Leslie's Life

Halloween 2010

2010-11-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to play catch up!! Rylan is currently obsessed with baseball so what better costume for him than to go as a baseball player. We had received from a family friend an authentic Derek Jeter jersey this summer so I decided to build his costume around that. Even though we're not Yankee fans, it was still a cute jersey. Little did I know that the beloved Rangers would end up playing the Yankees in the playoffs. I was worried for a little while that no one would give him candy because he was a Yankee. Luckily, the Rangers won so there wasn't too many comments Halloween night. We had a couple people say something about the Yankees and one family that were huge Yankee fans gave Rylan a ton of Baby Ruth's:) We went trick or treating with our friends Shane, Jess and Addie. The kids had a blast, the weather was perfect and you couldn't have asked for a better Halloween.

I'm baaak!!

2010-11-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much because we have had a very stressful few months. Anyone that's reading this probably knows that we found out I was pregnant the first of August. At my first OB appointment the doctor told us we were having twins!! Needless to say, we were a bit SHOCKED!! We went back two weeks later and found out that we had lost one of the twins. The doctor told us that this was very common and is what is known as a vanishing twin. We were sad about the loss but also somewhat relieved. So my doctor scheduled us to go to Texas Tech sonogram center for a better sonogram in two weeks. When we went for this sonogram the doctor suspected something that is called TRAP twins. TRAP twins is a condition where the surviving twin is pumping blood into the twin that has died. Causing the demised twin or TRAP twin to continue to grow and put stress on the surviving twin's heart. This is a VERY rare condition that happens in 1 in every 35,000 identical twins. However, it was still too early in the pregnancy to see if the blood flow was there. So you guessed it, we had to wait another two weeks and come back for another sonogram. During this two weeks, I googled everything I could on TRAP twin (probably not the smartest thing to do but I wanted to be informed). There is a lot of freaky stuff out there!! Finally, after what I thought was the longest two weeks we went back to Tech for another sono. It was then that they did confirm that yes it was TRAP twins. Needless to say we were devastated and scared. Luckily, (thank God for modern medicine) there is a procedure that can be done where a needle is stuck into my stomach and through radio frequency ablation they can cut off the blood flow. And also what was lucky there is a doctor in Dallas that can do the procedure. Plans were put into the making but the doctor wanted me to be close to 17 weeks. So once again we had a very long and stressful 2 1/2 week wait to go to Dallas. But during this time, something changed in me and I felt very calm and at peace with everything that was going on. Normally, I'm a huge worrier and freak out but at this time I just knew that everything was going to be ok. The plans were set and the time came for us to go to Dallas. We went to Plano and met with fetal specialist Dr. Karitski. He is AWESOME! I was so worried that the doctor would be a jerk or not care about us but this couldn't had been further from the truth. Once we arrived they started a sonogram with a tech and she informed us that we are having a GIRL!! We were excited but so focused on the reason we were there I don't think it really sunk in. The doctor came in a little later and really started looking at the TRAP twin. And even to my untrained eye, I could tell there wasn't much blood flow and that it looked like it did 3 weeks ago at Tech. He was very thorough and explained that there was minimal blood flow and it would do more harm to do the procedure so he wanted us to let things run there course naturally. He did have us go to a fetal cardiologist to make sure her heart wasn't stressed any. And thankfully, that report came back great too. So the doctor suggested we go shopping and enjoy Dallas because there was no need for us to have the procedure. We couldn't believe what we were hearing, this never crossed our minds!! The Sunday before we left the whole congregation at our church prayed for us and I really feel that we had so many praying for us and that is why we had the outcome that we did. So now we go for weekly ultrasounds, we've already had one and the baby is doing great!! And the doctors don't see any reason for us not to have a regular pregnancy the rest of the time. I finally feel like I can be excited about this pregnancy and that this little girl is truly a miracle!! We are thinking about names and I'm pretty sure that we are going to use Fayth as her middle name (spelled that way after my Grandma Fay whom I think has been watching over her). But also because, man we have had nothing but FAITH to keep us going the last few months! So anyways that's why I haven't been blogging but this pretty much updates you on what's been going on! And just encase you forgot what Rylan looks like here are some recent pictures of our favorite little guy!!

Yee-Haw

2010-09-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Rylan has discovered that he likes to dress himself. So when he doesn't have school or has to be seen in public, we let him have at it. Most of the time pants are optional and cowboy boots are a must!! We are officially (hopefully I don't jinx it) potty trained. We are on day 5 with NO accidents!! Woohoo!!

Hey Good Lookin, What 'cha got Cookin?

2010-08-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my blogging hiatus. We've been so busy that I haven't had much of a chance to blog. This past weekend, I made meatloaf and had my own personal sous-chef. He followed directions really well and wasn't nearly as messy as his Daddy in the kitchen. He did ask to try a piece of onion and after a little nibble said it was "nasty". Rylan is getting so big, it's crazy how fast time flies:)

Silly Face

2010-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Rylan loves to have his picture taken. I guess, if a camera has been in your face your entire life you just get used to it. Cory's been going out of town a lot here lately so there's been a lot of mother/son bonding. We were bored the other night so I got out the camera and Rylan started making silly faces. His favorite thing is to look at the picture after I take it (where would we be without digital cameras?).

