The busy Christmas Season

I feel like I've been out of the blogging world. I have some catching up to do, including a tag from Jana (arg!) to list 5 interesting things about me. That entry will have to wait until a later date, because I'm going to have to think about that one! This month has been so busy, but with all I've been doing, somehow I'm still behind on my Christmas "to do" list. My Christmas cards still haven't been sent, I have many more gifts to buy, and I haven't even watched a single Christmas movie! Somehow there's been more to life that just relaxing with my little family, sipping our hot cocoa while we watch "Miracle on 34th street". I'm hoping that night happens soon. But I have managed to take a few photos of the last few weeks, which I'd like to share.

Kevin was gone for a week in Orlando for a convention for work. I tried and tried to tag along with him so I could hang out with you Jess! Obviously I didn't go, but instead I stayed home and watched my little sister's 2 girls for the week! So I had 3 kids and I was all alone with them. No refreshers in the evening, but we made it and dare I say, we had some good times?!


We had some great snow storms two Saturdays in a row! I bought a snow suit for Rylan several months ago. He was so dang cute all bundled up! At first I thought he wasn't quite sure what to do, but I think that really, he was just having a hard time moving around with all those layers! It didn't take him long to venture out in the snow and leave footprints (or really, bootprints) wherever he would go. I absolutely love the snow! What a beautiful scene it creates. The stillness that comes with the snow is one of my favorite parts. I found a fabulous tree to take a picture of next time there's a snow storm...just wait, you're gonna love it!


For our monthly Doyle dinner at Kevin's parents house, we had a Christmas program. We all showed up in our Bethlehem attire. Rylan was supposed to be a shepherd, but I borrowed a lamb costume from Kacy. He made the cutest lamb ever! (Of course he would have been the cutest shepherd ever though, too!) The grandkids acted out the parts while Kevin's dad read the story from the Bible. We all sang songs and just enjoyed the Christmas spirit.



















The Xango Christmas party was this last week. It's a rare occassion for us to have something to "dress up" for and we had a good time. Christmas parties are always more fun for those people who win prizes, and Kevin wasn't one of those. BUT...the free food, the adult conversation, and the Christmas bonus made for a great night!!









We ended this last week off by playing a game of Settlers with some neighbors. I love playing games...especially when I win!! (By the way Karen, this was the first time we've played Settlers since Jan 15, 2006--nearly two years!! Whoa! We're looking forward to getting together with you and David for a game or two!)

I have lots planned for this week...lights at Temple Square on Monday, Ward Christmas party on Tuesday, volleyball on Wednesday, girls night out on Friday, BYU game on Saturday...I can tell it's going to be a good week! (And some day I'm going to learn more about this HTML so I can post pictures on here in an orderly fashion. I feel like these pics are all over the place!) I hope the Christmas season is being celebrated to the fullest by all of you!

I used to try to hold off until December 1st to listen to Christmas music. That was while I was still working and I'd hear Christmas music all day long. Well now, I don't get to hear it enough! I asked Kevin to buy me Josh Groban's holiday cd, and he did..and we both LOVE it! We've listened to it over and over and I just can't get enough. I just think that Josh (am I allowed to just call him "Josh") has such an incredible voice. Any song that he sings is fabulous. The one thing about the cd that was disappointing...he doesn't sing "O Holy Night". Hmmm, I wonder why that was. I absolutely love it when he sings it, and not many people can sing it so well. (I also like Celine Dion's version and Michael Crawford's...flawless) So if any one is looking for a good Christmas cd...this is it! I'm also a big fan of the classic Christmas songs and that's what he does. When I heard "O Come All Ye Faithful", I thought, yep, that's my "favorite" Christmas song. So, not that I'm worthy of reviewing cd's, I just thought I'd share a little of my Christmas spirit.

I also have to give a shout out to my book club girls. I love them all! The great thing about joining "clubs" is that I get to hang out with people I may not necessarily hang out with normally. We met last night to discuss "A Girl Named Zippy" and I had such a great time. 3 hours later we were all laughing and chatting and we didn't want to leave. We have arranged a girls night out that I'm very much looking forward to. Next book on our list: "Cry, the Beloved Country".

