Saturday means PARTY day!

Whew!  Saturday was a BUSY day!  We had a birthday party, 2 graduation parties, and my dad's retirement dinner...and we had so much fun celebrating with friends and family.

Our day started by giving Brynn a bath...gotta look cute for her boyfriend's birthday party!

Erin's little boy Frankie turned 1!  The party was so cute and the decorations were adorable...he even had a matching bib and hat embroidered with his name.

Brynn wore the cutest little Ralph Lauren party dress (thanks Aunt Erika and Ebby Lee!)

Aunt Kelly and Uncle Jared were at the party...Kelly had a LOT of fun snuggling with little Brynn!

In the afternoon we went to 2 graduation parties.  Ryan teaches the senior boys class in our church's youth department, so this has been a busy couple of weeks with all of them having graduation parties.  Then that night Pamaw watched Brynn so Ryan and I could go to my dad's retirement dinner.  He worked 32 years delivering packages for UPS and I am so proud of him and excited for him in this new phase of life.



HAPPY RETIREMENT DAD!



This cake had the best icing ever!  It tasted like the can of chocolate frosting you buy at the store...not like normal chocolate icing.

My parents at the retirement dinner.

Some of dad's friends from work...They don't have anything fancy...just get together at a restaurant, eat together, and tell funny/special stories about the person who is retiring.  I liked hearing people talk about how my dad always had a good attitude and a smile on his face, even when the job was tough and the weather was bad (delivering packages in the pouring rain or ice or 100 degrees would NOT be fun)!  Something I am so glad to have learned from my dad is to make the best of any situation, try to have a good attitude, and work hard.  I LOVE YOU DAD!

Dad with our special retirement gift to him.

My dad LOVES football and works as the "Chain Gang" crew chief for the SEMO Redhawks football team (that is the group that measures the yards and keeps up with the down markers).  We got him an autographed Redhawks Football helmet.  SEMO had their best year this past season and their coach (who signed the helmet) was the National Coach of the Year for SEMO's division.  He was SO EXCITED about it!

Dad you are a stud!

Good job Linz!

Congrats to my sister!  She is officially done with finals and her junior year of college at Mizzou!!!  That is just so crazy...I feel like I should just now be finished with my junior year.  She is in Mizzou's nursing program and works so hard!  I am so proud of her and all of the things she is learning.  And of course the fact that she can actually stick someone with a needle and not pass out is just amazing to me.  She will be home tonight and I can't wait!  WE LOVE YOU LINDSEY AND ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! 

SISTERS!

Newborn pics...FINALLY!

When Brynn was 10 days old we had her newborn pictures taken.  We finally got the pictures and I wanted to share a few!  These are actually a lot of the ones we DIDN'T order...the ones we did order (which I think are much cuter) are on files so big that it won't let me upload them...it keeps saying "security error".  The girl who took the pics just put a few extras on the DVD that are much smaller resolution just so we can use them to share on social network sites...but they aren't any of the best ones.  I wish I could show you those...but oh well.  ENJOY! 

We did order this one as a family picture...but I feel like I look kind of dorky! HA!

It is so crazy to look back at these...she looks so different already!

I like this one, but we ordered some that are closer up to her face.

I like this one, but the little blanket is covering her eye.  Look how modest she is...doesn't want wanyone to see any private areas!  Good girl!

Such a sweet daddy!

 

Happy Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!  This was my very first year being a mom.  I now realize why my mom always wanted a day just to celebrate her and for us to serve her, give her a relaxing day of peace and quiet, and affirm the job she was doing.  She was the most wonderful example of how to be a Godly mom and I hope that someday Brynn looks up to me the way I look up to my mom. 

I told Ryan I wanted Mother's Day to be a week long celebration! HAHA!  I do feel like I had a "weekend celebration."  Saturday Pamaw kept Brynn (and Ansley) and Sarah and I and some girls went to see the movie "Something Borrowed."  Then Sarah and I had sushi at Saffron and just relaxed.  It was so nice!  Then that night my parents offered to keep Brynn so Ryan and I could have our first night minus baby.  I was so excited!  I don't even think we knew what to do with ourselves...it was just so nice to not worry about listening to the baby monitor and know we had 8 hours of SLEEP!  I was even surprised with a ring...it has Brynn's birthstones on it!

