Ryleigh Says

It's been a while since I've posted some of my funny conversations with Ryleigh. The girl never stops talking and there are lots of great nuggets of hilarity. Here are a few:

"Yeah, she looks like mommy, but mommy doesn't have a time bracelet."
FYI: a "time bracelet" is a watch. Ha ha!

A conversation about why we weren't going to a restaurant for dinner:
Me: "Well, maybe you should get a job and start making some money." (Yes, I actually said that to my child.)
Ry: "No mommy. I am not the maker of monies!"

For some reason she calls the Minions, "Mr. Pibb." I have no idea where she got that, but we think it's hilarious.

In case you're not familiar with the Minions. They're these guys,

She was telling me about the rules of football. Basically, you can hit and tackle people in football because that's the rules, but you can't do that to your friends.
Ryleigh: "I know all about football."
Me: "Oh, you do?"
Ryleigh: "Yeah, I have been watching football for a very long time."
Note: this conversation happened a few days before her 4th birthday.

I also recently downloaded a fun iPhone app called "Little Hoots." It lets you make fun little graphics out of the funny things your kids say.

Talking about her sister, Marin (10 months old).

Finally!

We have a tooth! Well, a tiny little tooth has cut through. Just a little bit. Luckily it doesn't stop her from chowing down. This little one loves to eat!

Summer Horseback Riding

Ryleigh just finished the summer session of therapeutic horseback riding at Cedar Creek. This was her third time participating in the program. We are so lucky to have access to such a wonderful program. She absolutely loves it.

week one

She rode on Latte most of the time this summer. But she did ride on two other horses this summer too. She rode one session with Tali (he's Latte's son) and one with Nejam. Latte was her horse last summer and she really likes her. She has braids in her mane.

Here are a few photos from her last session this week:

week eight

Ron was a volunteer side walker for the session.
It was a hard work, but a lot of fun that he got to be with Ryleigh for most of the sessions.

she looks like such a big girl!

One of the last things they did this week was do a little jump over the rail. Most of the time they do this at a walking pace so the horses mostly just step over it. This time they tried it at a trot. Ryleigh and Latte did a great jump! And I managed to get it on video:

We're already looking forward to next summer!

Marin at Nine Months

Our sweet little babe is nine months old already!

She weighs 18 lbs, 10 oz (57th percentile) and she's 26.75 inches long (16th percentile). She's a little shorty!

She's crawling like a boss. Now she's working on pulling up, but she can't quite figure out how to get her feet under her. Clapping is one of her favorite things to do. She's ticklish and has the cutest giggle when you get her going. She started saying "mama," and even though lots of things are "mama" it still melts my heart.

No teeth yet, but she's working on some. (Has been for a while). I hope they come in soon.

We skipped baby purees and went straight to self-feeding finger foods. She's a really good eater and super independent - she doesn't want you to feed her AT ALL. Cheerios are a favorite and she gets pretty excited to see that yellow box.

At times it has been tough adjusting to life with two little people, but our sweet girls are worth it.

Sisters are the Best!

Here's a little sister silliness I caught on video last week. These air pacs, though I'm sure they warn to "keep away from children" are a fan favorite in our house!

Summa Time!

It was pretty warm with about 187% humidity this weekend. I think it's safe to say summer is here in mid-Missouri. If it ever stops raining we might get to the pool...or mow our lawn. But for now we just decided to improvise. Ron had to go to an event for work on Saturday, so the girls and I made the most of the sunshine and had a "water day" in the back yard. The sandbox that grandma Kim gave Ryleigh for her birthday doubles pretty well as a pool. The girlies had a great time!

Marin is convinced that her big sister is the coolest, funniest person on the planet. Here's a little video of her laughing at her big sis spraying the hose (and then trying to eat my phone):

Ryleigh wasn't even really doing anything that cool; she was just using the hose to fill up a bucket. She definitely has an adoring fan.

Conversations About Bears

Last night we went on a walk through the wooded area near our house. Ryleigh and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Ry: "What if there was a bear in the woods?"
Me: "Bears don't really live around here."
Ry: "But what if they did?"
Me: "I don't know, because they don't"
Ry: "Where do bears live?"
Me: "Far away from here, in the mountains. Let's just be quiet for a while and enjoy our walk."
Ry: "But mommy I need to talk..."
<brief pause> 3...2...1...
Ry: "But, what if a bear came out of the woods and bit my arm like this?" (grabs her wrist) "Can you imagine that? What would you do?"