Now, I think I'll go listen to my much loved Josh Groban cd while I put up my Christmas decorations :)

Best Friends

Our good friends Ben and Heather were in town for Thanksgiving. Ben and Kevin were friends growing up and throughout High School. And well, they are still friends! Ben and Heather got married just one month after Kevin and I got married. Heather and I were instant friends. Don't you just love when your husband's friends marry girls you get along with? Well, it was quite a surprise when, while living in Belgium, Heather emailed us and said "Guess what? I'm pregnant!" I was thrilled because guess what...I was pregnant, too! I just loved being able to talk pregnancy with her and have our little tummies grow together. To make a long story short, Kyle (Heather's little boy) waited for Rylan. Kyle came late, and Rylan came early...but they both came on the same day! So whether they want to or not, we are forcing these little dudes to be best friends...I mean, how can they not?

It was great to see them for the holiday. They now live out in California, so sadly we don't get to see them often. Kyle seems so much taller than Rylan now, and Ry seems so much rounder than Kyle! But either way, it's fun to see them grow and play together when they get the chance. I'm hoping that one of these days we'll be able to convince Ben and Heather to come back to the cold days of Utah and leave the warm sunny days of California behind!

Backset Girls

Another AWESOME night at volleyball last night. I tell you, my team in on fire! Yes, we are called the "Backset Girls" which is really just to intimidate the other teams because we really haven't mastered our backsets. In fact, they are few and far between, but at least we have the best name in the league!
We play once a week (Wednesday nights) and we have two games that night. Yesterday was only our second week, so we've played 4 games total...and we've won them all! And the great thing is, 3 of the 4 games have been so much FUN! In years past, the leagues have been all messed up. First time players in the same league with retired college players...not fun games. But somehow they managed to get things in order and the leagues are more evenly matched...and i love it! Of course, I'm hoping we keep this winning streak going, because the competitive side of me always has more fun with the big WIN.
I play on a team with my sister Tamera. I talk on the phone with all my family way too much, but volleyball season is insane. Tami and I seem to call each other several times a day: "That play where Michelle slammed the ball was phenomenal" or "Amanda's serves were right on all night"...it's like we just re-live each moment and we have to call the other person to remind them what a great time we had and what amazing skills our team has! And it's not just the day after, either...it's all week, until our next game where we have more great moments to talk about. And I can only talk to Kevin about it so much before he starts to tune me out, leaving me in replay mode with excitement, just talking to myself...outloud. So I'm here to share my love for volleyball with all of you, because you should know what gets me excited, and you should know that for the months of November thru February, volleyball consumes my life. So forgive my bragging and future entries about the sport that I oh so dearly love. I am sad to report however, that because of Thanksgiving we do not have our games next week. So until December 5th (can you believe it's almost December...wowzers!) I will be relishing in the moments from last night and hope they can sustain me until we get back on the court. GO BACKSET GIRLS!

20 Months

Rylan is 20 months old today. I started making a list of the words he says, because I don't give him enough credit for how much he is learning. Being around his older cousins I sometimes feel that he isn't learning enough, but when I think about it, my boy is a genius!! So here's the list, that I've added to throughout the day, which makes it likely I've forgotten a word or two:

Up, down, close, off, all gone, shoes, rock, duck, juice, truck, daddy, walk, bath, ball, cracker, toes, uh-oh, bye, banana...
Of course they don't all sound exactly like that, for instance "nana"(banana), "ah gohn" (all gone), "cose" (close), "dews" (shoes, and sometimes juice)...

Body parts he knows: toes, feet, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, belly button (which is of course his favorite). He's still in the phase where he gets Rylan's nose confused with mommy's nose, but at least he knows what a nose is!