The next morning (Sunday...Mother's Day) my parents brought Brynn back over at 7 so I could feed her.  They said she went right to sleep and my mom only had to get up around 5ish to give her a quick bottle before she went back down until 7.  Now..why can't little Missy sleep that good here at home?  HA!  Oh well, I'm glad she did well for them, maybe that means more sleepovers at Grandma's in the future?  =)  We were going to take Brynn to the church nursery for the FIRST TIME, (so I could enjoy going to our LifeGroup class and listen to the sermon instead of constantly looking over at her in her carseat and worrying that would start crying in the middle of the service.)  Anyway - we got her all ready for church and had some time to take some pictures.  I'm really glad we took some pictures before church, because after I nursed her (our church has a GREAT nursing room) she had a blowout and when I changed her she started peeing all over the place...so much so that the pee went all over her adorable outfit, got in her hair, etc.  So...we went from an adorable outfit to an old onesie...but oh well.  =)

Ready to go to church

This was all before I peed all over myself and my hair =) 

Want to see what Brynn got me for Mother's Day??  The biggest smiles we have seen from her so far...and she did them for the camera!  YAY! 

She did a really good job at the church nursery and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed actually going to church again, getting to go to our LifeGroup class, etc.  Brother Mark had a really good sermon about God equipping mom's and encouraging all the moms.  It was so good to hear.  Because there are times I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, there are times I worry I'm doing things wrong, there are times I get frustrated or lonely when I'm here all day and we can't just run out to the mall for 2 hours, etc.  Although life is great and we love being new parents, I don't want to give a false impression that everything is perfect.  Being new parents is CHALLENGING!  I want to say that because when I read another mom's blog and they say how hard it is, it just makes me feel better and encouraged, and comforted to know that other new moms are going through the same thing.  Being a mom is amazing and incredible and I can't believe God has blessed us with the gift of Brynn, but it is also the hardest job I've ever had.  Okay...enough of that.  I hope that makes sense.  Anyway - church was awesome and then we celebrated at Outback!!  Delicious!  That night we went over to my parents house because they were having a big barbeque for all the college kids (my parents and Ryan's parents lead the college group at church) before finals week.  It was REALLY FUN...and Ryan even won the washers tournament! =) 

Hope everyone had a GREAT Mother's Day!  I know this little face made my day!

    

A Day of Firsts

On Friday I went to my first workout class since Brynn was born.  (Actually, it was my first workout class in a LONG TIME!)  Before I got pregnant I thought I'd be this awesome pregnant woman who could run a marathon and would want to work out with the best of them.  But when pregnancy hit, I felt too sick and tired to do much working out other than a good walk (And let me tell you...my walking speed wasn't very fast.  70 year olds passed me on the track!)  Since Brynn had passed the 6 week mark I was able to take her to the "daycare" at they gym.  Plus...I didn't realize I had to be cleared by my doctor at my 6 week appointment to work out...I had actually tried to go to a class when she was about 4 weeks old (on a day Ryan could watch her) but the class instructor literally wouldn't let me work out and told me to walk the track until I was cleared...I felt like such a moron!  So...Brynn had her first official hour at "Healthpoint Fitness Daycare!"  HAHA!  She pretty much slept the whole time since it was during her nap, but my mom was asking her about "all the new friends she made at healthpoint nursery school!"  HAHA!

First Day of Healthpoint Daycare! 
(Aren't these little pants adorable...one of my kindergarten students and his family got this outfit for me and at the time I thought it was HUGE...I can't believe she is big enough to fit in it now!)

 Then Friday night the boys had a church league softball game.  This year several of our friends are playing!  YAY!  It should be fun to hang out with the girls on Friday nights while we watch our boys play. 

Sarah and Ansley

Brynn braved the chilly temps to watch her first softball game, but Daddy lost...haha!  Actually, our team won the first game, but lost the second game (the one we watched) by the 20 run rule!  How does that happen?  I was actually thankful because we dropped both pacifiers on the dirt floor and got a little fussy by the end of the game...

