I Ain't Here For A Long Time, I'm Here For A Good Time...

As the song says, we have had a great time over the past few weeks. A lot has happened and we know that we have been slacking in the blog update department, so we thought that we would just throw all of them into one BIG one!! So without further adieu, here we go!

First off, for Father's Day, we went up to the big 'D', and yes I do mean Dallas. We went for several reasons. First reason, Alisha's good friend Staci and her husband Corbin, recently had their baby boy, Aven. We had a gift for him that we have been meaning to send but due to our busy schedules, we kept forgetting. So while in Dallas, we thought it would be a great opportunity to go and see the little guy. The crazy thing is that when they first met Reece, she was about the same age as Aven was. It was so neat to see him and his mom and dad. Alisha sure does miss being around Staci, and when we get the opportunity, we try and see them when we can. Alisha and Staci had a blast getting to be moms together. It was a great visit. Off to the next event!! Reece had her cousins first birthday party to attend. Abby had her birthday party at her house in Dallas. It was a fun time, great food and great company. Here Reece and Alisha were posing for a picture. If anyone thinks they don't look alike, then they are blind. Look at those eyes!! Papa A getting the good with Reece. Here Alisha is giving him the 'scoop' on how much our little girl LOVES water. And here is all three of the newest cousins sitting together. It is amazing how much you can see their personalities with just this picture. It was very difficult for Reece to sit still, because no matter where she is, she wants to explore and move around. She really does give us a workout everyday. LOL! And of course, when swimming, everyone needs their Wubba-Nub.

And here Reece is with her GiGi. She loves her GiGi and her GiGi loves her. And then when we got back from Dallas, later in the week, we went out to dinner with Reece's Poppa. Here Reece is with me (Ryan), and Poppa (my dad). It was a great dinner, and a difficult picture taking moment. We took about 20 different pictures and this is the best one. Reece is a squiggle monster. June 23 was Alisha's birthday. She turned 30 and decided that she would embrace the 30's and be fabulous. We have been working out together for about a month now and the results on Alisha are awesome. She feels better, her fibromyalgia is getting better, and the energy we both have sure does help with our little girl. A BIG special thanks goes out to Reece's Tia B and Uncle Luke. We all appreciate the help for us to get where we want to be. We are all looking forward to the next months ahead.

So on Friday night, we went out to Benihana for Alisha's birthday. What Alisha didn't know is that Ashley and Chris Petersen, aka. GiGi and Uncle Crispy, were joining us for dinner. On our way home, Alisha and I were talking that this was the very first time that the four of us have ever been out by ourselves. We had no children. It was amazing food and amazing company. It was a great night celebrating Alisha's entrance into the thirties.
Again, thank you Nonni and Poppa for watching Reece. We appreciate it so much and Reece loves the time she gets with you guys.

Then on Saturday, we went to Mountasia Family Fun Center to celebrate Joey's birthday which was a little over a week ago. Reece was not feeling so good, but she, like many times before, was a trooper. You can see it in her eyes that she was out of it, but she managed to pose for a few pictures. Here I am giving my little girl a kiss on the cheek hoping she feels better.

And here Reece is getting her bottle with her Nonni. There is just something about grandmothers that puts every grandkid at ease.

And here we are. Our happy little family wishing everyone a great upcoming week, a great summer, and a happy July 4th.
WE ARE HERE FOR A GOOD TIME!!!

The Nine Month Results

So after visiting the doctor on Friday, we were informed that our ears are beautiful. All clear and no sign of an infection. This was good news as we were all crossing our fingers hoping for a good report. Our little girl is all smiles when she is not being poked and prodded. She was so happy to see her doctor, that is until the doc decided to stick the ear thing in her ears, then I, Ryan, had to hold her down so we could see inside. Then came the one thing that I think all of us can relate to... The throat check. I, for some reason don't know why someone has not come up with a flavored tongue suppressor. I mean, you would think after all the years of children gagging and choking on those awful pieces of wood, that some one out there would think, man, I think a flavored one of those would work. I guess it is up to me to come up with the prototype. Anyways, back to the results of the check up. We weighed in at 28.25 inches long, 19 lbs. 8 oz., and a head 17.5 inches around. We are pretty happy with those results. We are sitting around the 72 percentile right now, but at the rate Reece is growing, we might be moving on up.