Rylan loves, and I mean LOVES to turn the lights off and on. One day I gave in to his whining and put a box under the light switch so he could stand there and turn the lights off and on. Just a few mintues went by until I realized what a horrible waste of electricity that is, so his excitement was cut short. He also loves kicking around the soccer ball. It must be Kevin's influence, but Rylan's got a pretty good kick. His throwing on the other hand...

Rylan's new joy is playing with the dirty laundry. We have one of those laundry organizers where there is a bag for whites, one for lights, and one for darks. Ry likes to climb between the bags and lay underneath on the little mesh "basket". It's much easier on laundry day when the individual bags are empty.

I love this little boy more than he'll ever know. I keep trying to teach him to say "i love you" but I must wait. He just looks at me and smiles. I'll take smile as a loving gesture!

Happy Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my Pops! The greatest dad on the face of the earth. I am so happy to have my dad living only a 7 minute walk from my house. Even though he may never forgive me for lying to him (I didn't really borrow his truck to pick up a dresser...I was getting his cd player installed for his birthday) I know that he's always there ready to help me out. Just in the last year I have created an endless list of ways my father has helped: cutting and laying sod, loaning me his truck, tiling my kitchen (and hey dad, now I'm ready to do the bathrooms!), solving my slow drain issues, building me my very first garden (which gave me an abundance of delicious vegetables), moving us into our house, playing with Rylan (and even having fun!), giving me head and neck massages, feeding me a truckload of Quiznos sandwiches (and I don't think I'll ever be sick of them!), loaning me your tools for all our home improvement projects, having a blast in Hawaii (I'm ready to go back!), buying Rylan his birthday cake for his 1st birthday because I'm a slacker mom and always brush things off as "not a big deal", ...and the list goes on and on. See, isn't he a great dad?

I hope your birthday is full of joy and hopefully even a game of golf. Hole in one, here we come! Oh, and GO BYU!!!

My Little Octopus

We had a great Halloween! We met up at my parent's house to take Ry trick or treating with his cousins. We only went to a few homes when I decided I better get home to hand out candy myself. Rylan wasn't too into the whole trick or treating thing and would throw his jack o lantern on the door step of each house! We came home where Kevin took him on our street. By the time they came back, I tried to look in Ry's pumpkin to see what I could eat, and he threw a fit, afraid I was going to take it away from him. He was ready to go out for more! We went to our neighbor's house for a Halloween party. The kids did a pinata and it took forever. Rylan got 2 pieces of candy in the end, both of which I threw back into the pile for a more grown up kid to enjoy. We left after the pinata to put Rylan to bed. I read Eclipse the rest of the night while Kevin did computer stuff.

Tuesday night I borrowed my dad's truck. I told him we needed to pick up a dresser for Rylan's room. That was a lie. I'm not a good liar, but it worked. On Yesterday morning I took the truck in to the dealership to have them install a new cd/stereo. His old cd player was eating his cd's and he couldn't eject them. Last year for his birthday (November 5th) Tami, my mom, and I gave him a new cd player. Well, we told him we would get him a new one, and we never did! He just wanted another factory stereo in there and it was pretty pricey. So, this ended up being a belated AND early birthday present from the three of us. (Plus I bought the stereo off of ebay to save more money!) So I returned my dad's truck last night, anxious to see what would happen. We put in a bird symphony cd for him to be surprised by...and he was! My mom called this morning to say that my dad was just laughing with excitement. He got in his truck and thought maybe we put in a bird song cassette. He tried to eject the cassette, but nothing was there. So then he though "oh great, they put in a cd and it's going to be stuck in there". He pushed eject and voila...it ejected!! He finally noticed the knobs were brand new and not worn away. He jumped out of his truck and ran inside laughing, asking my mom what was going on. She told him the story and he was thrilled. That made my day :)

Now I'm off to book club...

No Pictures, But Fun

For some reason I always feel like I have to have a picture to post with each entry. Things happen, great things, but I don't write about them because I don't have a picture to prove that it really happened! So here's a post, without a picture, because I just feel like documenting the fun I have.

