Never say Never!!!!

That's all I'm gonna say about that....

It's hot and my hair is soaked...

For those of you who don't know me well...I have been blessed with the "sweating at the least bit of movement" family gene. I am very hot natured so it doesn't take much for me to be hot. So today it's only 4:00 and I'm completely soaked for the third time...as in my hair looks like I just got out of the shower. Granted, I was just at a local indoor jumping place but still, it's so embarrassing to look like I'm dirty and sweaty.


Trisha and I decided to take the kids to Jump City. Since I have a little boy who can't climb the stairs to go up the big slide, I have to go with him and carry him up there. There were too many big kids there. We'll go again when school starts...maybe he'll be able to climb by himself in a couple of weeks. He trips me out b/c he thinks he's as big as the others. He walks all over the place like he knows what to do. He's so funny...

It's Friday!

Almost Friday, as I type this post. James has been gone all week and he'll be home tomorrow. This is week 3 and we have about 3 weeks left of him working out of town. Several people have asked how Ryland and I are doing. We are doing fine, but I miss my best friend. The evenings are lonely when I have no one to talk to. This September, we'll celebrate our 10 year anniversary. In October, it will be 17 years we've been together. Yes, we starting "going together" when we were young and though I don't agree with being serious that young, God had plans for us and kept us out of trouble. We've been together longer than we haven't and I consider myself very blessed to have James.

Sidenote.....Ryland will NOT have a girlfriend until he's 20. :) :) :)

Wedding Update---I went with Marianne to try on dresses. We found one for me and I have very little time to lose weight. BUT.....my friend Trisha is going to watch Ryland for me so I can go work out! Thanks girl!!!!

Busy

It was a busy weekend! Ladies night out on Friday, James played golf on Saturday and I had a Bachelorette party on Sunday. All 3 events were a lot of fun!

James is back at work this week. He'll be there for probably a couple more weeks. I really have alot of respect for military families and single parent families. It's not hard for me since Ryland is little and we just have one child, but for those that have several children, I can't imagine how busy they are without any downtime.

Last night I had dinner with my dear friend, Vickie. We stayed at the resturaunt for a long time, but there were empty tables all around so we didn't feel bad. It was so good to talk to her and spend time laughing at silly stories.... They are pursuing the adoption route since the statistics are that any more children they would have could have a 1 in 4 chance of having the disease that Emma had. I am praying that God is preparing the perfect baby for them. Love you VM!

As far as the weight thing goes, I did lose some weight last week, but going out to eat and overdoing it brought them right back. I have GOT to get to exercising!

I guess that's it for now! Have a good week!

Saturday

Well, another week is gone and it's Saturday! James is back home, even though at the moment he is golfing with some friends today. Our friend, Andy, is getting married next week and the guys are hanging out today.

I went to our Sunday School's ladies night out at Olive Garden last night. I had a good time and enjoyed some time to myself. James and Ryland had a guys night out and went to a local fish store and then McDonald's to eat dinner.

I am glad swim lessons are over. Now we just need to continue practicing in our pool.

Have a good weekend!

79 days and counting....

until my brother's wedding. He is finally going to tie the knot! I have been asked to be in the wedding as the Matron of Honor. Sooooo...guess what that means? I have 79 days to lose some of this weight. What a great pressure that is! I lost 30 pounds before and I know I can do it but I am going to come on here for some accountability. So what I ask for is encouragement, PLEASE!!!

I'll let you know how my progress is going. I may or may not post pics. We'll see.....

Thanks in advance!!!!

I think I can, I think I can.....

Ish...Ish

That's Ryland talk for "fish". He loves fish!!! We showed him some in Walmart and now he loves them. We talked about maybe getting him a small tank. We took him to some of the other fish stores and he loved looking at them and waving. He really liked the frogs too. So, it looks like we'll be getting some fish soon.

Yesterday, I put Ryland down for a nap and he was crying. I asked him what he wanted and he said "ish, ish". I told him we would go see the fish when he got up from night-night. He finally went to sleep and as soon as I went to get him from his bed, he started right back up with it. I really thought he would forget....that little booger has a good memory. So, knowing I had to be true to my word, we loaded up and went to Walmart. Let me say that James is in Spartanburg this week so anything to take up time is what I'm going for here. :) We got to Walmart and went straight to the fish. He watched and counted and said bye-bye to them. It's really sweet to see him 'talk' to the fish. Here are some pics of Ryland and the "ish".

Ryland's 18 month appt.

Ryland went to the doctor for his 18 month appt. After hearing that today is the 15th, I realized that he is 19 months today! Time is going so fast! He did really well. He didn't cry as much as he normally does. He let Dr. B listen to his heart/lungs and check his ears/eyes/throat. I was so proud of him. He did have to get a shot but the nurse that did it gave it to him so fast, I was amazed. He cried for a minute and then was saying "bye-bye". He wanted to get out of there fast!!! I let him have a lollipop on the way home, so all was well with the world.

Here are his stats:
Weight - 23# 13oz - 15th percentile
Height - 32 inches - 65th percentile!!!!! He's been in the 10-15th percentile since he's been born.

