11 Months!

Rilynn 

    so far you...

*weigh 21 lbs & are 30 inches long! 

*are still nursing about 4 times a day. Drink water most of the time & had your first taste of sweet tea...big toothy grin for that one! You eat solids 3 times a day with a few snacks but still mostly getting mama's milk =)

*have 10 teeth!! Your first year molars are almost all the way in...I'm not sure if you have any more coming in right now but I'd say it's time for a break...
*have gotten a lot more hair on your head so that your clippy bows stay in without needing a headband now!

*sleep most of the night usually from about bedtime to 5-6am but wake up some nights at random times. Usually go back to sleep after early morning feeding till about 8ish. Nap about 1-2 times a day

*are playing more & more with your toys & some of Greysons. I think you like cars as much as he does. Love pushing buttons, "talking" on the phone (while holding it up to your ear), love hugging & rocking your baby dolls & everything goes into your mouth at least once...-_-

*hate hearing the words no no. You used to cry when you heard me say it but now you just mimic me & go.."uh uh" hmmm already strong willed!
*are talking quite a bit & adding new words to your vocabulary. You can say our names- Mama, Dada, Papa, Nana- Love saying Bye Bye & Hi/Hey while waving. Say nye nye (night night) at bed time & "repeat" sounds of words we say to you  like bah (ball) pah cak (patty cake) etc =)
*if you see people clapping (on a movie, tv or at an event) you chime right in & clap too. You really like singing in church & like listening to music or mommy singing

*are very mobile...you are a super fast crawler & can disappear very fast. You are standing up on your own without pulling up & have taken a few tiny steps but are not walking on your own yet..I haven't tried to get you to but usually if you take a step forward you melt to the floor & scoot across it crawling because it's faster! haha 

*are in size 3-4 disposable diapers, still wearing our cloth diapers & mostly in the all in ones we've had for 3 years

*wearing 12 mo size clothes depending on brand, 12-18 month sleepers & size 3-4 shoes  

*have gotten extremely vocal...very "squealy/screamy" if you have something to say we hear it!  

*you had your first Thanksgiving on a trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN. Went to Dollywood for the first time & got to see a wild bear at Cades Cove

*really like Christmas lights & seeing all the fun Christmas decorations at different places. You have not bothered the trees in our house, but like to touch the ornaments every now & then
*like to interact with other small children/babies & like to play with them. You are learning to share & play very well with your big brother...but there are moments where you take something or he takes something from you & you let him have it. I can't believe that is already happening!
*helped celebrate Greyson's 3rd birthday on Sunday!! You got to ride in his tractor wagon =)

What we are looking forward to: 

*FIRST BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!
*A winter "one"derland themed birthday party that we will be celebrating the week of Christmas
*Christmas week/day with Nana & Papa

Trip to Nana & Papa's!

A couple weeks ago, the kids & I took off to Pennsylvania to see my parents. It was SO nice to get away for awhile & be with my family. Things have been a little stressful at home with all we have to take care of...it just so happened that Matt & his family were planning to go to the World Horse Show in Texas. I was planning to go as well, but with all the work involved, I wasn't sure I wanted to sit in a hotel room with 2 kids for a week or stay home by myself for a week. SO I booked a ticket to PA...& again...it was the perfect time.

It was Rilynn's first airplane ride & my first time flying with both kids...by myself. I even had to book a regular "adult" ticket for Greyson since he is now over 2 years old. We ended up flying out of Atlanta. With less travel time (including the 2 hr drive there & back for Matt), a straight through flight -with no layovers- to Pittsburgh made for an easy flight .  The cost was even cheaper all the way around & I was able to get our tickets at a great price! Everything just fell into place.

My mom had recently had surgery & she was not allowed to pick up over 10lbs.  I wasn't sure how it would be having the kids there, but I wanted to go & help her around the house as she recovered. We had a lot of fun...We went shopping a few times, took the kids to Kraynaks to see Santa & the Holiday display, spent time with friends & played in the SNOW!! There is always snuggle time with Nana & Papa & "fort" making whenever it gets too cold to play outside =)

We had lots of fun with our friends that came to see us too. We got a surprise visit from Jodi & Aaron because they had just announced they were expecting their first baby May 2nd!! We had lots to talk about =) My sweet friend Janice even had us over & gave the kids their birthday & Christmas presents!! It was SO fun & so nice of her to think of them...Janice & Bill are always getting them gifts whenever we see them..& they remember EVERY time even though we don't get to see them as often.

We also got to welcome & meet baby Brooke! She arrived a couple days after we got there so she was only a few days old during our visit =) She is so sweet...Greyson wanted to hold her & did so good. Rilynn was interested but didn't know what to think. Tina & Evan sure have a little cutie & she is absolutely precious! I was so glad we got to see her & she came at the perfect time.