Swimming

2010-07-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Rylan has never been a big fan of water. He loves taking a bath, but never really liked his kiddie pool or sprinkler. I thought it might be due to the cold water because I'd be the same way. But even last year when we took him to the big pool, he really didn't care for it. So this summer I searched all around for the best float and was determined for Rylan to like the pool. We finally had time to go swimming and it started out a disaster. We just went right in and Rylan freaked out. So then we sat him on the steps and let him gradually get used to it. I was finally able to let go of him for a little bit and he'd float for a second. Then by the end of the day he wasn't entirely comfortable, but he'd float on his own. I hope we go some more before summer is over because I don't want him scared of the water.

Poop, poop and more poop

2010-07-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post has a lot of mention of bodily functions and is not for the faint of heart:) Well, this past week we decided to dive right into potty training. Before this we had dabbled in it, but never was consistent. On a side note, I knew my life would change when I became a mother, but I never imagined just how much. Right now, most of the conversations that I have are talking about pee and poop. I even discuss this with my co-workers, which I'm sure they are thrilled about, but when that's your life right then what are going to do. SO I would say that we have been some what successful. We started the process by getting rid of ALL the diapers and gave them to a friend that still uses them. Rylan helped with this and we even wrote a short little note explaining that he doesn't need diapers anymore because he's a big boy. Then, Rylan got to wear big boy underwear, which he thought was pretty cool. Next, we put a pair of underwear on a stuffed animal so that we could practice with him. Then I started to sound like a broken record asking Rylan every 5 minutes if he was dry or needed to potty. Rylan enjoyed the praise and jelly bean he got every time he used the potty. He seemed to catch on rather quickly and only had 3 accidents the first day. Now, Rylan seems to have the pee part down (although he has to be reminded to go potty) but pooping is a whole other story. During this whole time he has only pooped in the potty one time and let me tell you we made a huge production! Phone calls where made, prizes given and I'd really thought we'd made a break through until a couple hours later he pooped his pants! Ugh, any suggestions on how to get a toddler to poop on the potty? My goals this summer were to get Rylan sleeping in a big boy bed (check), potty trained(somewhat of a check) and get rid of the suck...hey two out of three isn't bad!

The Dentist

2010-07-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind in posting this, but we took Rylan to his first dentist visit back in June. I was very nervous about how Rylan would react. We took him to a pediatric dentist so Rylan loved the waiting room and all the toys and neat decorations. Then they called us back...and he wouldn't cooperate. No surprise really, when we first got there the hygienist asked if we'd want to do a fluoride treatment? What are you kidding? But after trying to look at Rylan's teeth she decided it would be best to wait...you think! He did let the dentist quickly look in his mouth, but that was as far as it was going. When it was over Rylan got to pick out a toy from the toy bin. Now there was all sorts of little toys (balls, stuff animals, etc..), but what does my child pick...the blow up spider man that's the same size as he is. So we are now the proud owners of a HUGE spider man! SO basically we paid $90 for the dentist to look at his teeth for 5 seconds and a cheap fair toy....oy vey!

July 4th

2010-07-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th, even if the weather was a little yucky. We took Rylan to the parade in Canyon (which was his first) and he had the best time. Then we went to some friends' house and had yummy hamburgers. Then we all went to watch the city fireworks show and waited and waited and waited. Finally, around 10:30 it didn't look like it was going to happen so we loaded up and left. Of course, we got about two blocks away and the show started. So we pulled into a parking lot and watched from there. Rylan loved it, but was pretty tired so we headed home after watching for a little bit. Rylan was in bed at 11 which is the latest he has ever stayed up. All in all it was great weekend!!

Toy Story 3

2010-06-28T11:12:00.001-07:00

I love the Toy Story movies, so when I saw the previews for the third installment I had to see it. I knew there wasn't much of a chance of talking Cory into taking me so I got the crazy idea to take Rylan. I conned my Mom, DeDe and Lacy into going with us because surely 4 grown women could handle one two year old. Well, Rylan did OK. That's about the best way to describe it. He made it through 3/4 of the movie. Which really is pretty good and if the previews hadn't been so long he might had made it through the whole movie. Sadly, he told me that he wanted to go and there's was no convincing him otherwise. So Rylan and I left and let the others enjoy the rest of the movie. I guess I'll have to wait till it comes out on DVD to see how it ends! The only documentation we have is the picture that DeDe took with her phone...I think it accurately depicts Rylan's first movie going experience:) I think I was trying to over compensate for Rylan's lack of enthusiasm....hence the crazy lady!!

Happy Father's Day!!

2010-06-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Gidde Up

2010-06-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

I guess I can say that my child is a true Texan! He has started saying Yee-Haw and speaks with a very thick country accent. However, when he says Yee-Haw there is more emphasis on the Haw than the Yee:) He loves to wear his camo hat and ride his stick horse...its hard to deny your heritage!

