Changes.

You may have noticed a few changes to my blog. I'm still playing around with the title...but so far, I like the new one I have picked out because it describes the very place that I am in my life right now. I'm literally baby stepping my way through motherhood...one wobbly step at a time. I'm rediscovering the person that I am and the person I want to be...one wobbly step at a time. I'm learning how to be a better daughter, sister, friend, wife...one wobbly step at a time. And I'm seeking God's will for our life...one wobbly step at a time. But...if you know me just a little bit...you already know that I am a very indecisive person. And that is my way of saying that I might go back to using my old title (I can't decide right now- ha!). But not the point. Not only is change evident in my blog...but this next year will definitely be a year of...you guessed it, change!

Anyhow...along with a possible change in title, I am also going to make a change to my URL name. And because I have followed a few blogs before that suddenly disappeared and left me feeling like I had lost a "friend" forever, I am preparing you for my change and giving you the chance to follow me. If you have been reading my blog and want to continue, please send me an email to the following address: griffeyboy@hotmail.com. If I know you or feel comfortable with you reading about my "baby steps", I will let you know what the new URL name will be. No need to be alarmed. :) My heart is just telling me that I need to make this change!

Fifty FREE Holiday Cards, oh my!

Ever since my love for scrapbooking started to make my head spin and my sense of perfectionism robbed me from that joy…I started to rely on Shutterfly to help make me “appear to be creative!” It is so easy to use and offers a quick way to put together a very “modern-day” scrapbook! I have used them several times before and have been able to create some very memorable gifts. One on-going project that I will continue to do is in regards to my daughter’s birthday parties. I have decided to create a photo book for each party. First one titled: Rylie Turns One. Second one titled: Rylie Turns Two. And so on. By the time she reaches 18, she will have an “encyclopedia”, if you will, of her birthday celebrations! I am so thrilled about this project and know that she will appreciate this gift once she gets older (it’s a good thing I had a little girl first because I’m a bit cheesy like this and let’s be real…boys do not care about stuff like this!). :) You can get started with you own photo book, here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books.

In addition to their photo books, Shutterfly also offers some very creative and fun Holiday cards.

Like this one:

Or this:

We are using Shutterfly for our Christmas cards this year and I can’t wait to work on them! I guess I better get started since today is already the 8th of December and we’ve already received a few in the mail!!!! I’ve always been a bit of a procrastinator. Want a chance to “earn” 50 free Holiday cards? Click here!

And with the start of the New Year right around the corner…what about a personalized calendar for a parent and/or grandparent? That would make a great gift, too!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

A Thanksgiving to Remember.

For the past four days, we have been in Branson with my in-laws. What a memorable way to celebrate Thanksgiving! My husband's entire immediate family was there...mom, dad, older brother and his wife and two children, younger brother and his wife and two children, and of course, our family of three. We rented out someone's vacation home and we couldn't have chosen a better place to stay. The 3-story house...with views of Table Rock Lake...came fully equipped with a kitchen, dining room, living room, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and a game room in the basement (where my husband and I schooled everyone in a few games of pool (or maybe we were the ones being schooled))...but who really cares, right?! Branson definitely didn't disappoint and fun was had by all!

Here are a few highlights of our trip:

Number of 5 hour drives that Rylie did exceptionally well- one!
Number of 5 hour drives that included a complete Rylie meltdown- one!
One- visit to the Dixie Stampede
One- ride on the Polar Express
One- Polar Express book signed by Santa, himself
Number of times Rylie freaked out when Santa got too close- one!
Number of times the room filled with laughter- several!
Number of meals we ate somewhere other than the house- only one (pretty good, eh?)!
Number of times Rylie cried "mine!"- way too many!
One- personalized, Branson, snowmen ornament from Grandma and Grandpa
One- trip to the Coach Outlet store (Brian can check my name off the Christmas list- he,he!)
Number of times the kids ran up and down the stairs...for fun- countless!
Number of times Rylie fell down those stairs- one (resulting in one bruised cheekbone)!
Handful- number of times my husband was picked on for being high maintenance
One hundred (give or take a few)- pictures taken!
Four- number of people who ventured off at midnight for some Black Friday fun (one of which was most definitely not me)
Two- Christmas gifts purchased for Rylie during that shopping adventure
...and...
Number of memories that were created and that will last forever- too many to count!

Happy Holidays!

HaPpY HaLloWeEn

Introducing...WONDER WOMAN!

Her mission is to bring love and peace to this world.

Her powers include superhuman strength, flight, super-speed, super-stamina, and super-agility.

She has the actual ability to communicate with animals...

and ghosts, alike.

And has stolen the hearts of all her kin.

I Have Been Tagged!

This little "blog world" is so fun! And it's just crazy how you can literally grow actual "friendships" through it. Take, for example, my blog friend...Lindsey. She is married to Ryan; who happens to be someone who I literally grew up with. Ryan and I both come from the same small town in Kansas and he was 1 of the 63 people I graduated high school with. Although we lost touch after graduating, years later, we eventually ran into each other at a mutual friend's wedding. That is where I met Lindsey for the first time. I think we were introduced and that was about it. And then, we never saw or talked to each other again. Fast forward several years...and Lindsey and I were reconnected when we discovered each other's blogs. We, bloggers, find ourselves truly relating to one another because it seems as though we have so much in common! And just by checking in on her blog regularly, I seriously feel like I know her. Strange, huh?! It's definitely been nice reading her stories and getting to "know" her, though!

