had walked out the doors, she whipped out her phone and started replying to all of her texts. She was concentrating so hard on texting that she didn't notice the man sitting at the outside table, and she ran right into him! The best part though (besides the priceless look on her face!) was when the man looked at us and said "Just wait until she's 16 and driving, and does the same thing. It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when"." My little Jess was sooooo embarrassed!! I would give anything to be able to go back and record the whole incident. At least I burned off some of the french fries I had just eaten by laughing so much. :)

********************************************************************

Yesterday I took Andrew and Jessie to their dentist appointments. Neither of them have any cavities! YAY! Jess has one more baby tooth to lose (and it's already loose) so we are meeting with the orthodontist in July. Andrew has a bunch of baby teeth that are loose, and he's getting some of his molars in...loosing teeth and teething at the same time. :)

As we were leaving, I received a text from my friend who was watching Rylee and Devynn. She said not to rush because her girls were having so much fun playing with my girls. She said she would make them lunch, and to just enjoy spending time with my older kids.

So that's exactly what I did!! We went shopping at Target. Then I took them to In-N-Out for lunch. It was so nice to go shopping and sit and eat with just Jess and Bubba. I can't remember a time in the last five years when I've taken just the two of them somewhere. And they got along with each other the whole entire time! Bonus!! What a great time we had!! :)

:) / :(

Fun:

• Watching the kids bounce and giggle on the new giant trampoline out back.
• Devynn finally going poo poo in the potty.
• Hearing Andrew's teacher rave about how smart he is and how he is such an exemplary student.
• Watching Rylee and Devynn get excited in the mornings when we watch "Baby Caleb".
• Watching Baby Caleb all day and not getting spit-up on.
  
• Hearing Devynn name all of her baby dolls either "Lisa" or "Caleb", depending on the day and her current mood.
• Watching Rylee practice writing her letters, and seeing how much she wants to learn.
• Having friends and family over for Fight Nights.
  
• Having Jessie hang out with us all weekend without having an attitude or hiding away in her room all day.
• Finding patience I never knew I had.
• Watching Jessie cook all by herself, and seeing her enjoy it.
• Seeing the squirrels run along the back wall all day.
• "Loco Legs" by the JumpArounds on Nickelodeon.
  

Not So Much Fun:

• New neighbors with yappy, barking, whiny dogs.
  
• Devynn's huge meltdowns and mood swings.
  
• Whiny kids who don't like to take baths/showers.
• Having to watch what I eat and bust my butt working out because I'm not so young anymore.
• Slow computers.
• Pulling all the weeds in the backyard.
  
• Cordless phones that always seem to be lost or have low batteries.
• Having a face that breaks out more now than it ever did as a teenager.
• TV networks that cancel all the good shows.
• Pulling 4 teeny, tiny dead baby mice from the pool. ("At least they died together" said Jess.)