Redneck Water Park

2010-06-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

We broke out the water fun yesterday!! Last year, Rylan didn't like the water that much but with a little coaxing I think he's going to love it this year!! Pa and Nan came over and the fun ensued! Rylan loved going down his "water" slide and splashing on his water mat. We even bought a slip n slide! But I think Rylan got more enjoyment watching my Mom and I go down it than actually playing on it. (there are NO pictures of the slip n slide, though my Dad did remark that it reminded him of a show on National Geographic..can you say RUDE) :P After this we decided the smaller slide is the way to go!

Moving on up

2010-06-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

Cory and I decided that over the long weekend would be a good time to turn Rylan's crib into a toddler bed. And that way if it was a total disaster, we'd have 3 days to recuperate:) Surprisingly and thankfully it's been a non-event. At first, I thought Rylan didn't realize he could actually get out of bed but the third night he got out of bed ( I was thinking oh crap now we're in for it). But after a little crying, he got back into bed and stayed!! We do put a gate up because I worry that he might roam the house at night and we wouldn't know about it. We are going on day 5 and so far so good. Yesterday, when I got home Rylan helped me check the mail and I let him carry the magazine that had came. After sorting through the mail I noticed that it was awfully quite (which is never a good sign). But this is what I found....I think he is enjoying his big boy bed!

Cubs game part deux

2010-05-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, April and May have been extremely busy months for us. I think it's finally going to slow down for us and I'm kind of ready. It seems like it's been go go go non stop so, I'm ready for a break. But we've had a lot of fun. This past weekend, we went to another cubs game but, this time it was in Dallas. Last year, we went to Denver and Rylan did good but he didn't sleep or travel that great. But this time he did awesome!! We went shopping twice and he was a trooper. I'm not sure who loved Bass Pro Shops more, Cory or Rylan?? And he did great at the game but, he didn't really want to go to anyone else so he pretty much sat in my lap the whole game. And he was in an extra lovey mood (which normally I love) but in 95 degree weather it can get a little hot. So needless to say Mama was a little stinky by the time the game was over!

Folding Laundry

2010-05-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was doing a load of kitchen towels (which I do often). I LOVE that Cory does a lot of the cooking, but he uses every.dish.towel when he cooks. Don't get me wrong, I think its a pretty good trade off, but man you can use a rag/towel more than once! Anyways, I pulled the load out of the dryer and put them on the floor. Then, I went to get another load and when I returned Rylan was "folding" the towels on the floor. It was so cute!! It's amazing how he mimics everything he sees. He can see you do something one time and he'll try to copy you. He's such a little sponge or maybe I should say dish towel! :)

Nashville

2010-05-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

Cory and I went to Nashville this past weekend...when the flood of the century hit. That's just the way our luck goes. But we now have a crazy story to tell and we were lucky and it just ruined the end of our vacation. There are so many people that lost everything!! And we did get two days of fun before we had to be evacuated from our beautiful hotel.

The Birthday Party

2010-04-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

Rylan celebrated his 2nd birthday over the weekend. He had such a good time and we couldn't have asked for a better day. Family, friends and great food...what more do you need?

Happy Birthday Rylan!!

2010-04-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe my baby is two years old. Lets see, at two Rylan is active, active, active! He's talking up a storm and most of the time its understandable. He is obsessed with GOLF. In fact, any type of sport will do. He's had an issue with biting at school so that's been fun to deal with. He doesn't get the idea of sharing so he feels the need to retaliate...we're working on this! He amazes us daily with something new that he's learned! He's the sweetest, funniest, smartest little boy (of course, I'm a little biased). He is our world!!

Dancing with the Stars or just Rylan

2010-04-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

I have never really watched Dancing with the Stars but for some reason (because nothing else is on) I'm watching this season. Really, it's just on in the background while we chase after Rylan, but I catch parts here and there. However, if Rylan notices that it's on he wants to dance. Now understand, his idea of dancing is us holding him while we dance. Also understand, that this child is weighing about 30 lbs and after a couple dances that gets real heavy. But the way I look it at, we're getting some cardio in:) And maybe I'm biased, but we are waaaay better than Kate Gosselin (sadly, that's not saying much)!

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter full of family, friends and great food! Rylan really got into coloring the eggs this year. He also got the concept of hunting the eggs. I think we all had a great time!!

Take me out to the ballgame

2010-03-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Rylan has a fascination with anything sports related. Golf, basketball, football and even NASCAR (if that counts as a sport). I'm not sure if he's picked up on this because we watch so much of it or if it's in his blood. I know Cory's Dad was an excellent football player, of course, Cory's awesome at golf and my Dad and Charlie dabbled in football. So hopefully he inherited some of their athletic ability and not mine:) Whatever it is, he does seem to have some natural skills and LOVES to play. He makes pretty good contact with a golf ball and he's recently started playing baseball. Although, he sometimes gets confused and tries to hit his baseball like a golf ball but we're working on that!

