Evan's 30th Birthday

Yes, Evan is now 30 years old.  He was kindof down about turning 30, especially because he found a gray hair in his beard.  I had a surprise breakfast party for him on Labor Day when our friends were in town.  He walked into the living room and there everyone was.  It was fun!  He was sick over the weekend before his birthday but felt better by that Monday.  So Monday night on his birthday we went to Genghis Grill with my family and our friends the Smiths.  It was fun.  Overall I think Evan had a great 30th birthday!

Our little walker....

Rylee is officially walking now.  We were worried but at about 17 months she started really walking everywhere.  Here is a picture of her at IKEA in the kid chair.  In the next picture of her she is playing with the ipad which she is in LOVE with.  In fact, if you have any free/cheap apps you would recommend for toddlers, please send them my way.  Everyday when I get home we sit together and go over our ABC's with Elmo.  She knows how to find her folder, open it, and then she moves her finger around trying to decide which app to open.  For 17 months I think that is pretty good.  Anyway, we just love playing with our growing little girl!

Back to Work....

I have always loved the "back to school" feel there is everywhere in August.  Freshly sharpened pencils, new notebooks, dressing up in new school clothes, etc.  Now that I'm a counselor, I don't have as much fun decorating a classroom but I do add/change a few little things around my office.  Believe it or not, the picture of the owl pen holder is my favorite new addition.  Who knew $2.50 at the dollar spot at Target could make a person cheer up almost every day.  I guess owls remind me of Rylee (since her nursery is decorated in them).  And it is just too cute.  The crown pen is from Disney World when Evan and I went 2 years ago.  I think it looks like the owl is wearing the fluffy crown. haha!  This summer I was somewhat of a pinterest addict.  I saw all of these wonderful quotes and couldn't help but use them in my office.  So to start the year I have a "Be Inspired" board in my office.  I hope students will be able to add their own quotes or words of advice throughout the first half of the school year.  My "Be the good" sign is a nice addition that Tiffany Kurtz helped me with.  (she cuts vinyl and does a great job!)  My A&M themed "Mrs. Russell" sign is something I made for my classroom 3 years ago after I got married but forgot about and then found in a box this summer.  Gotta love using stuff you already have right?  Anyway, these little updates to my office have made coming back to work a little easier.





Rylee's First Beach Trip

I love summer!!!  I am blessed to work in education which provides me 2 glorious months of summer vacation.  I decided that it would be fun to take Rylee to the beach for the first time.  Evan agreed and off we went!  We drove to Houston to stay with our friends Jared and Lydia.  We got to spend some quality time with them which is always fun.  On Saturday we drove to Galveston.  While it is not one of the nicest beaches, it holds alot of fond memories for me.  We set up our spot on East Beach.  Rylee didn't know what  to think of the water and muddy sand at first.  She actually started to cry to be more accurate.  We tried to get her to like it and she didn't seem to want to try (if you didn't already know, Rylee is pretty stubborn).  So we took her back to our spot to see if she would take a nap.  No go.  We changed her swim diaper and let her play in the dry sand for a little bit.  She liked that.  Then we went to wash her off before leaving and she LOVED IT.  She would cry if we picked her up.  So we stayed longer and had more fun.  I always love going to the beach but the sand can be a pain.  I think next time we go we need to have a hotel room on the beach ;)  Anyway, it was a nice last summer trip.  I am really going to miss spending all day with my baby girl.  

Updates and more...

I have been meaning to update our blog... really.... but it has been overwhelming since I haven't posted since January. Basically I have decided to start from now on.  Rylee turned 1 in April.  We had alot of fun at a local park.  Rylee and I have gotten to spend time together this summer and I have loved every second.  Swimming 3-4 times per week, naps every day, playing games, watching movies, etc. We have really enjoyed getting to spend time with family.   Rylee had her 15 month check up.  She weighs almost 28 lbs and is 32 inches tall.  She has been in the 95th percentile at every check up.  She is still not walking but the pediatrician isn't worried.  She says she will walk by 18 months and if she isn't we can discuss our options on how to help her then.  I will be working at Linda Jobe Middle School for a second year.  I get to move up with my students from last year which makes me the 8th grade counselor this next year.  Evan will be staying at home with Rylee again and is focusing on finishing school.    We love our little family.  Spending time together is always fun.  I hope to update the blog more regularly.

Family Pictures 2011

My friend Chelsea MacDonnell Fullmer took our family pictures last minute. She even did 2 photo shoots because the weather was very cold and windy during the first one and her camera stopped working. I'm glad it did because looking back at the outfit I chose for the 1st one, it wasn't such a great choice. It is CRAZY to look back at this family picture compared to our family picture when Rylee was a newborn. Just to prove it, I have included one of those pictures at the bottom of the page.

8 Months

I am very anxious for her 9 month checkup to see how much she has grown. She now can barely fit into 12 month clothes, at least the onsies. She is in 18 month pajamas. She loves to laugh and giggle all of the time. She likes to hear the sound of her voice and will just yell and scream to hear herself. We are really looking forward to having Rylee's first Christmas. Here are a few pictures right after we put up the tree. She loved it!