This little sweeta looks a little worn out from all the visiting =) 

One of the highlights from visiting PA during the Holidays is going to Kraynaks & walking down Christmas Lane. Last time we were there it was Easter Bunny Lane so it was fun to see how they had it decorated for Christmas. It was fun pointing out all of our favorite characters, seeing all the pretty lights & colors & meeting Santa! The kids really really liked him =)

Greyson even told him a few things he wanted for Christmas & helped himself to the candy...-_-

A really sweet man in my parents church gave Greyson some money to spend while we were there. He decided to pick out a toy train & did the shopping all on his own. He pushed a child sized cart around the store, gave the nice lady his money & was so proud of himself for buying something all on his own. It was the cutest thing!

I caught Matt showing in the World Show in Texas too. It was nice we got to see him show even though we were so many miles a part. He did really good for his first time at the World! He got 4th, 5th & 6th places under the judges & came out 6th overall. It was fun to watch.

Then our last weekend home, this little cutie came to see me!! My ever changing niece Everlee is getting so big!! She just looked so different & we had so much fun watching her smile & interact with her cousins. Greyson loves talking about baby "Evawee" & knows that she & "karwee" are his cousins! =) 

Our first & last days in PA saw SNOW! Greyson had so much fun playing in it with Papa...It really came down the day we were flying out, so naturally Greyson asked Papa if he wanted to build a snowman. There was close to 6 inches to work with so they ended up with a cute little snowman & you can't beat sledding when someone pulls you around the whole time! Rilynn acted like she wanted to eat the big flakes making their way down from the sky...as you can see she was making an attempt from INdoors! =)

We did so much yet stayed INSIDE & relaxed a lot of the time. My second mom, Pam, had a lemon grass spa party while I was home too...a foot soak & some pampering on the night of our first "blizzard" was just what I needed! I was also able to help my mom around the house while she rested so it was a profitable trip all around. Our flight home was just as good as the first (I don't think Rilynn knows she even flew to this day...she slept the entire time once again & missed the whole thing) & we had to get home in order to get ready for another trip coming up! This time of year is never SLOW but I'm glad we have people in our lives that keep us going & have things for us to look forward to!

Fall Festivities

We had so much fun taking the kids to several activities this Fall. These were all "firsts" for Rilynn & Greyson loved being with all his little friends!

Our play group had a Fall Party where everyone dressed up. I made Greyson's Halloween costume this year & it wasn't quite ready for the fall party so he went as...a cowboy! Rilynn got her little strawberry costume from her Nana for her first Christmas. I was excited that she was finally able to wear it & she looked SO cute =)

We made an attempt to get all of the little kids in a group pictures, but it was pretty much impossible. They would come & go or cry or NOT look at the camera =) This was about the best I got. We were missing 1 or 2 kids but this was the majority. It was so fun to see all the kids dressed up in their little costumes! We had lots of play time, finger food snacks that were SO good & it was great MOM time conversation. I love these little parties & getting together with friends.

A week or so later, we took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch during the festival & civil war reenactment! Once again, we kept with tradition & went with our friends so the kids could all be together. Emily made the cutest pumpkin shirts for the boys last year & they still fit!! So we just added one for Rilynn. I just love having them in these matching shirts...very festive & so fun. 

 My bff Emily & I just happened to wear the same sweater, but as the temperature kept climbing over 80* I took mine off & ended up getting quite the sunburn!

These 2 are so cute!!

Jace is Greyson's best little buddy & they ask about each other all the time. =)

My beautiful friend Emily, her niece & little boy Jace posing for a picture. Her husband Matt & sister Allison were there too. They just looked so cute with their pumpkins so I snapped this picture...Greyson was on a pumpkin hunt in the background.

This little cutie joined us for the first time as well! Natalie, Neil & Courtney got to show Natalie her first pumpkin patch experience. We propped her up on a pumpkin & she was just as happy as could be. She looked super cute in her little pumpkin shirt too & Courtney made the girls the adorable little pumpkin hair bows for the occasion. 

We didn't get ALL the kids in a picture together, but we did manage to get these 3 together...even if they didn't want to look at the camera! 

FUN times for sure!!

Next was our Trunk or Treat at our church. We hosted it on Halloween night so we could have as many kids as possible come from the community. We had games, a prize drawing for a free Pizza supper & of course candy! One of the best things about doing this from our church is the interaction with the families & being able to invite them to church, pass out tracts & set up the prayer station. We have lots of prayer requests as a result & it is always a great way to connect with those around us.

Our trunk theme was a Farmers Market to go along with Rilynn's strawberry costume. She was the center piece & we passed little fruit snacks instead of chocolate just to mix it up a little bit.

I always like to incorporate some kind of spiritual message with our theme so being a Farmer's Market, I added the Fruit of the Spirit sign.

Rilynn did so good hanging out in her chair! Greyson finally got to wear his Thomas costume & was the cutest little conductor at the T&T! I will have a tutorial on making his costume later...

This little cutie was a bumble bee & had her own little hive & pot of honey to hang out with!! Courtney did such an adorable job on the details! SOOO cute!!! 

We had quite a few kids show up & the games got started.

