Finally... updated photos!!!!

We had a photo shoot at Tal's after she finished taking her nap
Ryland now knows what the camera is and she loves to ham-it-up

Teething and drooling.... nice
First bottle EVER at 5 months!!!
First time for Kyle to feed Ryland!!!
Her new favorite toy and it never goes away!
Ryland LOVES to play with her aunt Tal!!!!

Some Pics from Tal's Computer

Just sitting at Tal's computer while Ryland takes a nap and thought I would upload some photos that she has taken. :)

Ryland enjoying her favorite coffee house, Crooked Tree.


Us at a craw fish bowl... ummmm good!

Date Night!

Kyle and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and we went out for the first time since Ryland was born! We went for crab at Joe's Crab Shack, OK, I know not very romantic, but it is a meal that I have been craving and one you can defiantly not eat with a baby present. :) It was very good and nice to go out just the two of us. My fabulous sister watched Ryland for us and they both did great! I think we will be doing it again soon!

So I know I have not posted much lately, but that's how it goes I guess. So here is where I am at, I really feel like God is working on me and has been for the last few months. Recently our small group has asked us to list our spiritual gifts and share them with the group, so that we can begin using those gifts more effectively and serve others where we are lead. At first thought this is easy right, I've been in church for all my life and I've talked about spiritual gifts many times before. But for some reason this one is really getting to me. I'm stuck. I know what I have always said my 'gifts' are, but are those really them? Am I the person I have always been or have I changed and therefore my gifts have changed? I don't really know where I'm at right now, just searching I guess.

My prayer for this week is that God would reveal my spiritual gift(s) to me and I would use them for His glory.

I have much more to write about, but I really need to clean, so I will write more later. :)

Rangers and Ringers

Last night was one of the funnest times that I have had in recent memory. I got the opportunity to spend an evening hanging out in a suite at the Ballpark in Arlington. Not to mention that this is the first time I have ever been in a suite, but the Rangers were playing my favorite team, the Braves. On top of all of this I got free food, and got to spend time with a lot of important people from my work place. It was a very welcomed little break in my crazy life right now. So many things are changing, and there are so many opportunities in life right now that I am just not sure what direction to head...Just wanted to give everyone an update as to where I am at personally. Thank you for your prayers, and for all of you that just visit this blog to see Ryland, pics will be posted tomorrow. Love you all. Kyle.

Pokey-O's

Favorite find this weekend!!! Your choice of fresh baked cookie with your flavor of Blue Bell ice cream..... it's heaven on earth!

Update

So, I have posted a new web-album of Ryland at 4 months, even though, she is almost 5 months and I am just now getting this up. We have had a busy month! Ryland went for her 4 month check-up a few weeks back and here how she's doing:

26 inches tall (she is off the charts in height)
13 lbs (in the 50% - tall and skinny she is)
her head is 17 inches around (in the 97% - thanks Basom genes)

She now thoroughly enjoys chewing her fingers, her stationary bouncer, baths, and rolling over. She is getting very strong and much more coordinated. She is just so much fun to have around!!!

We have either traveled or had company at our house for the past 5 weekends! And Ryland has just taken it all in with a smile. I am finding mother-hood is getting easier or I am getting used to it a little more every day. One thing new about me is that I enjoy the quite times a whole lot more! Kyle and I are fixing to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and we cannot decide what to do, but I can't believe it's been 5 years (dating for 10)!!!!!

OK, that about does it for now. I really shouldn't be blogging right now, I am supposed to be taking a drivers safety course online for a speeding ticket that I recently got, but that is no fun and I totally board.... note to self.... don't speed!!!

Mother's Day Gift

OK, so I have to brag about my husband for a few words. :) He went shopping for my Mother's Day gift and found the perfect ring and then could not wait so he gave it to me early. I love him for so many reasons but mostly because he is perfect for me! He knew that I wanted a ring that was Ryland's birthstone. I want to give her this ring when she has her first baby. So, he picked out this beautiful design by James Avery and I love it!!! Thanks babe!