My sister-in-law, Amy recently celebrated her 30th birthday. We decided to have a girls night out on Friday night, and leave the kiddos home with the daddies. The 5 of us girls set out for a night of scrapbooking. Let me just say that I don't really love scrapbooking, but I DO love spending time with my sisters. And, I love the end result of a scrapbook...my pictures together in one place rather than a shoe box or shopping bag. I've probably mentioned before, my lack of creativity and talent for scrapbooking. I usually copy people's pages, and still, they don't end up as I had hoped. As much as I stressed while scrapbooking (it's hard to sit there next to my sisters who produce these amazing pages) I have not laughed that much in a very long time. We all got together at Archiver's which has a crop mania (or scrap mania, or something like that) on Friday nights from 5-11pm. For a small fee you get to use their tables, die cut machines, stamps...whatever, plus they feed you dinner. And of course you have access to the store where you can charge up a bill throughout the night and then experience shock at the end of the night when you have to actually pay the bill. (Don't worry, my bill was small...I refrained which is easy when you don't know what most of the tools and products are!!). They also give out prizes throughout the night...stickers, stamps, ribbon...So anyways, I just laughed with my sisters and enjoyed every minute of our scrap night. We were by far the loudest group there, and we even worried we would be kicked out or asked to never return again. We were just having so much fun, it's hard to hold back laughter when you get together with such nutty family! I even won the grand prize at the end of the night which was a scrapbooking wallet that I have no idea what I'm going to do with! I just love my sisters.

Yesterday we had a Halloween party with Kevin's family. It was at his parent's house and I was in charge of the food. I asked his mom to make her delicious potato chowder, and I bought some pumpkin shaped bread bowls. I spent Sunday night and all day Monday in the kitchen. I neglected Rylan but he was such a trooper and mostly let me get things done. He helped me with a few things, including shaping the Witches Fingers which turned out so creepy that several people refused to eat them. We also made Mummy Pizzas, Monster Eyeballs, Mummy Toes, Pumpkin Brains, Spider Bean Dip, Spooky Sushi, and the list goes on. Sadly I forgot my camera, but Kev's dad snapped a few photos that I will hopefully be able to post later. I absolutely love food. I don't necessarily enjoy cooking dinner every night, but party food is great! Maybe I just love the reaction, especially from kids..."I dare you to eat the finger" or "Ewww gross, Lukey just ate an eyeball". Isn't it great how every holiday has some sort of food related to it? That must mean that we, as humans, live to eat, rather than eat to live, right?? Ok, ok, maybe it wasn't meant to be that way and through so much enjoyment we have just made it that way. But, oh what fun can be had when people get together to EAT! Aubrey and Mary put together some crafts and games for the kids to keep them occupied and entertained while the adults chatted and relaxed. I think I should have a Halloween party every year.

Rylan just woke up from his nap. From the neglect the last couple days I deemed today Rylan's day. We spent a long time at the park this morning, we read books, played outside...what will he choose now? Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll have fun :)

Miss Kirra Grace

Happy Birthday Miss Kirra Grace with such a sweet face!

We celebrated Kirra's 2nd birthday with a Halloween Party. We carved pumpkins, had a bat pinata, decorated monster cupcakes, and ate some yummy ghoulish food. Kirra (in the middle picture, with the dolly) is such a sweet girl. She takes care of Rylan like he is her own baby doll. She even shared her swedish fish with Ry after which Rylan refused dinner in hopes of getting more fish to stuff in his tummy!

Rylan peeked inside each pumpkin trying to find out where that beautiful light was coming from! Forget the spooky pumpkins, he just wanted the candle.

The kids were hesitant about digging out the pumpkin guts, but one dip inside and they were all for the goo and squish. I'm sure next year they will be hesitant again, until they are reminded of how much fun it is to get your hands dirty in that orange slime.

We are having a Doyle Halloween Party at Kevin's parents house on Monday for family home evening. I'm in charge of the food and I'm very excited. I have some great spooky food recipes that will creep everyone out! Now Kevin and I just have to find costumes. He is working late the rest of the week for the yearly convention, so the costume search is all in my hands.

