Happy Birthday Ryleigh

Morning she was born.
First Birthday Photos

2nd Birthday Party

Happy Birthday dear sweet princess.

I can not believe that its been 2 years since that wonderful COLD day in January that you came into this world. That day (it was actually Jan 29 that we went to the hospital) lasted forever. We never thought we were going to get to go the hospital! We ended up shopping at Macon Mall before they eventually called us. We were actually at Gymboree shopping. We went to the hospital and everyone waited patiently. Me, your daddy, Barbie, Pop, Cody, Nanny, Kathy, Grandmomma Pat and Granddaddy Benson, Grandmomma Joan and Granddaddy Don were all there. Also were Nedra, Kim, and Dannette. Reita and James were there as well for some of the time. Everyone wanted to see you!

You did take your sweet time coming. I guess we should have seen it as a sign of you doing life at your own time. You are that way today, you want it when you want it, and then not five mins earlier or later.

You are head strong, sweet as a button, and have the most precious smile I have ever seen. I did not know I could love something as much as I love you. Even at your worst moments (you know those screaming fits you throw???!?!) you are the light of my life. All you have to do is smile and you melt my heart.

You are growing up so fast. You are going to potty, you are dressing yourself, your vocabulary is growing daily. You love to color and do your puzzles, you are such a smart little girl. You love your doggies -- both of them equally unlike some people who have favorites. You love to play in your kitchen. You want to always get in the pool or play outside. You love to play in my make up and do your hair. Bathtime is and has always been fun and one of your favorite times of the day.

Oh how I love you so!

Ryleigh's 2nd Birthday Party

Wow! What an adventure! I think it is going to take us a week to recover. When it comes to our daughter, no one can argue how truly blessed we are by having such good and close family and friends. Family and friends who shower our precious child as their very own!

Ryleigh wanted a Mickey Mouse (aka MOUSE) party. Her cake was a Mickey Mouse cake that was absolutely delicious, even though its not what we ordered. A little of a touchy subject…. But it all turned out well.

Allison helped make some of the food and the WONDERFUL Rice Krispie Treats. She even did Mickey Mouse with dipped ears! Thanks a lot Alli. I will give you the credit even if Ryleigh gives it all to Eric! :)

My mom came down Friday night to help us prepare! Thank goodness!

Our menu consisted of: Chicken Salad Croissants, Grill Cheese Sandwiches (for the kidos), Chili, Chips and dip, Cheese Its (I will post recipe because I know several people want it), Rice Krispies and CAKE!

Ryleigh’s actual birthday is not until the 30^th. (I will post that day as an update) so this post is strictly party. All Ryleigh has talked about since before Christmas is a bike. If we see someone on the road or in the neighborhood riding a bike, we hear about it forever. “I want bike.” Well we ‘took a test ride’ at toys r us at Christmas and decided to wait because she just wasn’t ‘big’ enough. I knew she was getting a helmet from someone but did not think it was ‘time’ yet. Well she has had a fit (well not really a fit but went a little crazy) each time we go to walmart and go by the bikes. So we decided at the last minute to get her a tricycle.

After a very long day yesterday and a very long late nap, when she finally woke up she was cuddling with her daddy and said “momma, hehe I got a bike”. That was enough for me to know we did the right thing! J

Well enjoy the photos, More later in the week!

Cheese It Recipe

½ cup of oil

1 T Dill

1 t garlic powder

1 t celery salt

1 pk of ranch dressing mix

Mix all ingredients in a gallon baggie. Add 1 box of cheese its. Shake well, put in fridge for 3 hours. Serve. I think the fridge just helps set the oil. You know it has to be easy for me to make it :)

Update... Okay Its been too long....

Okay. So its been a while… and yesterday I was called out so here is a post. The last month (has it really been a month since I posted?) has flown by. We have all had our rounds of sicknesses and tests. This may be the reason I am finally getting to post, because I am home sick with a sinus headache….again…. and I am thinking COME ON I am still on the antibiotics (for like 2months straight now) WHY do I have a killing headache? It is feeling a little better – hopefully much better by the time JB and Ryleigh get home.

