Thursday, September 27, 2012

13 Month Update

Our baby boy is now 13 months old, and I'm not so sure we can call him a baby anymore since he toddles everywhere he goes! It's so fun to watch him walk, he always looks like he might topple over at any moment and yet he moves so fast!! :)
 
 
So here's a little of what we've been up to this past month.
 
We've had to play inside a little more lately due to some rainy weather, but Ryder doesn't mind since he has so many fun new toys to play with like his ball pit and tent!
 


 
He also gave up his bottle in exchange for a sippy cup and baby food for grown up food like powdered doughnuts! :)
 



 
He's such a happy little guy and has such a fun personality! We think he's pretty awesome, and that he's so smart! When I say, "Let's go to bed," he walks to the steps, climbs up after I open the gate, walks into his room, climbs up in the rocking chair ready for bed! He also goes to the table and sits in his chair while smacking his lips as if he were eating when we ask him if he's ready to eat. He knows that "Go find your toys," means to go to his playroom, and he mimics everything we do like trying to put on his clothes by himself, brush his hair, wear our shoes & his, and brush his teeth.
 

 
It's so much fun watching our little guys learn so much! I just can't believe how quickly time is passing and how much he is changing each day! It's hard to believe that a year ago we were at month one of his life!
 


 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Do You Trust the GPS?

 
A few weeks ago, on our way home from Sunday lunch with my parents and sister, Tyler and I saw two older ladies trying to determine which lane they were supposed to be in, we noticed the out of state plates, and knew they were probably lost. They switched to the left turn lane and then turned on their blinker needing back in our lane, so Tyler being the nice guy, let them back over. We were laughing at the maps they were waving at each other, and their animated discussion, and we began to imagine the conversation they were having in the car. Tyler wondered why they didn't just use a GPS, and I told him that they probably had one but didn't trust it, so they weren't using it. As we moved through the intersection, they were once again switching lanes and changing their blinkers, and that's when I saw it...they did have a GPS! It was right there in the driver's side window, and it was on, but apparently they weren't listening to it. I had a feeling they were looking for the highway, which was just a little further down the road, but as we turned into our neighborhood, I watched them taking the exit to the mall instead. I thought how silly, and that if they had only just listened to the GPS and trusted it to go just a little bit further, they would've found exactly what they were looking for. And then, I realized that I do the exact same thing.
 
 
God has designed and set out His plans for me, and all I have to do is trust Him, but so often I second-guess His map for my life. I take things into my own hands just like those two women, and I switch lanes, swerving all over the place, creating danger for those around me, and sometimes I even take a wrong exit because I think I know better than Him. When I look back at how many times I didn't trust God's plans for me, I think how silly I must have seemed to God and how frustrated and even disappointed in me, He must have been. I can imagine Him saying, "My daughter, this way, follow Me, I won't let you down, just a little bit further. It may not look like what you expected, but I've got it all under control, just trust Me." I'm so thankful that the Lord's mercy is so unfailing and that He forgives me every time I doubt Him and choose my own way. So while those two ladies seemed so foolish to me, I realized that I'm even more foolish, because while they had a GPS that could still get it wrong if it wasn't updated properly, I have a perfect GPS that will never get it wrong, and yet I still tend to doubt Him.
 
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to propser you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 I'm so glad He has the plans, and all I have to do is trust and follow Him!
 
 
 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to crawl back in bed and let the world pass you by, and start fresh tomorrow? I had one of those days today! It all started at 12 a.m. when I was still awake working on a newsletter for our first MOPS meeting next week. I'm not sure why I stayed up so late working on it, I guess I was just anxious to get it done, but it definitely wasn't a good idea since I woke up feeling exhausted, so I was moving quite slowly, which created another problem.