So I've been caught up in reading the Twilight series. I heard several ladies comment on their love for Edward and I laughed at them. Well, I am madly in love with these books! Edward has captured us all! Not that they are the greatest books ever written, but I find myself reading with a big smile on my face. I've laughed, I've cried, and "one more chapter" is never enough. I will get the third book from the library this afternoon, which means my house will be neglected for the next few days while I curl up in a blanket and let these characters take over my life. Of course that will be after Rylan is in bed and Kevin is working late!

Jump On It

We went to Jump On It with Xango to jump to our hearts content. Well, that's only partially true. I had knee surgery (ACL reconstruction) just one year ago, so I was very cautious. I didn't dare try anything more than I was very comfortable with, and even then I was hesitant. So just a few jumps, a bum war with Kevin, and I was finished. But that wasn't enough to fill the desires in my heart. See, I'm a gymnast at heart, and it was painful for me to see the boundless tricks I could do on these many trampolines, but my physical condition held me back. I haven't even been on a tramp for over a year, but the sight of all these trampolines made me dream of back flips and twists and the many ways the human body can move if we just guide it in the right direction. A whole lot of tears were shed last year when I hurt my knee and was out for the volleyball season. It just didn't seem fair to have that taken away from me. But shrieks of joy have been heard this season at our first practice when my serves were right on and my sets were beautiful. It's okay to brag, right? So even though I couldn't actually jump to my heart's content, at least I'll be able to enjoy the volleyball season!


Kevin sadly has a bum knee as well. He also had his ACL reconstructed a few years ago so we were both just fine hanging out in the "4 feet and under" section watching Rylan. Our knees didn't hold us back from endulging in the pizza and cookies either. It's a good thing we find some enjoyment in food, even if it isn't a lasting pleasure, but more of a stomach ache!


As far as I know, Rylan's knees are great, but he was still our cautious little boy. He tested out the waters before he was brave enough to even stand on the tramp with other people there. He didn't really jump, but rather ran in circles on the tramp with that slight bounce that brought no danger. I take comfort knowing he's so cautious and I hope that in the years to come he'll make sure everything is just as safe before he's willing to try new things. Of course it's good to take risks here and there, but for the safety of my son, I'll encourage this innocent caution he has in him!

So Sad

As soon as Kevin gets home from work, Rylan knows it is time to go outside. He loves working outside with dad. Last night, Kevin was going to return some shovels and pics and other items that he has borrowed from neighbors over the last month. He turned on the hose to spray them down and Rylan was in heaven. He took the hose and even though it was freezing outside, he was having such a great time spraying down the patio and getting himself all wet. Well, since it was so cold, and it was dinner time, Rylan's fun didn't last long enough. Kevin turned off the water so I could take Rylan inside, and Rylan was very very sad.

It's all about Rylan

My life really is all about Rylan. He wakes up shorlty after I wake up...either I make too much noise in the kitchen or he smells breakfast cookin! We spend all day together and I have a brief period in the early evening when Rylan gets his daddy time outside playing in the mud. Of course, that's when I'm cooking dinner so it's not really the "me" time I need some days. Then it's time to feed Rylan dinner, and have quiet time before we read books and sing songs and get in our pj's to be ready to get in bed. I find myself staying up later and later just doing the things I want to do but I don't get to do during the day...watch tv curled up on the couch with my hubby, read a book, scrapbook...Then I get in bed just to share with Kevin all the cute things Rylan did that day and I find myself wanting to get Rylan out of bed to give him one last hug! So, this post is yet again, all about Rylan...

Rylan has been surprising me with new things everyday, so here comes many stories about Ry in the last week.

We were reading "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed". As soon as I got to the page with the doctor (the doctor said "No More monkeys jumping on the bed") Rylan started shaking his finger. I don't think I have ever shook (is that a word?) my finger at Rylan so I guess I must do that when we sing the song or read the book! I started laughing, but continued reading the book. Each time the doctor came up, Ry would shake his finger and laugh. He was so proud of himself for catching on...and of course, so was I!

