Branson, Take One

In May, somehow we managed to take two separate mini getaway trips to Branson.  Both were amazing, but in different ways.

TRIP 1

On the first one, Anthony’s brother Michael and his family invited us to stay with them in their super nice condo they rented out.  Seriously, the nicest place we’ve ever stay…ever!

The place was practically larger than my home – with over 5 bedrooms – all with their bathrooms & own flat screen TVs – plus a media room and game room.  We weren’t even staying in the master…but our closet was it’s own room entirely (which conventiently doubled as perfect sleeping quarters for Brooke).

My favorite part…these breath-taking views of Table Top Lake

 

Rylee was the star of the show.  No one could get enough of her…or those cheeks.  They got plenty of flubbing!  The boys favorite part…depending on who you ask…was either the ginormous kitchen or pool table!

The kids were just in paradise just being together…but this media room…hooked up with Mario Kart…sure did bring them together for hours!

But poor Brooke was NOT feeling good and never made a full recovery to her happy, cheery self.  Instead, she was in a half-dazed slumber most the time, not letting me out of her site.

The next day we set out for an adventure and well, it was rather unadventurous.  We tried to take a 5K hike but we took a wrong turn somewhere or something.  We mostly walked paved parking lot, with a few scenic shots here and there.

Love this wooden bridge…and just use your imagination to picture the waterfall behind it.

 

There were moments that were beautiful…but mostly…it was the journey itself that was the most memorable.

 

Thankfully, Merriam did not die from her extreme thirstation.  She was rescued as we passed by a spa.  But next time we’ll ALL be better prepared…and hydrated.

 

But let me tell you, after a few miles, we were all spent.  Teagan has the right idea as she tried to bum-slide down a hill…but the cement wasn’t working out so well, especially in her swim suit :)

I think Brooke was the only one who got it right…she fell asleep in her stroller!  And when one of the girls saw Brooke passed out, asked if Brooke was wearing make-up.  By the size of those lashes, rosy red cheeks and lips, it sure did look like it, but she’s just naturally that beautiful!

Just like this one!  When Sophie saw the field of yellow flowers, she asked if I could take a picture of her.  She’s so cute!

And then the kiddos were going to go for rides right after lunch…but they were just closing down :(  But they still let us have a close look, which was almost just as fun!

Tanner kept offering the pony some hay, and then immediately running back and watching the pony.  He was so funny!

But Brooke, there’s a reason she’s not in any of these pictures.  She was TERRIFIED of them!

Most the animals tolerated our presence, and did their best to amuse us by eating the strands of hay.

But Merriam, she was a HORSE WHISPERER.  This horse LOVEd her.  I’ve seen a lot of horses in my lifetime, but these were huge, beautiful creatures.

  

Our trip was super short, but super sweet.  We played games.  We ate…a LOT!  We laughed…a LOT!  And we hope to do it again, sooN!

Rylee all RILED up!!! (5 months – March 2014)

When I was writing this last post, I kept thinking I’d written it before.  But I couldn’t find it anywhere…that is until I finished it.  Of course I’d do something like that :) So here you have it…again!

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Guess who just turned 6 months? Yep, this sweet lil thang!

And I'm thinking I couldn't have picked a better name for her.  She's always so riled up!   She's spunky, opinionated, and half crazy.  She never sits still and is always on the go. 

Most notable, however, was her new found TONGUE!  She had a tongue fetish…and would just play with it forever ever.  Sticking it as far as she could…

But mostly just chewing on it for fun…or sticking it out all curled like this.

When my friends saw this, they couldn’t stop laughing.  But to me, it’s just our every day Rylee.  But it still may be one of my favorite pictures of her.

At the beginning of the month, Rylee was just barely learning how to sit up.  yes, she was rolling over frontwards and backwards, actually side-to-side, you know what I mean. 

But by the end of the month, she was a moving machine.

At before she even turned 6 months, she's crawling!  She gets up on all fours, shakes her bum up in the air, and then launches herself forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although she's still figuring out all the fine intricacies and usually ends up going backwards instead.  And when I leave her for 30 seconds, I always find her stuck underneath the couch, just like this. 