So Christmas --- Wow! Spending time and seeing family that we do not get to see enough was great. Ryleigh on Christmas morning was so much fun! I am not feeling like posting pictures here so you can go to dial.phanfare.com to see them. Christmas day Momma , Jeff, and Cody came down for lunch (Jared was on Call) later that afternoon JB’s mom and dad came. And a few days later Daddy and Joan came. Ryleigh got so much stuff! I am not sure of her favorite right now, however, we are doing puzzles constantly and vacuuming the floor if we are not doing puzzles.

Christmas night we went to see Christmas Lights in Yonkers (apparently this is a community in the middle of mo where on 247). Well the family has a ‘compound’ that is covered in lights. Story has it that their little boy was very ill (cancer maybe) and wanted to see how many Christmas lights could be put up, well it has grown each year. (See the photos on dial.phanfare.com) Ryleigh was in wonderland at all the LIGHTS!!!

For new years we went to Milledgeville to see some old friends and had a blast. Ryleigh spent the night with The Rogers aka Tricia, Robert, and the boyz. She had lots of fun as well! Apparently they kept her up to all hours of the night partying hard because she slept FOREVER when we picked her up.

Back to school we went, or to the babysitters in her case. IT was a very productive break, however not very restful !We are in full swing for planning her second birthday party. I can not believe she will be 2 soon.

In other news, over the break we booked “Nanny’s Birthday Adventure”. This year we have decided to go on a cruise for her birthday and Bobo decided to join us. We are leaving from Orlando going to Bahamas and back to Orlando from March 12-15. So we are COUNTING down to that – or I guess I am counting down to that. It will be Nanny & Bobo, Momma, Kathy, Peggy, Betty, Jessica and Ashleigh. Should be full of adventure…… all I know is I WILL NOT BE DRIVING….. as this adventure is when I got my speeding ticket last year.

My classes started last Tuesday, as well as my reading endorsement class that I am doing through RESA. I was not ready for my Southern classes to start but know the sooner they start, the sooner I will be finished. I also know that the sooner they start the sooner the celebration for finishing Disney trip will arrive !
Well that’s all for now!
Hopefully I will be a better blogger and not take a month to post next time.

Santa's List...He's checking it twice

Go check out who made the nice list... ummmmm...

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/37982-jekadial/

Fall Classes

Well my fall classes are over. WHOOOO HOOO!!!

I ended up "officially" with 2 A's and 1 B. However, in my book its 3 A's. One teacher counts 92 and below a B. Well I had a 91. So he posted a B, but I count it as an A. So I am going to pat myself on the back :)

Disney On Ice

MICKEY MOUSE

Wow! The excitement! The squeals! The laughter!

We can NOT wait until Thanksgiving next year where we get to experience the real thing

(we go to Disney next year for the week of Thanksgiving)

I was very hesitant in getting us tickets because I was unsure how Ryleigh would react to watching a performance. I did not want her to be ill and disrupt everyone else around her. I finally decided to bite the bullet. I thought she would enjoy it and we were going to give it a shot.

When researching tickets I found the had what was called “VIP” seats. Didn’t really know what “VIP” meant but hey it was 10 dollars more, might as well get those right? All I could tell from the ticket seating chart, was the VIP were ‘center court’ and first two rows.

The day finally came. We have been talking about it off and on for a few months. Really talking it up big the last week or so. My heart would be broken if she didn’t enjoy it or even worse, was scared of Mickey! We got ready, we went to Macon – first with a pit stop at the hospital to see a friend who had a baby – and we were finally at the Centerplex. (or I think that is what it is called).

We get in and through the field of sells booths. Finally to the actual arena for lack of a better word. I see rows of seats, on the ice…. Actually on the ice. I look at JB and say I think those are our seats. He said no way. Well we talked to one of the people who points you to your seats and he pointed us that way! Ryleigh was getting more excited by the minute. Mickey was everywhere. She even pointed out “rella” as we were coming in. I didn’t even know she knew who Cinda’rella’ was. Chance would have it we ran in to some friends coming in, Ryleigh’s babysitters daughter who is in kindergarten, Big RyLeigh. She ended up sitting five seats down from us.

Even with our seats on the ice, which one of the workers told us was 14 degrees, it wasn’t too cold. I brought our coats and gloves and had Ryleigh in tights and pants, but never got cold. I guess the padding they had on top really worked!