Second story: We were building block towers. I said "knock it down" and he just looked at me. So I tried to show him and I said "do this" as I made a fist and pretended to knock down the tower. But of course, I made my all too famous sound effect to go with it (which is the sound I make for absolutely everything). So what does Ry do? He makes a fist and makes not one, but two punching motions as well as the exact same sound effect! Of course he didn't knock it down either, but he did just as I asked, I suppose!! Ahhh, I love my boy.

We had soup and sandwiches for dinner the other night. Growing up we often had peanut butter and honey sandwiches with a bowl of soup for Sunday lunch. And the only way I've ever know how to eat a can of campbell's soup, is to dip my pb and honey sandwich in my soup for extra enjoyment! So of course, that's how I ate my soup and sandwich that night. Well, Ry had a bowl of soup with just a piece of bread (still avoiding the pb and honey!). I looked over to see him dipping his bread in his soup, just like mama!

Now, this isn't a story I would usually tell, and I hope I don't have many like this in the future. But I admit, I was laughing pretty hard. Rylan was playing on my bed (as I was trying to make the bed...quite difficult). I took a break (making the bed is hard work!) and laid down next to him. He just started tooting away and he had lots of toots in him. I try to never comment on that stuff but after some time, Ry started to laugh. So of course, I started lauging and I said "You tooted!". Rylan pipes up "TOOT"! But he's still tooting (really, I don't know what he ate to cause this) and suddenly he's pointing at his bum and just giggling. I couldn't help but laugh along with him before taking him off the bed and distracting him with something else. Wow, was it funny though!

On Sunday as we were leaving the Doyle home Mark and Heidi were saying "bye" and Kevin and I were saying "bye"...so there were lots of byes going around. Suddenly Rylan perks up "Bye...bye" while waving goodbye. Kevin and I were so excited because he's never said "bye" before. And Mark and Heidi should feel privileged. Rylan would not say it for Kevin on Monday morning as he was leaving for work. But he practices througout the day saying "b b b bye".

Then yesterday Rylan had his towel wrapped around him after his bath. He'll cover his eyes and slowly peek over and I'll say "peeeeek". But when he moves the towel away fast I'll say "boo!". So yesterday he slowly peeks over and before I say anything I hear a little "peeeeek" and then he giggles and does it again. What a goof!

And my last story, is perhaps a motherly favorite of mine. I was saying a blessing before dinner last night. Usually after we pray and open our eyes, Rylan will start giggling. I tend to think that he thinks we're playing a game with him. Well yesterday after I finished the blessing, I opened my eyes to see Rylan sitting there quietly with his arms folded! CUTE! Kevin said he just folded his hands in front of him and had his eyes open during the prayer (shame on him) and when he saw Ry fold his arms, Kevin decided he should fold his own arms. What a good example Rylan already is!

With all this time I get to spend with Rylan I sometimes wonder if I'm a good enough mom or if I'm able to teach him what's right. It's comforting to see him following in our examples whether it's waving and saying "bye" or folding his arms during a prayer. I know Rylan is such a sweet special boy and he will one day being saying his own prayer and it will bring tears to my eyes.

Isn't being a mother so scary, nerve wracking, exhausting, and overwhelming, yet joyful, peaceful, exciting, and fun, all at the same time?

All Giggles!

I sure do love my little boy! He loves to get the miniature hymn books so sing songs out of. He'll bring me the hymn book, open it up, and wait for me to sing. While I sing he just plays and does his own thing, but as soon as I finish the song, he'll come over, turn the page and wait for me to sing again.


Yesterday I decided to take a picture of him with his little hymn book. As soon as I got the camera out he was all giggles. I just kept taking pictures because every time I would hold up the camera, he would start laughing. We had such a great time and I just had to smother him in kisses over and over again because I just couldn't help myself. Just thinking about it right now brings a smile to my face.