Ry was cheesing and I told her she could just relax and she didn't have to smile. So, we ended up with this.

Marin at Six Months

Marin had her 6-month checkup yesterday. She's doing great! She's had some skin issues and we've been seeing a dermatologist, but her rash is mostly cleared up now. 

She weighs 15 pounds and is 25.2 inches.  

just waiting for dr. monsees

yummy toes!

PS: Babies getting shots is the worst. They make mommy hold baby's arms down while they poke her. So, so sad. Luckily she cheered up pretty quickly with some snuggles. 

Scenes from Our Weekend

We had a pretty low-key weekend at home, but we still managed to have a little bit of fun.

this happy little girl turned 6 months old

big sister being a big helper.
you can't see it but ryleigh's shirt says "super sister"

being silly

Some of my favorite Ryleigh quotes from the weekend:

"Mommy Katherine, you go to your room!"

"Mommy, you know how I'm feeling? I'm feeling sad because you won't let me make the pancakes with you."

"Thanks for helping me make dinner, mommy. I made the dinner and you helped."

See a theme here? Three year-olds are FUN!

Another Beautiful Weekend

Oops, I wrote this post a few days ago, but didn't publish...

This past Sunday was beautiful and sunshiney. Ryleigh wanted to go out and play tennis. We obliged, but we didn't really know that we have a mini John McEnroe on our hands. Rackets and tantrums were thrown, people. I guess she just thought she was going to go out there and tear up the court like Serena Williams or something.

don't be fooled; she's about to throw down that racket and start crying

and this cutie face just hung out and napped

Wheelchair tennis is a thing: 

I think we'll get her a kid-sized racket and keep practicing. Maybe she'll play at Wimbledon some day.

Spring is Here (Maybe)

We had a great 60 degree weekend here in Missouri. Spring is in the air!! We managed to get out and enjoy some time outside blowing bubbles and swinging at the park. Ryleigh had been home sick from school Thursday and Friday and I think the fresh air did her a lot of good.

don't be fooled; she was being pretty crabby right before i took this picture

And just a reminder what we were doing LAST weekend... 6 days ago:

Not that I'm complaining. Ha ha!

Marin started rolling over from her back to her belly this weekend too. The problem is once she gets there she can't quite figure out how to get back. And boy does she get mad!

And while she's getting mad, mommy takes her picture. ;-)

The Sweetest

I was going through some of the photos and videos on my phone and came across this gem from December.

It is just the sweetest thing how Ryleigh dotes on her baby sister. I hope they are always close.

Snow Day

We had an unexpected snow day on last Monday (Presdent's Day). We didn't really get a ton of snow, but Mizzou decided to close campus so our daycare closed too. Ron already had the holiday off. I think we took advantage of the extra day. Ryleigh LOVED going out to play in the snow! I had gotten her some snow pants for Christmas and I was starting to get worried that she wasn't going to have a chance to wear them.

before

during

meanwhile, marin and i stayed warm and toasty inside

after (still smiling)

Ron hates the cold and snow, but he was a good sport about it since Ry was having so much fun! They came in and warmed up with some hot chocolate and Teddy Grahams. 

Four Months Old

Marin had her 4 month checkup yesterday. She did great. We even had to wait for the doctor for 30+ minutes. She was still happy and giggling. She's up to 13 lbs 13 oz and is 24 inches long. :)

she looks like she's posing

"oh, i'll just chew on this while we wait"

Blog Reboot

Hello! Well, it's been a year since I posted on this blog. WOW, a whole year! We had a lot of big changes in 2014. Ron and I both changed jobs. I'm still at Mizzou, but moved to the School of Medicine advancement office. Ron switched gears and started working for a non-profit organization here in Columbia. But, by far the biggest change was welcoming a new member to our family.

At this point there may not even be anyone out there reading this, but one of my goals for 2015 is to start posting again. Much easier said than done with two kids and a busy job. I've told myself that every post doesn't have to be a dissertation (I think that was part of the hold up). So, there will probably be mostly short posts.

So here we are, the first official post of 2015 with some photos from 2014.

January

February

working hard on her class valentines

March

fort walton beach, fl

April

May

June

July

August

third birthday!

 September

daddy wagon

 October

meeting for the first time. LOVE this!

marin elizabeth rowe - 10.11.2014

big sister

one week old

November

December

"mommy, take my picture with my sister!"

Happy New Year! We're looking forward to a great 2015!!