And now...on to the "you've been tagged" portion of this post. :)

Lindsey tagged me in this fun little questionnaire. And since she already admitted to "cheating"...I figured it was okay for me to do the same (instead of coming up with my own 8 questions, I will use hers (that she got from her other blog friend (who probably got from her other blog friend))):

1) What is your favorite part of the day?
I guess I don't really have just one favorite because there are several parts of my day that I truly enjoy. But I do absolutey love my mornings with Rylie!! Although they can be a bit trying at times when we are rushing to get out the door in time, I love waking her up. She stares up at me, wiping the sleep from her eyes with total bed-head...and smiles! It's as simple as that...but it's precious and adorable (so irresistable that sometimes, I literally crawl in her crib and cuddle up next to her...sight to see, for sure!).

2) What is your favorite meal?
I love a good ole' batch of chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes and a home-made roll!!! Mexican is great, too (but I agree with Lindsey...it can't be too authentic). Ted's Cafe, anyone?!

3) What is your morning routine?
Alarm clock goes off at 5:20am and I roll out of bed at 5:30am. Jump on the treadmill, do some crunches and push-ups...in the shower by 6am (wish I could work out longer than that but I don't allow myself enough time and I think I would start to dread my morning work-outs...so i keep them short and sweet). By 7:15am, I'm in Rylie's room, experiencing my answer to question #1...and as long as I haven't crawled into her crib...we are out the door by 7:30-7:40am. Work by 8-8:10am.

4) If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
FIJI!!!!!!

5) If you could do any home improvement to your house without money being a problem, what would you do?
I don't want to improve my current home...I just want it to sell so that we can move into a much larger home. But I guess I just answered the question...more square footage!!!! Create more of an actual porch. Add an office. Add an up-stairs bonus room. Add a guest bedroom. Enlarge our closet. Turn our 2-car garage into a 3-car (keeping Brian happy). Am I asking for too much???!! :)

6) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I'll be 37 years old...I pray that Brian and I are happy and content. We have two children. Rylie will be 12 years old with a younger brother/sister. I'm sure, by then, our life will be even more revolved around what is going on with our children.

7) Do you have a hobby?
Blogging. Photography. Planning parties. Decorating. If I had more time, I think I would enjoy baking.

8) Why did you start blogging?
5 years ago, Brian and I moved to Oklahoma and unfortunately, we left all of our family and friends back in Kansas. I like to write. And I wanted a place to "journal" about our life. I also figured this would be a really good place for our parents to keep in touch with their grandchildren and know what's going on in our life here in OK. It's been fun getting to know the other bloggers and read about their lives, as well. I get a lot of great recipes and hear a lot of uplifting and spiritual stories!! I really just enjoy it!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

Two Years.

Dear Rylie,

Today, you are 2 years old. And when daddy and I woke you up this morning and asked you to tell the camera how old you are, you shouted out a quick “no!” Terrible two’s…here we come! Perfect timing.

Happy Birthday, little Missy!!!

This morning, we followed our normal routine; but as I was getting you dressed, I finally realized how much you have truly grown. You were standing so tall in the middle of your bedroom, wearing a size 24 month t-shirt, pink sweat pants and size 6 Nike tennis shoes. Your hair was tied back in two full curly pig-tails. And when I asked you to follow me into my bedroom so that I could finish getting ready for work, you did just that!

You have become so independent! Everything is “I do, I do!” You can pretty much repeat every word that we tell you; but you have started to create short sentences, as well. We have had a few mother-daughter outings and I absolutely love it!! I can already tell that you are going to be an awesome shopping buddy. Your eating habits really haven’t changed too much…you still love fruit and bread…try to avoid meat and vegetables...especially love cereal, fruit snacks, bananas, corn and cheese! And thankfully, me and daddy’s favorite restaurant happens to be your favorite, too…Ted’s (you love their homemade flour tortillas, chips, queso, and sopapillas)! Over-and-over-and-over again…as you point out every single item throughout a room, you love to ask “what’s that?” And without fail, each morning as we are loading up the car, you make your way over to the same corner in the garage and ask, “what’s that?” And I always answer…a bird house, a shovel, a pumpkin. Your sweet little giggle reminds me that it truly is the simple things!

This summer was a busy one. We made several different trips to Kansas. We took a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. Flew to Orlando, Florida. And you visited the zoo and the Oklahoma State Fair for the first time- thoroughly enjoying both of them!

We have been potty-training you for the past 2 months. Some weeks are better than others. But you are far from being “trained.” As long as daddy continues to remind mommy that patience is a virtue- we will continue to work on it! Hopefully breaking the habit of “needing” a binky to sleep will be easier. Yeah, I doubt it, too.

Some of your current “favorites” definitely tell mommy that you are growing older: you love to watch “Elmo’s Adventures in Grouchland”; you love to dance; you love to color; you love to play with your baby dolls and will often push them in their stroller, feed them, and diaper them; you still love bath time; you love for mommy and daddy to read to you; you love to play outside; and you love doing hand-shakes with mommy!

I’m planning an Elmo-themed party for you at Granny and Gramps’ house this Sunday. But Nana and your friends will help you celebrate today. We’re so thankful that you go to such a wonderful daycare! Nana will you treat you extra-special today!!

Towards the end of my pregnancy with you, I remember being told that I will eventually not remember what life was like before having a child. Now, two years later…it’s not only a matter of me not remembering…but it’s also a matter of me not wanting to remember.

Mommy and daddy love you very-very much, Rylie bug!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Love,
Momma

The Four Weeks of Softball.

On the fourth week of softball,

my good Lord sent to me...

4 game losses

3 strike-outs

2 pulled quad muscles

And a partridge in a pear tree.