Rocket Man

2010-03-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Cory will probably die, but Rylan has a liking for these ridiculously big sunglasses. He won't wear the adorable toddler ones I found at Old Navy. But show him these bright orange ones and he's all about them. This is the part that will probably kill Cory...he has an uncanny resemblance to Elton John!All Rylan needs is a feathered boa....but I don't think Cory will buy Rylan one anytime soon:)

Just a swingin!

2010-03-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we went to Borger and stayed the night. You would think that Rylan and I would have plenty of room in a king size bed. Oh but think again my friend!! That child is a wild man. On more than one occasion, I got a foot to the face or some type of extremity would hit me! But Rylan slept well and I guess that's all that matters. We went to a birthday party on Saturday and Rylan had a blast. The birthday boy has a swing set and Rylan absolutely loved it. I guess that will be our next investment. Good luck to Cory on putting that together!

Baptisms

2010-03-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

We had such a great weekend! We have been going to St. Stephen Methodist Church for a while and have really enjoyed it. It also helps that Rylan goes to MDO there and Mom works in the nursery on Sundays. But the preacher is awesome and it feels like home. And that is something that Cory and I have been looking for and want Rylan to be raised in. This past weekend Rylan, my Dad and I were all baptized. It was such an awesome moment, three generations baptized. I was worried that Rylan wouldn't do very good but he sat there so still and when the water was poured on his head he didn't move. He did however, poop his pants so after the baptisms the congregation greeted us and Rylan literally stunk to high heaven:) But none of that mattered because it was such a great day!

Jump N Jungle should now be Jump N Jiggle

2010-03-04T07:26:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to Lubbock to Rylan's cousin's birthday party. It was Madeline's 5th birthday (where has the time gone?) and it was at the Jump N Jungle. Needless to say, Rylan had a blast!! However, there was one tiny problem, Rylan wasn't big enough to maneuver the various bouncy things (I'm sure that's the technical term). So Mom had to step up to the plate! Not only did I have to carry the equivalent of a 30 lb brick but I also had to hoist my big rear end up these contraptions. It probably wasn't pretty but the other kids didn't seem to mind and I know for a fact Rylan didn't. I lost count of the number of times we went up and down the slide but a Mom's gotta do what a Mom's gotta do:) I earned my birthday cake that day, which was delicious! And Rylan was done with the picture taking And this is what I felt like the next day!

An Ode to Daisy

2010-02-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Our dog Daisy is such a good sport. She gets her tail pulled, naps disturbed and isn't the center of attention anymore (just to name a few). But she doesn't seem to mind. She might growl a little at Rylan if he's pulling her tail but she has NEVER snapped at him or try to bite him. I made the mistake of showing Rylan how Daisy can shake hands. So now Rylan follows poor Daisy around constantly saying "Shake Dais" and then grabbing her paw. So I salute you Daisy...your the best dog a little boy could ask for!!

Like Frather, Like Son

2010-02-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

For Father's Day last year, I got Cory a subscription to Sports Illustrated (Cory loves it). Anyways, after Cory is done reading (sometimes before if it's left lying around) Rylan will get a hold of it. He LOVES to look through it and point out all the balls and look at the pictures. It is the funniest thing, he is taking after his Daddy that's for sure. Luckily, Rylan isn't impressed with recent swimsuit issue that we received. However, I cannot say the same for Cory ;)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2010-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

This past week Rylan finally got to play in the snow. And boy did we have a lot of it!! So we bundled him up to the point where he could barely move and let him play in the snow. Then the next day (which was a beautiful day) our friends came over and the kids played (and the adults might have played a little too). We had such a good time and even Nana and Paw got in on the action. Rylan really enjoyed it but I'm now ready for spring, we have had enough of this cold. What happened to global warming?

What...is there something on my face??

2010-01-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

I received a photo album for Christmas and have been working on compiling ALL of the pictures that have been taken of Rylan since birth. Well, let's just say that it has taken me FOREVER. I went through and labeled every-single-picture with the date and Rylan's age (which this blog assisted me a lot). But as I was looking through the pictures I realized that there are a lot of Rylan eating. Don't ask me why...but I do realize, in not so many words, that Rylan is a pig when he eats. This was him this weekend after eating some pasta...not a pretty picture!!

All I have to say is thank goodness for stain stick!!!!

Hook 'em Horns

2010-01-08T12:56:00.001-08:00

So I understand that Texas lost (why did McCoy have to get hurt) but I do believe that Texas does have the cutest fans!! Here's my proof....

Ok, I'm not sure how to rotate the sideways pics...sorry :P

Baptized into Motherhood

2010-01-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

I'm sure every mother has their vomit story. I had been so lucky in that Rylan had never really thrown up. Noticed I said had...yesterday I got the call saying Rylan had thrown up at MDO. So I leave work, stop on the way and get some pedialyte and sprite, and go get my sick baby. He looked so sad and just wanted his Momma (I hate that he was sick but LOVE that he wanted just me...hey call me selfish I can't help it). On the way home Rylan threw up all over the back seat...not pleasant, I'm not sure my car will ever be the same. When we get home I have to maneuver a sick and stinky child out of the car while trying not to get covered in vomit myself. Little did I know that would be irrelevant in about a hour. I change him (2nd set of clothes) and I change out of my work clothes. We get all comfy in the recliner and are snuggling when it happens again and this time its all over me and him...ugh! We both change clothes (3rd set) and I figured out that a bowl sitting beside us is a good thing to have. Rylan felt crummy most of the day but by the evening he was feeling tons better.