I needed to go downtown today to get fingerprinted for a background check, and Tyler was going to have Ryder visit his office while I ran to the courthouse, but I had to be back by 11:25 for him to leave for an appointment. Unfortunately, my slow-moving self didn't get downtown until 10:55, so I didn't have a lot of time, which would've been fine except that I walked to the wrong building. And that might've been fine too had the man behind the window not yelled at me twice to wait outside, and by outside, I mean literally outdoors for almost 15 minutes while I got to listen to a family yell and use very fowl language as they argued with one another. Turns out the magistrate's office is not part of the courthouse, but rather part of the jail, so you can imagine the folks I got to hang out with while waiting for the angry man behind the two doors and a window to wave me in only to tell me I was in the wrong place. No longer having a babysitter, since Tyler had to leave and not wanting to expose my baby to the clientelle I had the pleasure of meeting, because I didn't want his ears to start bleeding, and being that we were approaching lunch time, we headed to my mom's to help her for a few minutes.

Mom was ever so kind to offer to keep Ryder while I ran back downtown to find the correct door to the courthouse, only I didn't and was sent to three different doors before finally having someone send me to the right door, and I wish I could say they all made up for the first angry man I met, but they were all just as bad as he was. So I was thinking, "Finally, this ordeal is over!" except that when I approached the window and explained what I needed for the fifth time today, the woman said without even looking up, "We stop fingerprinting at 1 o'clock." I was so confused, because it was 12:45 when I parked my car, how could it possibly be after 1 already, and was I going to get a ticket for being parked too long in the 30 minute parking? So I looked up at the clock on the wall, and it read 1:04p.m. SERIOUSLY?!?! I thought this must be some cruel joke, but it wasn't, and she then proceeded to tell me to try going to the county courthouse that was 25 minutes away! UGH! But I really needed it done, so off I went to the county courthouse, and I finally got the fingerprints done, but when I was done, the officer looked at my hands and then towards the bathroom where a tarp was hanging over the entrance and loud banging was coming from inside, and then looked back at me and said, "Ummm, well you can't wash your hands in there, maybe I can find you a rag back in the jail." "Ummm, no thanks! I'll rinse them off in the wate fountain, thanks!" So he kindly brought me a paper towel from the office to dry my hands off, and off I went three hours after I started!

And if that story isn't ridiculous, I can't even relax at home because I learned today that someone lost their 8 foot long pet python four days ago only a few miles from where we live, and it may or may not be pregnant, and the officials have no idea where it could be. Really? My fear of snakes is making me have irrational thoughts of a giant snake hanging from a tree in the backyard or lurking in the bushes by the front door. I keep getting chills and trembling just thinking of it.

What a day! Tomorrow has to be better...I hope!!

P.S. To all those wonderful city officials I met today, please remember that I pay your salary, so try and be a little kinder when I ask you to do your job. I know a lot of the people you meet each day aren't so pleasant to deal with, but that doesn't mean you have to be so unpleasant yourself to everyone you come across, and yes, angry man in the Magistrate's Office you did almost succeed in making me cry, so thanks for brightening my day even more! Also, if anyone needs information on where to find anything at the city jail or courthouse, just ask me, I now know where everything is after my wonderful tour today, but make sure you're there before 1 if you need fingerprints!!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Ryder's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Ryder's first birthday last week. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since our sweet little boy made his entrance into the world. I still remember the moment when I finally laid eyes on him as they placed him on my chest. It's hard to put into words what I felt, but my heart melted, and I was so full of joy knowing that this was our son that I had prayed for and longed for. The love I felt for Ryder was so immediate, and every day since I've fallen more in love with our silly little boy who likes to throw the ball, push his cars around the floor, and climb on anything in sight with his toothy little grin and happy laugh.
 
We're so blessed to have this sweet boy, and we had so much fun celebrating his special day!
 
Ryder opened his first present right after breakfast, since he had a long time to wait until his party!


We love trucks!








Our 1 year old!


Caitlyn was in a volleyball tournament and came between games! They came in first place in the tournament!








Showing off his walking skills!








 Such a special day!!