He got a clean bill of health and we talked about potty training. He is doing really well with it. I don't have any expectations for him right now. If he does it great, if not....that's fine too!
Overall...a good visit!

Swimming updates

Okay, we're almost done with swim lessons and then I can quit posting about them. :) Ryland is doing really well. He still doesn't like Mrs. T, but he will swim to her and come right back to me. We went swimming on Saturday and he did great! He is having issues with being underwater and kicking his feet. Once he can connect the two, he'll be swimming. I took him yesterday and he wasn't feeling it... He was very adamant about not doing anything so after about 30 mins we decided to go home.

He should be graduating this week! He'll even get a ribbon!

Here are some pics from Saturday. Enjoy!

Swimming day 4...

....went great!!!!!! Ryland did so good today. He did cry, but only when Mrs. T had him. He was laughing and clapping by the end of the lesson.

James is coming home tomorrow! Yea!

My parents are back from their beach trip after a long day at different airports. Ryland sure did miss them!

I'm tired and going to go to bed.....

Swimming Day 3

Well.....let's just say we started out not so great. When we got there, he just sat in my lap not making a peep. Then as soon as I told him to go to Mrs. Teresa, he started crying. I actually went home to get my swim suit and when I got back and I held him in the water, he did the same thing(uncontrollable crying). We decided to call it quits and come back after he calmed down. So off we went back to the house for a much needed nap. After the nap, I took him back and just he and I got in the water. He did great!!! I tried to make it fun by chasing leaves in the water. Whatever works, right? As soon as Mrs. T got in the pool, here come the waterworks. BUT...he did stop whenever I held him. By the end of the lesson, he was swimming to the stairs and sitting down and clapping. He did SO much better today.

On to tomorrow...swim day 4.....

By the way, James is in Spartanburg this week and we are missing him dearly!!!!!! Love ya babe!

My day.....

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. I really enjoyed my day. My mom and I went to get our nails done. I got a manicure and a pedicure. Those of you who know me well know that I don't really enjoy going and getting my nails done, but I like the finished product. Anyway, now I have pretty nails. I even splurged and got a flower each of my big toes! Afterwards, I went to Kohls by myself to shop. I bet I spent 2 hours in there. I love to shop by myself b/c I'll pick out several items and then at the last minute I play the "what do I really want to buy" game. I walk all over the store returning things to their original racks and usually end up buying things I didn't have to start with. Crazy, I know....but when you have adult ADD, that's the things you do. Afterwards, I went to an office supply store and bought a nice pen. I collect pens and I like to get new ones for different occasions. Once again, yes, I know I'm crazy. Last night, James and I went to Outback for dinner. I love that place and the only time we go is when we go out of town, usually to Destin. My mom watched Ryland for us, so James and I went to a couple of stores b/c I am out to find the perfect purse for me. Still looking.....

All in all, it was a great day....

Swimming day 2

Ryland and I went to his Day 2 swim lessons yesterday. More of the same. He cried the entire time. He starts as soon as he gets in the water. He is showing alot of progress. Mrs. Teresa showed me how he was putting his head underwater before she has to. He is doing great! James and I got in our pool yesterday evening to "practice". He loves it! He holds James's hands and jumps off the ladder and go under. He is doing great!

Today we don't have lessons b/c of the holiday. James and I took him out in the water again and he's doing great. He's very relaxed in the water. I am so impressed with his progress. Here's a video from today.

Swimming Day 1....

We didn't count the first time we took Ryland to his swimming lessons as day 1 b/c he was there for 20 mins and we decided to leave.

The next morning, Ryland and I went over to Mrs. Teresa's house again for our official Day 1 of lessons. Guess what??? He cried the entire time again. I told him bye-bye and went inside the house to watch. He cried the entire hour. The only time he didn't cry was when he was under water. His "friend" Gavon cried the whole time too so I didn't feel too bad.

Here are some pics of the first night with Ryland and James. I don't have pics of the first full day of lessons.

Ryland's swimming lessons

Well, yesterday we took Ryland for his first swimming lesson. He cried the ENTIRE time. James was in the pool with him and he still cried. He didn't want to go to Miss Teresa at all! We actually decided to go ahead and leave since he was so upset and she had a ton of kids there. So we made arrangements for Ryland and me to go today. Well, true to himself, he cried the entire time again. This time I went inside and watched out the window of her house. He cried and she'd try to calm him and he wouldn't listen. She had another little boy there, a 2 year old and he cried too, so I didn't feel so bad. The only time he didn't cry was when she would put him underwater. We go tomorrow morning again and then next week.

More to come on the drama of the swimming lessons....

Faith

James and I went to the lake this past weekend to attend a friend's birthday party. We had a good time, even though it was hot! Ryland had a blast. We've been camping with these 9 or so families for several years now. So they've been able to see Ryland grow and it's like extended family when we get together. Anyway, James and Ryland were playing around and I was taking pictures. When I took this picture, I instantly thought of Faith and an illustration came to mind. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ, we put our life in His hands. He is what holds us up, not ourselves or others. We should live in a way that we can reach toward the sky and know that our Father has us, He'll never let us go. I love the excitement on Ryland's face. He knew his daddy wasn't going to let him go. I pray that I can have that kind of faith in ALL circumstances.