9 Months Old!

Well we have made the 9 month mark. As you can see from the picture, she is happy to be here. She loves sticking her tongue out and making noises with her mouth. We had a rough stretch over the past couple months with ear infections and teeth that weren't quite through the gums. Well, we have great news. We have 4 teeth and no ear infections!!!

Another great bit of news, we have taken our first unassisted first step. We have been working at this ever since Reece was born. Seeing that I (Ryan), started walking when I was 10 months old, we have been trying to get Reece to beat that record, and by the looks of it, she just might do it. We go in for our 9 month check up on Friday, so we will post weight, length and what percentile she is in. Stay Tuned...

Memorial Day

This weekend we went to "Aunt Linda's" house to enjoy a little rest and relaxation. The past few weeks have been very busy and we all really needed a break! Aunt Linda's house was the perfect place for it. We hung out with Gigi, Uncle Chrispy, Scarlett, Ella, Mawl, uncle Jim and Kristin. We had so much fun. The boys floated the river and we all took the babies to the pool.
In the last few weeks Ryan has taken his finals, taken and passed his test to get his Insurance License, and I have transferred to a new job location closer to home (finally not driving over an hour to and from work everyday)! That was all so crazy that we are looking forward to a much less crazy summer we hope!!!!

Mother's Day

So, for Mother's Day this year, we went down to Galveston for the day. We took our time getting to the island, and while we were there we ate an amazing restaurant. Gaidos. This place has been in business for over 100 years and it was well worth the trip.

After lunch, we drove down to the strand, another of Galveston's historic sites, and went and had ice cream at La Confectionery. It is like stepping back into time during the old ice cream parlor days. Reece LOVED it!!

Of course, every trip needs a diaper change. Bad part, no where to change except the sidewalk. Good thing Reece doesn't mind or we would be in trouble.

Reece says Happy Mother's Day Mommy!!

All Clear!!!

So for the past 2 months our little "angel", and I use the term loosely, has been dealing with double ear infections and an eye infection. All that to say, we are all clear! She just has some wax build up, but that can be taken care of quite easily. So, you are probably wondering why I am put quotes around angel? Well, for some reason, this daughter of ours seems to be getting more of an attitude every day. And the worst is during the night. It is that moment right before bedtime where she gives us the most trouble. Now don't get me wrong, we love her to death, but this has got to stop. And I know some of you are thinking, "She is just an innocent baby. How could something so sweet, be trouble." (Could you sense my sarcasm?) My answer... You try living with her for a while. I'm just kidding. I wouldn't give her up for anything, except... Again, just kidding. But for real, we love her so much and enjoy all the time we get with her, good times and bad times.

We also celebrated Alisha's very first Mother's Day. All Alisha wanted was a massage, breakfast cooked for her and a hot bath, and she wanted it all while she didn't have to take care of Reece. Well, we tried. We got everything accomplished on the list, except for her not having to take care of Reece. Hey, we are still trying to get this whole parenting thing down, and I know some of you out there are saying, "That's all she wanted. You could have at least given her that much." We tried. I know the areas I lack and I know that there are days when Alisha just wants to be left alone. No one said I was perfect, but we did have a good time being a family on the day to celebrate Alisha being a mom. This quote sums her up more than anything I can find. She is the most amazing mother I know. She holds a full time job, takes care of Reece, and still manages to get the lawn mowed. (LOL)

I just want to give a belated Happy Mothers Day to the mom's that seem to never stop working at being mothers. Mom, Janice and Brenda, we love you all and hope that you had an amazing day being celebrated and cherished. Mothers are truly a gift from God and we are so blessed to have 3 amazing women who have poured their lives into ours. Ryan, Alisha and Reece.

Power Thru

So Friday, when I was picking Reece up from daycare, they mentioned to me that she had been pretty fussy the past two days. I noticed that Reece had a runny nose for a few days, and then woke up with some eye boogers on Friday. So, in an attempt to stay out of the ER, I went straight for the pediatrician's office. Turns out my sweet baby had ANOTHER double ear infection, eye infection and a cold! I felt like the worst mommy in the world. The good news is that after she got a shot, eye drops and oral medication, she is feeling much better.

In fact she was feeling so much better, that she decided that today she would start using her activity table as a walker. And then she also started standing on her own without holding on to anything! I am proud, but a little scared. I thought I would have a few more months before we would have a walker on our hands... Now I'm not so sure!?!?!?

Another sad thing is that the Randall's close to the house is closing. So, we had to get Reece up there to get her picture taken while riding on Snoopy's Ice Cream Truck. Not sure if she liked it or not.