After Kevin got home from work and I finished cooking dinner, I left to go run errands. Rylan stayed home with Kevin to play outside. I was hoping to get home in time to put Rylan to bed, but I didn't. I knew by the time I got home Ry would be sound asleep, and I already missed him! It's not very often that I'm not home when he goes to bed, and I prefer to be the one to put him in his crib. Sure, some days I look forward to bed time so I can have some "me" time, but Ry is such a sweetheart that honestly, most days I enjoy getting him ready for bed and prolonging the process...just one more book, one more song. Funny how I spend all day with him and I just can't seem to get enough of my little guy. I just love being his mommy!

Happy Birthday to Camryn!

Happy Birthday sweet Cam. We love you!

Camryn had her 2 year birthday yesterday. We helped her celebrate at her birthday party by eating cupcake ice cream cones and ice cream. The kids ran around my mom's house like crazies, but that's what they usually do. Poor Camryn tripped and hit her head right on the edge of an end table. It split her lip open and she cried for quite some time. That was the only injury and she seemed much better after she ate her ice cream. I was taking a picture of their little family and she kept pulling down her lip to show off her injury. I guess she wanted it documented for her other grandma to see.

Rylan has been having these screaming fits that last couple days, that actually kind of scare me. He will wake up after napping for an hour, just screaming at the top of his lungs. At first I thought maybe he had a nightmare. But a few times I've gone into his room to get him and there's been a little bit of blood on his sheets. So I thought maybe a very painful tooth just broke through and made his gums bleed. I checked his mouth but saw neither blood nor swollen gums. He's had a cold for the last couple weeks and his lips were dry, so I thought maybe his lips split open and bled a little(?). Well, yesterday I was cleaning the toilet while Ry was playing in the loft. Suddenly I heard screaming and came in to see what was going on...I've never figured it out. This morning on our walk he did it again. He just suddenly started screaming. And he goes stiff as a board which is strange. He'll just lay on the floor, not moving, but just stiff and screaming. I got worried and paranoid that maybe he's in pain (the lump under his arm, maybe?) so I called to talk to a nurse. She said it's probably nothing to worry about, until he goes unconscious (duh). She thought maybe it's his way of getting attention. I don't think so, but obviously I don't know what it is. If it really is just a stage, I sure hope he passes it soon, cause it scares me almost every time.
Other than that life is great and we're just enjoying our day to day life. I love October!

Morning Walks

I'm looking forward to Jana coming back and joining us on our walks in the morning. As many of you moms know, we have lots of time to think during the day. Rylan is a great listener but he doesn't make much of a conversationalist at this time of his life! But I often find myself thinking absurd thoughts and on bad days my thinking isn't the best for my self esteem. Some days, with all this time to think, I can be really hard on myself and what a bad mother/wife/sister/friend, etc. I can be. (But I have to make it clear that not everyday is like that, just the bad days.) I mention that because as many of us know exercise can really clear our minds. It's great to have the adult conversation in the morning, but when I walk by myself, my mind is clear, and my thoughts are ambitious and uplifting and I get home from my walk ready to tackle the day. (Plus I get to listen to my iPod and music can really pump me up!) Take today for example...while walking I made a mental list of the 39 things I wanted to do while Rylan was napping. Now that's ambition for you, because realistically I could probably get only 5 or 6 of those things done during Ry's nap time, and that's if I pick the right ones! And isn't it funny how making a blog entry was not on the list, but here I am doing it?! I'm not sure why I got off on that tangent, maybe it's because I took a picture on our walk this morning and I wanted to post it, so I was thinking about how great my walks have been recently. Plus the beauties of the trail we walk each morning need to be shared. Too bad I'm not a photographer so this picture just doesn't do it justice!

I'm joining the ranks off all the other mother's out there by saying "Why do I need to buy toys for my child when they are happier with the box...or the broom and mop!" Yes, Rylan loves to sweep and he's recently taken up the joys of mopping. It started out when he would want to hold the dust pan when I swept. Now he doesn't even wait for me to sweep...he gets the broom on his own and gets to work. What a great little helper I have!