 



COUSINS!
Ansley had enough of us trying to get her to smile for the camera...we had to promise her a snack to get this smile.  She went from pout face to this 1 second smile back to pout face...and then lit up when Sarah got out the crackers!  I wish we had it on tape! 

Jason, Ryan, and Matt

Jason (trying to be the "cool kid"), Ryan, Jordan, and Mark

It was a fun day of FIRSTS!

Randoms...

Yesterday I met Jen on the bike trail...her daughter Taylor was at pre-school so she just had Kellan.  She got out her stroller and I got out mine.  It was the first time I've strolled with a friend and their baby, and it was so surreal.  I was cracking up at myself but I was like "Jen...I'm having a moment!  I'm actually strolling MY BABY with you while you are strollIng YOUR BABY!"  HAHA!  We had such a good time visiting and both kids fell asleep...it was great!  The weather has been SO YUCKY here lately, so to have a day of sunshine and to get out and meet a friend and walk and enjoy the weather...it was wonderful!

On another note...Brynn is doing so well during the day.  Knock on wood, but she goes down for naps like a pro, and wakes up happy and pretty alert.  It is so fun to see her becoming more active.  She LOVES her activity mat.  In the mornings I'll make my bed and fold laundry while she plays on her mat.  It feels like she is just becoming such a fun little person.  I swear she has smiled several times...it isn't an automatic thing when she sees us yet, but she really looks at us and is starting to follow us more with her eyes and gets little happy faces.  It is too cute! 

HOWEVER...this fun little person doesn't like going to bed! HAHA!  For about the last 5 nights she just won't fall asleep on her own.  It is so weird...like how can she go down for every nap without hardly any crying, and then just automatically know "It's nighttime...I think I'll cry forEVER and not go to bed!"  We are trying some different things, but thank the Lord for our swing, because she will fall asleep in it (even better than me finally just trying to rock her).  I just don't want her to get in the habit of needing it to fall asleep.  I know she falls asleep on her own all the other times, but after it has happened 5 nights in a row, you get into the thought of "Oh my gosh...what if my child never falls asleep on her own at night?"  We will just continue to swaddle her and try to put her down on her own, and hopefully one of these nights she will eventually not need us or her swing.  I love cuddling her and soothing her, just not when I want to be sleeping at midnight.  =)   

I LOVE my activity mat!  I like hitting and touching the things hooked to the top...and I love to look at the music box that lights up!

Ryan's Triathalon

On Sunday Ryan, his brother Jason, and their friend Matt competed in an area triathalon.  I don't know the distances of the swim, bike, and run, but I know it wasn't a crazy long one.  Still...Ryan hasn't been able to work out nearly as much as he wanted to (or normally would), partly because with a newborn I pretty much forbid him to set his alarm for 5:30 AM like he normally would.  We already get less sleep...why make it even worse by hearing that horrible alarm sound go off early!  AHH!  Anyway - he still did a great job and the boys had fun competing.  Us girls and the kids (wow...that's funny to write...I'm now apart of the crowd with kids!) had fun watching and then we all ate the post-race meal together and hung out.  Brynn pretty much slept through the entire thing, but I'm sure she had a blast.  HA!

Good job Daddy!  I slept through it all, but I"m still so proud of you!

Here are Ryan and Jason after the race.  These boys are pretty competitive...and Jason wanted me to
make sure everyone knows he BEAT Ryan this race. =)

Proud Daddy!

Jason, Ryan, and Matt...and can I just say "pardon the dorky shorts they are wearing."  Sorry boys, but I think those biking shorts are so embarrasing!  At least the picture isn't so up close...HAHA!

Matt and Kristi's little guy Alex...I never got around to taking a picture of us girls.

I wish the "no-working out in the morning" rule would last...but they are training for a bigger triathalon in Memphis (that's at the end of May), and I doubt that's going to happen.  But on an exciting note...we are planning on leaving Brynn with Grandma (that sounds bad...we are excited to leave our daughter? ha!) You guys know what I mean...I know it will be hard and we will miss her, but we will only be gone one night, and I think it will be so fun to go out to eat, stay in a hotel (I don't care how dirty the bathtub is...I'm planning on taking a LONG HOT BATH in that thing), and sleep all night long not worrying about hearing the baby monitor go off! =)  WAHOOO!