But she's especially proud of herself when she reaches her destination...TOYS!!!

Compare this to Brooke who was a super strong, but still a beached whale.  Brooke was amazingly strong, but if I put her on her back, she'd just start doing krunches until she was sitting up...but she didn't move.  And then she'd be amazing content.

While Rylee...the girl never stops moving.  Even when I'm holding her...standing up and jumping out of my hands, pulling my hair...and even when it's up...she finds those teeny wheeny baby hairs.  Sticking her hands in my mouth and ears.  Launching herself towards a toy, food, or her favorite, cup of water.  I never know when her spunkiness will hit...so I have to be especially careful.  Her signature move, when she really wants something, anything, even just to be picked up or a toy or food or anything, she opens her mouth ALL THE WAY and starts to get all excited and pant, huff and puff!  Okay, now I'm making her sound like a dog :)  Not quite like that, but it's pretty cute!

And she loves bathtime...because she has unrestricted access to her favorite thing...WATER!  When I fill it up, she tried to wrap her mouth around the faucet.  And after that, she attack my cup like her life depends on it.  She LOVES water!  Any way she can get it.    But sadly, I think it's time to say goodbye to our baby tub and join the other kids in the real bathtub.

 

She's adorable.  She gets hyper, laughs out of control, and gives the biggest smiles.  Always.  She's super social... loves to be held.  She loves to be cuddled.  And she loves to laugh. 

The best part…she’s always laughing!!!  Tanner and Brooke can really get her going.  Seriously, I can’t get enough of the raw, full body belly laughs.

Around other people, they think she's the cutest, best baby ever!  And she is...until it's time to go to sleep.

She has most people convinced that she never needs sleep. Cause she sleeps for 30 mins max for naps and typically takes 30 minutes to get to sleep. She'll sleep longer than that under one condition -- she's asleep in my arms.  She's SPOILED!  And she wakes up at night every 2-3 hours, more than she ever did as a newborn.  Most mornings, neither Anthony or myself have any recollection on how she got to our bed.  But she's there...all cuddled up next to me.  Anthony wakes up to bring her to me.  And while I remember multiple feedings and multiple kickings...I don't wake up enough to do anything about it.  Until 6am hits, and I'm exhausted...but some little baby is ready to start the day.  She goes to bed last and is the first to wake up...what's wrong with the picture!!!  We need an intervention.  We need help.  Oh what I would do for a solid 8 hours of interrupted sleep.  Heck, at this point, I'd take even 4 hours!!! 

Ry-Ry Rylee (6-7 months)

How do I even begin to describe a baby like Rylee?

She’s got all the spunk in the world!  She’s crazy, hyper, never ending little ball of energy!  She’s a spasm!  Did I mention CraZy!

This face…says it all!

Now just imagine that face…with these high pitch shrills and laughs to go with it!  And this is Rylee, 90% of the time :)

She’s a contortionist that can twist and turn and wiggle her way out of anything…car seat, bouncer chair, Bumbo, bath tub chair.   And the latest, her own high chair.  Don’t ask how we know all these things, we’ll let you use her imagination.   Ha!  But at least she’s still alive!!! 

I know, folks, people say ALL the time that babies don’t stop moving.  But she DOESNS’T!  And even when you’re holding her, she’s trying to climb over you or launches herself for anything in site, but especially for food or water.  We know to hold on tight…but there’s been a few close calls when other people hold her…cause who’s prepared for her attempts to escape. 

And if she’s not trying to escape…she goes in for the kill :)  She’ll take both hands, grab two fists full of hair, and then give *kisses*, mouth WIDE OPEN, all over your face.  Seriously, people don’t know what they’re getting in for when they say, “Let me hold her!” 

Crawling!

And at the tale end of 5 months, she was movin’ and scootin’ across the floor.  Only problem was, I’d set her down for a second…only to find her STUCK under the couch!  

She also likes to do yoga moves, like downward dog!