We could not have had a better view. Everything happened right in front of us. I determined when we got there, I was really glad I spent the extra 10 to get the VIP seats. Ryleigh did wonderful during the show, only getting upset for about 5 mins right after intermission when she had to sit back down, but then Mickey came back out and all she could say was ‘mo’ ‘mo’ ‘mo’.

Here are a few pics. We have a few more on my camera. We will get those off tonight!

Ryleigh and I in our seats

The VERY IMPORTANT light wand, it has "Rella" on top.

The center stage.

Ryleigh and Big Ryleigh

Pluto


Alice

The Monkey and their "hineys". Ryleigh thought it was hilarious that they had hineys!
Mickey and Minnie - Ryleigh has now started to differentiate between the two, they are now Minnie and Mickey, not just Mouse.

Ryleigh - happy at the show!

Off Visiting

Ryleigh is off visiting her Grandma Pat and Granddad Benson for the night (or two) so I have so much planned to do. Yea, planned is the right word.

The reason I am out of bed at 11 am (on the dot) is to take some medicine. I am sick as a dog! Why do I keep getting the sinus crud. One whole side up my head is clogged. Needless to say, I am glad Ryleigh isn't here because all I want to do is sleep.

Our goal for today is to get the Tree from the local Tree seller. First we have to clean the den and move Ryleigh's table (as it is in the tree location). We want to get the tree up with lights before Ryleigh's return tomorrow afternoon. First I thought it was cruel and unusual punishment to do the tree without her, after a little thinking I believe it would be just that to me by waiting on her. So I compromised and said we will put the lights on without her as this is the most tedious job -- and her help wouldn't be quite that might i say 'helpful'. Then tomorrow when she gets home she can put the ornaments on.

So lets see how much we get done today. I am off to sleep a little more :(

The Weekend with the Harpers

Me, My Aunt Kathleen, Ryleigh, My Cousin Katrina

So we had it planned, planned for months (several months) we had a schedule, a detailed, very detailed schedule. Remind me to never plan and schedule again…. You just get your hopes up!

Our second annual (and incidentally Ryleigh’s second Christmas) outing with the Harpers was this past weekend. We had planned on doing Christmas at Stone Mountain. The whole nine yards. Katrina had a detailed (did I mention very detailed) schedule planned for us so we did not miss anything we wanted to do. It rained. It rained and It rained some more.

So after some quick (in order to stay dry) thinking we decided to go to Lenox, see the Pink Pig and Santa and just enjoy time together. We met Jared at Bass Pro in Macon (because if anyone knows what the GA map looks like its easier (faster etc) for him to meet us in Macon from Covington instead of going straight to McDonough) and headed on out.

Once there, and after everyone finished moaning about the rain and not being able to go to Stone Mountain we headed to Lenox.

First item at hand, Priscilla (as she used to be called), The Pink Pig. For those of you who do not know. The Pink Pig is an Atlanta landmark (at least at Christmas). Way back when (according to the people we were with –haha) it on top of Rich’s Downtown, and part of it was even outside for a few secs to go around the Tree. It debuted in 1953. I remember it from the Festival of Trees and Cody riding it. Anyway you can view more at pink pig…. Back to the adventure!

Ryleigh rode the Pig….and wanted to again. I should have listened to Katrina who said ‘doesn’t she want to go twice’ while we were buying tickets…. Truth be known. We were with a ‘closet pink pig addict’ Well wait a min, a ‘closet addict’ hides the addiction… Katrina is just a Pink Pig Addict. She wanted to ride twice.

Ryleigh and I at the Pink Pig in ATL

Jared sporting his new Vera Bradley BookBag

After buying a few Pink Pig memorabilia, we headed off to Santa. Oh were we excited. Ryleigh was too (really I swear)! That is until we got to be the next up. Then we broke down. I think the photos say enough. Now she looks at them and says “ho ho – Ryleigh cry”. Go figure….

Ryleigh Before Santa

Afterward, we shopped, (window mostly) and ate supper then It was time for Dessert. Cookie Factory of course. Low and behold, guess what Ms. Ryleigh wanted and avidly told the person she wanted… the Santa cookie.

Well we had fun, that is all that matters! Hope you enjoy the pictures. And if you are around Lenox…. Go RIDE THE PIG!

This is the 'actual' ordered photo

Santa tried HARD!