Reminders... they can be hard

So, my good friend Shelley posted about a blog that she had been reading and how good it was. She warned that it is sad and moving and to only read if you are ready. So, I did.

I don't know why but sometimes I think God reminds us of things when we are least expecting it. This week I had been consumed with getting Ryland to take good naps, to clean my house, to get a better routine. And then bam... God sat me down and said just take a while to be thankful. Be thankful for your beautiful daughter. Be thankful for her dirty clothes. Be thankful for a messy house, because the mess is baby stuff. Be thankful for the late nights. Be thankful for the 5 am feeding. Just BE THANKFUL!!!!

I am thankful, but all too often I find myself taking things for granted. For the past two days I have been reading this blog, Audrey's Story, http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ and I have been affected, deeply.

A beautiful woman of God just walked through the hardest time in her life and she shared her journey and her soul in this blog. It has moved me. It has made me what to kiss my precious little girl all over her face and forget to do this dishes more often so I can have a few more minutes of playtime.

God, please be with Angie. Lift her in your arms and cradle her for a while. Give her rest and restore her into your new creation. Thank you for the reminder to not be so complacent and to take every moment with gratitude.

Really quite embarassing... but I LOVE her laugh

Oh, the things we do to get babies to laugh!!! Please do not ask what I was doing, but apparently she thought it was funny and I actually caught her laughing on camera. It took me several days to decide to post this, but I know you will love her laugh almost as much as I do! :)

Peonies

I have decided that these are my favorite flowers and how lucky am I that they are in my own backyard! Now that we have a dog run (THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my wonderful Husband!) My flowers can live without being eaten or dug up! :)

Having fun with Dad! :)

Notice the quick, "Turn the cammera off before this ugly" look that Kyle gives me at the end. LOL, classic.

I have holes in my pockets thanks to Ikea

I have money left from Christmas. I spent some on post-pregnancy clothes, but I am holding on to the last part. Mostly because I don't know when the next time I'll have money that I can spend, guilt-free, on myself and partly because I don't know what to buy. Tonight I had some free time and decided to do some Internet shopping (browsing) so I went to Ikeas website. I would really like to buy many things from there, but low-and-be-hold, they don't sell hardly anything over the Internet. You have to go to the store. Well, if I could only just jet out and run to Ikea for a few things that would be oh so lovely, but with a 3 month old any shopping trip is an ordeal. So, I guess there my money will sit, burning a hole in my pocket.

New Noises

Pain

Today has not been good. This morning I woke up in really bad pain at 6:45am. My stomach was cramping and I could barley stand up. This happened to me once before when Ryland was 8 weeks old. I was doubled over in pain so Kyle came home and to me to my doctor. They did blood work and a sonogram and found nothing. Later that day I was totally fine. This morning was the same pain. So, we went to the doctor and this time he had his stenographer take a look and she found that I am having a kidney stone. Yug... two kidney stones within 3 months of giving birth, not fun. But, the Lord still amazes me in every way. I came home from the doctor still in pain and wanted to sleep and Ryland slept with me. We slept from 11am to after 2pm! That is by far the longest nap she has ever taken and after waking up I feel much better. Hopefully there is not a next time for this, but if there is I now have some good drugs to take instead of just laying on the bathroom floor. :)

Is it Christmas time?

So, when Ryland is crying or is just fussy I try everything to get her to calm down. Sometimes that means I sing to her, well, I usually hum to her because I don't know the words to many songs. And, apparently I don't know to many lullabies either because I usually end up humming Christmas carols to her. Funny thing cause I know like 100 carols and they kind of sound like lullabies. Kyle's mom even gave me a tape of her singing lullabies for Kyle and Keisha when they were little to help me learn the words and it hasn't helped... the only songs that pop into my head when I am desperate for one is something like Silver Bells (which is what I hummed to her all last night). I guess she will like Christmas carols a lot latter on in life.