Playing Catch Up..

Life has been CRAZY BUSY in this house. 

I haven't posted in over a month (I'm choosing to forget that dinning experience..) and definitely need to play catch up.. A lot of these pictures are on my FB too but now I finally have a chance to sit down and fully appreciate being able to capture these amazing moments.

I think at least once a day about how incredibly blessed that I am..but it never fails to surprise how much so until something happens and I am reminded again. I am truly blessed.

 This past month has brought on some crazy (but good and exciting) things in our lives.

Rylie is officially a walker! The pediatrician said officially a "toddler" but until she is at least one, I'm going to stick to walker..I'm not ready to not have a baby yet!

And officially starting to talk. At 9 months 2 weeks..her word count is: 3. Mama, Papa and "gator." The girl's favorite animal is an alligator. Never fails to catch her attention when one comes on Animal Planet on TV. At the store, every gator in any color or size catches her attention. I'm shocked she doesn't have a stuffed one to sleep with yet. After a baby doll, the girl goes nuts over gators.

Tucker is able to count to 20, say his ABC's (although because he thinks he should be able to rearrange their orders, the ABC's are NOT always in order. His favorite letters are XYZ..they pop up VERY often when he is singing it.), knows all his colors, how to spell his name..I could go on and on about him! I'm thrilled to death and so proud of him!!

I may be slightly biased, but Rylie is the most gorgeous little girl. I've never met such a little sweetheart.

The girl certainly has a crazy attitude, is 110% sure of what she wants and is a ball of fire..but a sweetheart for sure. 

 At 9.5 months, she weighs 15.5 pounds and still wears 3-6 month clothes and 6-9 in certain brands..so please explain to me how she eats 15 times more than my 3 year old. And no, that is NOT an exaggeration. 

For example, last night, Tucker ate 3 bites of pizza and a few goldfish. Rylie ate two whole hot dogs, a banana and some pineapple. This is normal for us (not the food but those proportions). She can out eat her brother anytime, much less all other kids her age. 

 Tucker got an ant farm! It is so neat!! We now keep it on a shelf WAY UP HIGH since he is a bit over friendly with them. But it is a wonderful experience for him!

 I can read 713 books without either child moving an inch. They LOVE to listen to me read. They get it honestly..their mama loves to read books too. We have got to start going to story time at the library again. (Rhonda..expect us soon!)

 I can't help but to snap 80482398490376489732 pictures of her sleeping. She looks like a little angel!

 So peaceful and so innocent.

 Some days..it absolutely blows my mind how crazy old he seems. Listening to music while playing a game on mommy's itouch. He looks so much older than three here to me.

 I LOVE the way he stands sometimes. He loves going to Bapa's and watching the fish and the giant frog in her pond.

 Pretty typical..smashing daddy while playing :)

 A boy and his dog. Pictures say a thousand words.

 Watching for daddy to get home :)

 "Mama, Ava is my sweetheart." I hear this phrase often after he has seen Ava. She is a sweetheart and SO WELL behaved!! I LOVE having playdates with her and Melissa and I love babysitting her!

Tucker and Ava had a wonderful time making sugar cookies for Valentine's Day. They both refused to use the heart shaped cutters, insisting instead upon butterflies, dinosaurs, cars and trucks. Whatever, at least we used red Valentine's Day icing.

 SOOO thankful for Melissa and Adam. They watched the kids while we had a REAL date!! Such a wonderful rare treat!

 She blows my mind with how old she is getting. I turn around for ten seconds and she sits at the table like a big girl to eat her snack!

Once again..I am biased..but she is just gorgeous. She thinks she is a little ballerina princess. Well..it's because she is :). Attitude and all to match! 

 My new tattoo! Complete with an elephant for myself and each baby. In love with it.

 LOVE this picture. I think it captures her attitude perfectly. She definitely is a princess.

 The first 7.5-8 months of her life were a bit rough but now that most of the wrinkles with her allergy and eating issues and such are ironed out, she is the happiest little girl in the world. A smile rarely leaves her perfect little face.

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And this is my silly boy. He is ALWAYS looking for ways to make me smile..and never fails!

We go back to the doctor on Tuesday. I am hoping he has a wonderful solution for Ry's eating issues. Today, I gave her 1/2 ounce of lactose free formula...her face was instantly broke out in hives. Soy milk makes her puke.Until then..fingers crossed.

Looking back, in the last few months, I have more pictures of Rylie posted than of Tucker. But then I look at the ones I haven't posted. I have a TON of him that are blurry or of his back or whatever..it is too hard to get a good picture of a three year old! I wish I had their energy!

At the end of the day, I know that I am one blessed mama and wife..and I am so thankful for that!

I should of known...

I should of known as we were driving towards Asheville and Rylie screamed the. entire. way. there.

I should of known when we parked and Tucker pitched a yelling, feet stomping fit walking in.

I should of known when we walked inside and Tucker ran off towards the bathroom cackling.

I should of known when Rylie and I sat down to wait on the boys and she puked all over my shoe.

I should of known when the waiter brought us three unsweet teas instead of sweet.

I should of known when I looked away for THREE SECONDS and turned back to her and Rylie had somehow wiggled her way out of the high chair safety buckles to be facing the OPPOSITE direction and was well on her way to slipping out the back side of the chair.

I should of known..dinner was going to be. a. DISASTER.

It will be a good LOOONG while before we brave eating in a restaurant again. We've had issues getting Tucker to sit still through a meal before. But this topped all those other times combined times ten.

All my posts are usually happy and such and "oh what great kids" stuff. And usually, the good outweighs the bad tenfold in our household. But..NOT tonight.

Yes, tonight at dinner..we were THAT family. with THOSE kids.

I couldn't appreciate it fully at the time..but bless those two separate couples that told me we "handled that situation beautifully" on two separate occasions during this "meal." (Does it count as meal if over half of your food had to be boxed when you exited the restaurant, heads down, in a rush??)

Happy ear splitting screams from Rylie. HAPPY screams, yet EAR SPLITTING.
Tucker JUMPING on the bench beside Zeke.
Shoes taken off and feet on the table top and in his mouth.
More real chunky throw up from Rylie.
SCREAMING from Tucker..angry, ear splitting screaming.
More screaming rude phrases from Tucker. "LEAVE ME ALONE" "DON'T TOUCH ME" "THATS MINE!" etc, etc.
More throw up.
The sugar packets dumped out on the table and on the floor.
Dragging Tucker out from under the table repeatedly.
Her sippy cup repeatedly thrown to the floor.
Tucker trying to climb over the center partition seperating us and that poor couple on the other side (I should add this partition was taller than I when I stood up to leave.
A wrestling match to get a steak knife from Tucker's grasp without him stabbing himself or Zeke.
More puke.

I could go on and on with all the things that made this dinner a disaster.

It ended with Zeke carrying Tucker out while Tucker screamed "OH CRAP! Jesus! OH CRAP JESUS!! Crap crap craaaaaaaaaaap Jesus!!!"
And with Rylie and I both covered in throw up.
And with us changing Rylie and putting her in a new diaper and clean jammies (knowing she would fall asleep on the way home) only to have her puke all over them and her carseat. AWESOME.

And now we are done with eating out for a LONG TIME.