Here’s her at just 6 months doing her pre-crawling baby yoga and elephant walking :)

Sometimes, you just need a little inspiration:  

And no matter what, she always seems to find…the JACKPOT!

And now, just a month later at 7 months, she’s finally mastered the full on CRAWLING movements, one foot and one hand at a time. 

And by the look of those smiles, I’d say she’s pretty happy about it!

Eat!

Rylee fell in and out of love with solid foods, at least the spoon fed variety.

At first, she LOVEd the stuff.

And in case the pics weren’t enough, here it is in person…just on the tail end of a bowl full of applesauce and oatmeal.

But then she realized, “Hey, wait!  I can feed myself!” and didn’t look back.

We started her on solids around 5 1/2 months.  When she started doing things like this…eating the high chair!

Nothing gets her more excited (or messy!) than some fresh blackberries.  Yummers!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can I get some more, please?

And apparently, that’s all we feed her around here…or at least take pictures of!

 
Really, she eats almost anything.  Fresh raspberries, bananas, strawberries, cheese, steamed broccoli and carrots are what she gets fed the most…and never turns them down.

Sometimes, Brooke wants to join in on the action!

 

Sleep!

You would THINK, and perhaps even HOPE and PRAY, a baby this active would LOVE to sleep.  Sleep all the time.  But oh NO!  She’s the first one up most mornings, and usually the last one to go to bed.  Her naps average 30 minutes, unless, of course, I cuddle her in my arms and let her lay down with me, and then maybe she’ll sleep for another hour.  Tops! 

There’s nothing more beautiful than a sleeping baby…at least to me.  Maybe cause it’s a sight I rarely get to see!

And at bedtime, she typically wakes up every two hours, or if we’re lucky, 3 hours.  Yet most morning I awake in a fog…with a baby in my bed…with no recollection of how she got there!

One night, we were both sick with horrific coughs.  As soon as I’d get her to sleep and lay her down, she’d wake back up in coughing frenzy.  After being awake several times that night, and the last stretch lasting over an hour at 4am, I was defeated! She wanted nothing to do with nursing (cause she couldn’t breathe) and I had tried medicine, rocking, walking…and nothing was working.  I was ready to give up (or throw her across the room)!  Finally, I laid her in her crib and just let her scream.  I was dying to use the restroom, and then I thought of one last thing to try – I said a prayer.  And you know what…she was QUIET in a few seconds.  Let me first say, she’s never ever gone to sleep on her own.  Small miracle and tender mercy from the Lord!  Now if we could just repeat that every night :) 

And be Merry!

But she’s one HAPPY baby!  When I try to explain Rylee to others, I’m pretty sure they think I’m the crazy one.  But she’s so HAPPY and always smiling!  SHe’s not tired and cranky, she doesn’t need a nap (she’s great at fooling people)!  

She loves to smile and flirt and reach out her arms for other people…super social!  Ironically, as soon as she’s in someone else’s arms, she begins to cry.  For her momma!  Every single time.  And then will repeat.

GIGGLES!

Pure, unadulterated, baby giggles at it’s finest.  I couldn’t decide which was my favorite…so you get both :)

This was her last time in the baby tub…she’s gotten too big.  And she literally was trying to drink the water as it came out of the faucet!

In the kitchen, Rylee has a whole drawer dedicated to stuff she can explore.  This lets me be free for approx 60 seconds while I am suppose to make dinner.

If the kids are heading outside, Rylee wants to go too.  She isn’t shy…and let’s me know exactly what she wants.  The SWING!

I picked this up at a garage sale and it’s been her favorite toy since.  Almost a little too much!  She tries to use it to stand up, and well, took the toy down with her when she fell.  But she still loves it :)

Jumping

Pretty sure the other kids like this just as much as Rylee does.  Rylee has a love/hate relationship with this…depending on her mood…or her audience…she loves this thing.  Other times, she’s thoroughly offended by it. 

Rylee’s paparazzi cheering her on :)

Usually when she gets going, I can’t hear anything else. 

Rylee makes our world go round and round!  And oh, how we love, love, love her, craziness and all!!!