Eventful Weekend.

It's a beautiful Sunday evening. Brian is mowing the lawn and I'm watching Rylie cruise around the house! She loves to "walk" around the table, bracing herself by the chairs. And she always make a point to go to the window sill where she peeks under the curtains in hopes of seeing her daddy outside! Just a few seconds ago, I looked around the corner to find her sitting under the table, reading her book. And now she's back to playing musical chairs. She is always on the go. And it's very surreal to watch her walk from furniture to furniture. Earlier tonight, she made it from one side of the room to the other by walking along the edge of the fireplace. It's strange because I can not picture her walking, completely unaided. She seems too young...and maybe a little too short. I know being short doesn't have anything to do with walking. But picture a six month old baby walking, and you'll get what I'm talking about. She just seems so little.

We had a very eventful weekend...

Friday night was the first night, in a very long time, that I went out with "the girls!" I didn't leave the house until 7:30pm; but we went to dinner at a japanese steakhouse (very entertaining) and then went to the movie, The Time Traveler's Wife...which didn't start until 9:50pm!! Even though I missed being at home with my family, I felt that it was good for me to get out by myself for a night. Of course, I called to check in...ten times! Nah, I'm only kidding. But I did call to check in and Brian was doing just fine without me...even though he didn't get Rylie to sleep until 10:30pm.

Saturday night, we went to dinner with some friends at an authentic German restaurant. And after laughing over the menu and finding out what Schnitzel was...we all ordered the Smoked Bratwurst and fried potatoes. How original, I know! And it was during dinner that I discovered why Brian rarely gets Rylie dressed. See anything wrong with these pictures:

(her shirt is on backwards!)

(and yes, I specifically took those pictures so that I could post them on my blog!)

And after church, grocery shopping, napping, cleaning, laundry, and bathing Rylie...it's now Sunday evening and I'm exhausted...but it's almost time for bed. Yippee!!!

Good night, friends!

Ready or not...

Lately, I have not been able to find a lot of time to write on my blog. I do not spend a lot of time on the computer while I'm home because I have a ton of other stuff I should be doing instead, i.e., feeding, changing, rocking, bathing, and playing with Rylie, cleaning my house, cooking dinner (*gasp*...yes, when Brian lets me in the kitchen, I do cook), laundry, and just spending quality time with my family. I usually find time while I'm at work (like right now), but I've actually been staying pretty busy. Which has been great because my days go by faster and I leave here feeling productive. But I enjoy writing and I like to give "my readers" something to read when they check my blog. So...I'm taking a little time today to write. But now that I've wasted a few minutes simply explaining that I have not had a lot of time to write and another few seconds writing this last sentence...I'll leave you with something a little more worthwhile!

Although we all know, without a doubt, that Rylie is Brian's child...there can be absolutely no denying it now that she is showing us her true personality! She is loud and verbal but that is easily hidden by her quiet and bashful act. She is smart, funny and can brighten your day with a single giggle. She is bold and confident but can also be very gentle and sweet. She is short-tempered and a bit stubborn. And if you know Brian at all, I'm sure you will agree that she must be just like her daddy! The only thing that worries me is that when you mix my impatience with Brian's short-temper, you may not be ready for what you get!

But ready or not...here comes Rylie!

And She Sleeps.

Little Miss Rylie!

Summertime.

Camping Trip #2.

Well, we're off...again! We're really excited and look forward to spending the weekend in a cabin at the lake with Brian's family. I'm very thankful that we will be sleeping in a cabin this time around and just hope that Rylie will sleep a little better than she did during our last camping trip (remember...we only managed to sleep in the RV one night).

Brian's parents have been married for 31 years. He has two brothers. His oldest brother is married and has a son; and his youngest brother is married, has a daughter, and a son on the way! I love his family and truly enjoy spending time with them. It's been a while since we have seen them and it's been an even longer while since we have all "camped out" and slept at the same place. I can't wait to take lots of pictures and to just spend good, quality time with the family...we don't do this as often as we should!

"Talk" to you next week...

Goodbye, Mrs. Caretaker. Hello, Nana.

Last Wednesday, I was told that Mrs. Caretaker was going to have to close for two months. Mrs. Caretaker has been with Rylie since she was three months old. And from the moment we met her, we had a sense of peace and comfort knowing she was going to be the one taking care of our precious little girl. We like her. We trust her. And we are lucky to have her in our life.

As you all know, going back to work has been harder on me than expected. But the fact that we really trusted that Rylie was in good hands made all the difference in the world! Rylie truly enjoyed going to her home and I like to say that she made several good "friends" while she was there. But as of yesterday, Mrs. Caretaker will not be the one watching Rylie. She has full intentions on reopening November 1st; but so much could happen between now and then. So we've decide to take it day by day and see how things go.

The fact that we only had one week to find another in-home daycare may seem like a stressful situation. But honestly, our "problem" was so minute compared to the reason Mrs. Caretaker has to close in the first place. Her adorable son, who is a little over one year old, has to have his second heart surgery...the first one being less than six months ago. Although the circumstances are a bit overwhelming and hard to accept, we are all optimistic and trust that the Lord will take great care of him and his family. Not one day goes by that I don't pray for this blonde haired cutie and his family.

And if you are wondering...yes, we were able to find another in-home daycare provider and Rylie will start going there on Monday. I got her name and number from an employee who takes her two year old daughter there. So Brian and I met with her on Tuesday and felt really comfortable with her. Going forward, I will refer to her as "nana"...because apparently, that is what all the children call her. Isn't that sweet?! I know that Rylie will be just fine; but making this sudden change breaks my heart for her. Yesterday was hard because I kept thinking that "Rylie has no clue that she might never see Mrs. Caretaker again!" And yes, that probably seems a bit dramatic...but I'm a DRAMATIC PERSON! And stuff like this is hard on me. But by putting 100% trust in God and realizing that this is out of our control, we will get through it and things will work out great...I have faith!