Greyson enjoyed passing out our fruit snacks to all the little trick or treaters...

THEN it started raining...& pouring! & cut our trunk or treat about an hour shorter than normal. We still had SO many people come by but decided to close up early & head off to Gmama's & her neighbors house. First we stopped at Mr. Hubbards...he always likes to see the kids & give them candy =)

 Gmama adds gifts to her candy so it's almost like getting a birthday present early!! 

They got such cute things! We love our Gmama!!

Natalie got in on the gifts too so we got to snap a picture of the girls together in their costumes =)

Next it was off to Aunt Maudine & Uncle Jimmy's house! She does the same & gives more gifts than candy! They love it =)

All around it made for a good Trick or Treating night & the kids ended up sharing some of their goody's =) 

I love fall...the crisp air, the falling leaves & all the fun activities we can do as a family. Its my favorite time of year!! 

10 Months!

   Rilynn 

    so far you...

*weigh 20 lbs & are 29 inches long! you have started to thin out since being so mobile

*nurse about 4 times a day. Drink water & a little juice from a sippy cup when needed & have been eating solids very well. You are picky about fruit but not so much with veggies...still hate bananas but LOVE peas!! They are your favorite vegetable

*have 8 teeth with 2 more coming in!!! it makes for a very toothy grin =) Your 2 top molars are already on their way...usually they don't make an appearance until around 13-19 months but you seem to get a couple teeth a month so they are just coming through

*sleep anywhere from 6-8 hrs a night with usually 2 naps during the day...we had a little set back with all our traveling & teething so you have been waking about 2 times in the night...hoping things go back to normal soon...mommy needs SLEEP!
*loved your first trip to the pumpkin patch with friends. You really liked the animals & sitting on the pumpkins
*celebrated your first Fall & got to dress up like a strawberry for our Trunk or Treat at church! You were part of our Farmers Market trunk theme as the star! Nana got you your first costume & we loved it =)

*are super curious & get in to EVERYTHING. You will unload a drawer in a matter of minutes & play with one thing for awhile then move on to the next. You play with cars about as much as Greyson does =)

*have started hearing the words "No No" a lot lately. If you are doing something you shouldn't & I get on to you, your feelings get hurt & you start crying. It's actually pretty cute but you usually listen & move on to something else
*have added a few words to your vocabulary like Uh Oh & Papa...sometimes you will say Nana. Say "bye bye" when you wave, Mama, Dada & Pah Cah (patty cake) still try to mimic words too
*if you see people clapping (on a movie, tv or at an event) you chime right in & clap too. You have started "singing" in church & like lots of attention 

*are very mobile...we have to watch what you pull up on & are a very fast crawler. Crawled up 2 steps at Nana's house & started standing on your own without holding on to anything...I have not tried getting you to walk but I'm sure you will take off on your own before too long!

*are in size 3-4 disposable diapers & still wearing our cloth diapers & moved on to all of the cloth diapers we used for Greyson

*wearing 9-12 mo size clothes depending on brand, 12-18 month sleepers & size 2-3 shoes  

*have been good with people but reach for people you recognize, especially mommy

*still like to know everything that is going on & hate to be left out of things! You do NOT like being left alone

*are showing independence & strong will!
*you had your first airplane ride this month to visit Nana & Papa in Pennsylvania-- you did so good traveling & being away from home for a long time

*love riding & being outdoors...any vehicle or thing that moves puts you to sleep...even airplanes!

*still do not like hats very well...so you pull them off, but you have tried to put them back on yourself, so maybe you are just trying to be independent & do it yourself

*saw the first snow of the season the first day after we got to PA & had to get new winter boots & a new coat =)

What we are looking forward to: 

*Thanksgiving in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg
*First Birthday Celebration!!

9 Month Photo Shoot

Here are Rilynn's 9 month pictures! I ended up taking them & having my friend Courtney help get her to smile & look at the camera. I LOVE fall & we had so much fun with these pumpkins! We marched out to the pasture, plopped her down & started shooting =)

This is probably one of my most favorites! She was laughing & showing those teeth =)

 My other favorite picture!! The pumpkins & her little outfit look so "fall" like. Mimi would have loved these pictures...she got her this little horse outfit at the Dixie Nationals. I'm glad she got to see it on her...it was the last outfit she saw her where when we said our goodbyes in the hospital.

We couldn't end the session without stopping by the barn =)

The next day I set up a little "makeup" session in her room. It was just something fun & girly looking. I had the tutu & little crocheted sole-less sandals for awhile & hadn't used them yet for photos yet. 

I love this one where she is reaching for the makeup brushes..

Having a moment to voice how upset she was that I wouldn't let her put the brush in her mouth...

Another use for makeup brushes...so soft of super cute toes!

I love this little sweeta & was happy with the way these turned out! I take lots of pictures but this is the 2nd time I've done baby photos. I don't know how to do editing the "correct" way, but messing around here & there I was able to achieve some sort of decency =) 

Can't believe we are almost ready to do 12 month pictures!! This year has gone so fast.