Christmas '09

2009-12-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Here's our Christmas in reverse order...sorry couldn't get the pictures to change:) We had a wonderful Christmas with our whole family. Cory's Mom, my parents and brother all stayed at our house Christmas Eve (yes my parents only live 5 minutes away but they wanted to be there in the morning). My Dad said it was the best Christmas he'd had in a long time and I think we all felt that way!!

Surprise

2009-12-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

We had a surprise party for my Mom over the weekend for her 60th birthday. We all had such a great time and she was completely surprised. Here are a few pictures from the night...

Hi-ho Hi-ho a hunting we will go!

2009-12-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later...Cory shot his dream deer. So now I get to look forward to having a deer head on my living room wall. I just don't get hunting...who in their right mind would want to intentionally get up at the crack of dawn in the freezing cold and sit for hours and look for a deer or some sort of animal to shoot. Even though I don't get it, Cory sure does seem to enjoy it and can't wait for the day when Rylan can go with him and I guess that's all that matters.

Monkey see, Monkey Do

2009-11-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

I think Rylan has taken being a monkey for Halloween to a whole new level. He is climbing onto everything, but we are usually right there to prevent it. Well, yesterday I was getting ready for our weekly trek to Wal-Mart. Cory was hunting so it would be just Rylan and I. I put on Mickey Mouse and went to put on my makeup. It soon was too quiet so I knew something was up. I looked in the living room and he was no longer where I'd left him. I scanned the room but wasn't looking up. I soon heard a little voice say "Hi" and there was Rylan chilling out on top of the kitchen table going through my purse!!! Somehow he'd shimmied up the chair (our table is a pub table) and crawled all the way across to dig through my purse...ugh I think he's turning into Evel Kenievel. Luckily, he'd dug the camera out of my purse already so I could document the heart attack he gave me:)

I've got nothing!

2009-11-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

I try to post something every week, but this week I got nothin'! Rylan amazes me everyday by doing something new. His latest is "Shoo Fly" any type of insect that he sees (in a book or real) gets swatted at and he says shoo fly. So funny! He is getting so big! He is also obsessed with belly buttons (his, ours, complete strangers, it doesn't matter). This is fine till were at Wal-Mart and he wants to see my bellybutton...oh well!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Halloween; here is a small recap. (Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the actual trick or treating.) We took Rylan to a church carnival first. He enjoyed seeing all the kids dressed up and walking around, but was to small to play the games. We soon went home with our friends that had brought their kiddos over (I actually think it was more for the guys to drink beer and watch UT play), but they said it was so the kids could trick or treat together. When it finally was dark we pillaged the neighborhood of candy. It didn't take Rylan long to get the hang of trick or treating. His only problem was that he either wanted to go inside the people's house or give them candy instead. We only walked about two blocks but our buckets runeth over so we decided to head home. Rylan had such a great time running and playing. It was almost 11 (gasp) before that child went to bed and no he didn't even have any candy. You'd think after all the days activities and staying up so late that Rylan would conk out. But no Momma had to pay for all that fun with a little boy that decided to cry out every two hours. Ughh...but I was rewarded with a three hour nap the next day.

Children of the Corn

2009-10-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend we meet up with some great friends that we haven't seen in a long time and all headed to the pumpkin patch. Rylan had such a great time and used up so much energy!!
Who knew a tub of corn could be so much fun. We had to pry Rylan away...hmm so I'm guessing for Christmas we can just get him a tub of corn and we'll be set (that's a lot cheaper than a playhouse).

Born to be Wild

2009-10-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

I found the cutest winter hat for Rylan. Nothing's cuter than a skull and cross bones hat on an 18 month old :) Can you believe he's 18 months old. Oh, where has the time gone?? So here he is looking like a biker dude with Daddy. Notice how excited Daisy is in the back ground. Yep, that's about as excited as she gets!

Uh-Oh

2009-10-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

I may be the only one that found this hilarious and may also get CPS called on me. The other night I was getting Rylan ready for his bath, but before I went to turn on the water I had to go grab something. I hear Rylan say Uh-Oh, which is one of his favorite words right now. My first thought was what's in the toilet. But to my surprise this is what I found....He was trying to get a toy out of the bathtub but he couldn't reach the bottom of the tub and then he couldn't reach the floor. So in essence he was stuck. Being the wonderful Mother that I am I first run to get my camera to snap a picture and then help him get "unstuck". Don't worry no children were harmed in the taking of this picture :)

2009-10-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

The other night, I was getting things ready for Rylan's school the next day when I left the kitchen for 2 seconds to get some diapers....when I walked back in this is what I found.....

My question is...do all kids do this or is my child just weird??? He loves putting food, plates, bowls whatever on his head....I just don't get it!

Rylan's First Big Ouch!

2009-09-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is Rylan's face...

This is Rylan's face when it meets a rocking chair...

Any questions??
Monday I got the call that I knew was going to happen (and will probably happen many more times). It was the director of Mother's Day Out and Rylan had fallen, was bleeding a lot and might need stitches. He had been trying to climb up into a rocking chair and the cushion slid out and he face planted. He tore his bottom lip up and has two pretty big gashes on his gums above his top front teeth. My Mom and I took him to urgent care and Cory met us there. Yes, Rylan rolls with a big entourage where ever he goes. Luckily, the doctor looked everything over and Rylan didn't need any stitches and his teeth were fine. Of course, it just so happens that Rylan is getting his picture made the next two weekends, go figure!

Daddy's Shoes

2009-09-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here lately, Rylan has had a fascination with our shoes. He loves putting them on and then trying to walk around the house. And this is the latest pose that he strikes when he's dancing. He is such a funny little boy and cracks us up on a regular basis.

Intervention

2009-09-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! Cory and I had to confront Rylan and had an intervention between Rylan and his pacifier. We did this Tuesday night and for the most part Rylan did really well. We are still giving him his paci to sleep with (baby steps, I'm not even ready to cross that bridge). And he did great at school yesterday and for most of the evening. Then around 7:30 the !@#% hit the fan. On a side note, Cory conveniently had guys night last night so I was a man down. Rylan screamed and threw a fit like I'd never seen. I did not falter and held my ground (and cussed Cory) but it was the worse 45 minutes. He was almost to the point of throwing up and even screamed during his bath, which he normally loves. I'm just hoping that it was his breaking point and today will be a better day. Man, who knew a pacifier could have that much power. The following pictures were taken before the disastrous meltdown. I've realized that's it's all about distraction, as long as he's busy he doesn't think about the paci. What better distraction than a slide in the living room....

One Lucky Boy...and maybe a tiny bit spoiled!

2009-09-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Rylan is so blessed to have two awesome Grandmas. And Cory and I are blessed because they are our Moms:) They are willing to do anything for him (and us) and I hope they know how much we appreciate it. So THANKS to the two greatest Grandmas a boy could ask for!!

Do you need a cleaning service??

2009-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

I read recently that it costs an estimated $220,000 to raise a child born in 2008. So I decided Rylan needs to start carrying his weight. If anyone is looking for a cleaning service I have your man....

He sweeps....
He mops...
And he can stand on his head...how many cleaning people do you know that can do that:)

Shared Bath

2009-08-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Is it me or do I have a lot of bath tub posts?? Oh well, they are just too cute not to share. Over the weekend our good friends came over with their 9 month old little girl. Oh how she just melts my heart and she and Rylan are destined to be married some day! Rylan wasn't so sure about sharing his tub but in the end a good time was had by all. And us Mommies were able to take some sweet pictures. Who knows maybe someday we can show these pictures at their wedding. But first we have to explain to Rylan that we don't hit or knock over our bride to be but we are taking baby steps (literally) with these issues:)

Let's go Cubbies!!

2009-08-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Rylan went to his first MLB game over the weekend. We went to Denver and watched the Cubs and Rockies play. I was very nervous about how Rylan would act at the game. The game would last past his bed time and to top it all off he's cutting two teeth (perfect timing). But much to my surprise he did great. He loved dancing to the music and watching for the ball. And it also didn't hurt that the Rockies mascot had a striking resemblance to Barney. I would have to say that Rylan did pretty good on his first vacation.

The First Cut!

2009-08-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Rylan finally had his first hair cut. He doesn't have a whole lot of hair but the top was getting long. I was worried he wouldn't sit still but he did great. Of course, it didn't take long and we don't have much to put in his baby book. But we all survived and his hair looks so cute. Although, Cory thinks that he looks like Jim Carey from Dumb and Dumber when its combed down.

I don't think so!!!

My name is Leslie and I am a mother of an addict!

2009-07-29T14:34:00.001-07:00

What can I say but my child is addicted to the paci. I've heard that addiction is inherited and I may have had a slight paci addiction myself until I was 3. At the age of 3 we moved and my parents conveniently lost my pacifier (if not for this I might still have one today). So unknowingly I passed this gene onto Rylan. At the moment, I'm not too concerned because I figure he will not go off to college with a pacifier in his mouth. But if by the age of 3 he still has one I guess Cory and I are going to have to move:)

Bathtime with Rylan

2009-07-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

Rylan enjoys his bubble bath (hmmm...wonder where he gets that). This is the time of day when Cory takes over and I get everything ready for bedtime. Cory and Rylan sing songs, splash (its been known for Cory to end up wetter than Rylan) and have some good bonding time. I think both love this time of day!

I'm not sure why Cory looks drunk in this picture but he wasn't:)

Our feeble attempt at Wonderland

2009-07-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

We tried to take Rylan to Wonderland this weekend. Once again I just knew Rylan was going to love it. Well, I was wrong...it didn't help that we went during his nap time and it was hot, not as hot as it has been but still pretty warm. I'm sure next year will be a different story but he wasn't digging it this year. So here are the few pictures I got at Wonderland, the car ride home from Wonderland and picture I thought was funny from the weekend.

WHOA NELLY!!!

2009-07-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Rylan had his pictures made Saturday (Carol McKinney is awesome). I wanted pictures of Rylan playing and running around. Well, Carol got pictures of Rylan going down a big boy slide...let's just say they are priceless....
Despite what the pictures may show, Rylan loved it and wanted to do it again!

What you do when it's 106!!

2009-07-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

Bottomless Pit

2009-07-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky that Rylan is not a picky eater. I hear stories of Moms struggling to get their child to eat anything. But sometimes I wonder if Rylan is a bottomless pit. Especially when it comes to pasta, that boy can put it away. Some nights it seems like he eats as much or even more than Cory and I.

Momma's Helper Strikes Again!

2009-06-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

Rylan loves to help so much but somehow I end up with more work every time! Here he is helping me clean out the pantry....and the result of me turning my back for 2.3 seconds:)

Rylan's Homage to Michael Jackson

2009-06-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Rylan loves to get his groove on....

Family Fun

2009-06-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went to Lubbock to visit my Aunt and Uncle and my Cousins' family. We had such a great time and Rylan loves his cousin Maddie. She is such a cutie and so sweet with him. I get all warm and fuzzy when I see the two of them play, I hope they are as close as I am with my cousins. And by the looks of things they will be:)

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-06-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

I had the yucky task of cleaning out the fridge over the weekend...you know when there is a mysterious odor that's it time for a cleaning. But this time I had a little helper that was more than eager to help with the process. Unfortunately, when Rylan helps I end up having more work but that's ok...I just hope when he's 15 he'll still like to help Mom clean house...I can wish can't I:)

Sleeping Beauty

2009-06-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

My legacy lives on...back when I was little I was known for being a wild sleeper...well this is what I found last night after I had laid Rylan down...yes that is his foot in between the slats!

Playing with Daddy

2009-06-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

I think the highlight of Rylan's day and Cory's too is their wrestling time. Rylan loves to be rolled around and thrown in the air and all other variations of roughness. However, I still see Rylan as my delicate baby that you need to be so careful with. So I guess its a good thing that Cory plays "rough" with Rylan even though it sometimes makes my heart skip a beat. An example of this would be this weekend when Cory let Rylan slide down the slide by himself. Now this is a little slide but all the times before I'd been at the bottom to catch him. So when Cory tells me to come watch Rylan I did not expect to see him going 90 mph down the slide with no one to catch him. The best description of Rylan's landing is a rock skipping across water, except the rock is Rylan's butt and its skipping across the grass. After my heart starts beating again I realize that Rylan is in hog heaven and wants to keep going down the slide. So I guess my delicate little baby is turning into a wild and crazy little boy. (Sadly, the video camera was not charged but I will get video of this soon)

The next Michael Phelps??

2009-06-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

We blew up Rylan's baby pool this weekend and he LOVES the water. He loves taking baths but I wasn't sure how'd he be in a pool but besides the water being a tiny bit cool he loved it. I think his favorite thing to do is drink the water, he does this in the bathtub too. I'm not sure why the water tastes so much better but he sure enjoys it!

Rylan's Future Wife

2009-06-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

We babysat Rylan's future wife over the weekend. Addie and Rylan played really well together but Rylan wasn't so sure about someone taking the spotlight away from him. And even though it was only for a few hours, we got a taste of what it would be like to have two kids....and now we're reconsidering that....no not really but the thought did cross my mind:)

My future's so bright I gotta wear shades!!

2009-05-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

First, I apologize for the bad 80's music reference but hey I'm 30 now so I can't help it. We had a great Memorial weekend full of all the things that your supposed to do...cookouts, swimming, etc. Sadly, I forgot my camera for most of this...bad blogger. But luckily our friends were there with their cameras. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Yes, thats Cory holding three babies. Cory always wanted three kids, I think he may reconsider that now:)

Nothing like the wind blowing through your hair

2009-05-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

We took Rylan to the park the other day and he loved it. He is going to be an outdoorsy kid, which I guess means that I better start liking it too..if only there was airconditioning outside.

A naked boy and his dog

2009-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Daisy and Rylan have a mostly love hate relationship. Rylan LOVES Daisy and well Daisy tolerates Rylan. But every now and then Daisy will get one of her spurts of energy and will chase Rylan and Rylan laughs hysterically. Well a couple nights ago this occurred and just so happened when I was getting Rylan ready for his bath.

Silly Boy!

2009-05-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yes that is apple on his head! Whenever Rylan eats he loves to stick his hands in his hair. I'm not sure why but I guess he likes to have his own form of hair gel:)

Papa-dude

2009-05-14T06:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of my Dad and his "little buddy" in their AC/DC shirts. I found Rylan's shirt at Target and knew that I had to get it. If any of ya'll remember at our wedding my Dad did a little dance to AC/DC and they are his favorite band. It's so fun to watch my Dad with Rylan!

Mean Face

2009-05-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last night when I was feeding Rylan, I would tell him to make his mean face. Well this is what I got...He cracks me up!!

Out like a light!

2009-05-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

Going.... Going....

Gone....

What a great weekend!!

2009-05-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend was my birthday and Mother's Day. And I had such a wonderful weekend full of pedicures, family and cake. What more could a girl ask for? Are you still considered a girl when your 30?? I like to think so! And I also got to celebrate my 2nd Mother's Day. I guess that maybe one of the reasons turning 30 didn't freak me out...I'm married to great guy and have the sweetest little boy ever (of course I may be a little partial)! I haven't posted any pictures of Rylan lately so here's one from the weekend (I know that's why anyone looks at my blog) so here ya go...

Back from Vegas

2009-05-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Cory and I are back from Vegas and we had a wonderful time. I didn't realize how badly I needed a little break and it was just what I needed. And of course, Rylan was fine without us. In fact, I'm not sure he even realized that we were gone. We had so much fun shopping and eating and even did a little gambling. But I think Cory would had preferred doing more gambling than what he did.

Vegas Baby

2009-04-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

Cory and I are off to Vegas tomorrow to celebrate (gasp) my 30 birthday and our 5 year anniversary. I'm somewhat nervous because this will be the first time I've ever been away from Rylan. My mom is keeping him so I know he's in great hands but I'm still nervous. But I'm sure a little gambling and shopping will help my nerves:) See ya next week!!

Did Tiger Woods start this way?

2009-04-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

Rylan's Grandma, Kristi, got him a set of plastic golf clubs for his birthday. And to say the least he LOVES them. He's laughed at toys before but for some reason when the club hit the ball he thought it was the most hysterical thing. Who knew golfing could be so funny:)

Rylan's 1st Birthday

2009-04-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

We had Rylan's birthday party this weekend and it was a great time. We had family and friends over to our house and Rylan had a blast. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends. Rylan LOVED being the center of attention and just ate it up. He also enjoyed eating his own cake. He started out clean and it didn't get too messy until he rubbed his eye. Cory said he looked like an Indian with war paint on his face.

Alfalfa

2009-04-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

Need I say more....

Not a good start to the week

2009-04-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

You know your going to have a rough week when it starts with a trip to the ER. Cory left Sunday morning to go to a business meeting, which its always rough when Cory's gone because we have such a good system and its so hard when you can't tag team. But I decided that I'm a big girl and I can handle going back to work full time and Rylan by myself. Well, that would have been great if we all hadn't caught what ever Rylan had over Easter. And when I say ALL that includes myself, Cory, my Mom and Cory's Mom...not good. But I was feeling better Sunday and thought that I was on the mend. Things were going well, I was enjoying spending the day with Rylan and was busy getting Rylan ready for bed when I noticed that my ear needed to pop. I didn't think much of it and went to bed. Well at 11:30 I woke up with the most excruciating pain in my ear, it rivaled labor pains, so I did what any grown woman would do I called my husband that is two states away crying. Of course, there is nothing that he can do and tells me to call my parents who are 4 minutes away. So I wake them up and my Mom comes over to watch Rylan and my Dad takes me to the ER. But before they arrive my eardrum bursts (is it just me or should body parts not burst) which made the pain go away but blood was now running out of my ear...I know gross and tmi. So after a 2 hour stay at the ER I'm now on an antibiotic and I am on the road to recovery. But through all this I have discovered that Mom's don't get to be sick, Rylan doesn't care how bad I feel, he still needs to be taken care of. And as weird as it sounds this whole ordeal actually made me proud of myself. My parents did come for a little bit on Monday to help but other than that I've done it all by myself like a big girl:) Of course, I may feel like a big girl but I'm also counting the minutes till Cory comes home:)

Happy Birthday Rylan!!

2009-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

A year ago today (at 3:03 pm, if you want to get technical) the greatest gift I have ever been given came into the world. Wow, how a year flies by! Rylan has changed so much in this short year and his personality is evolving. It is so much fun to watch him discover new things. His latest thing is making silly faces (sadly I haven't caught this on film but when I do I will share). I think he's going to be a lot like his Daddy, I have a feeling I will be out numbered and will get picked on a lot:)

Happy Birthday Baby!!

Rylan through the year

2009-04-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a little picture montage that I put together. I was going to play it at Rylan's birthday party but figured that might be too much. But now those that would like to watch it can:)

Yummy

2009-04-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures of Rylan eating Spaghetti. Let's just say that it was a lot of fun cleaning up...but he did enjoy himself. Sadly, we don't have any Easter pictures because Rylan decided to cut two teeth, run a fever and get an ear infection (fun times). So we didn't get to go to church or hunt Easter eggs or dress him up in the adorable Easter outfit I got for him:( Oh well, I plan on having is one year pictures made in that outfit.

New at this

2009-04-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well here goes nothing. I've been a blog stalker for a little while and decided to jump into the world of blogging....thank you Stephanie! I figure this will be a good way to keep family and friends updated on what Rylan's up to (which is a lot here lately) and hopefully I'll remember to keep it updated. Wish me luck!!