NINE

"Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes"
~Mercy Me

Rylee~

You have now been out of Mommy's womb.....your safe little haven, for nine months. This world has now shared the same amount of time loving you as I did in the beginning. My little sprite, with red hair and the brightest blue eyes, you are so incredibly beautiful!

You fill our lives, each and every second, with joy and excitement and......noise.

A beautiful noise!!

Your shrieks, your laughter, your squeals, your cries.....each one so precious and so undeniably you.

Though you haven't quite said "words" per say......you have your own little language that is perfect in every way. And all those who love you, know exactly what it is that you are talking about.

These nine months have past by so quickly, Rylee. Mommy is starting to plan yours and Bubba's birthday party and it just seems so surreal. I remember like it was yesterday, rubbing my belly and thinking to myself, "I wonder what she will look like? Will she have my eyes or nose or will she be the spitting image of her Daddy?"

So fast.


Nine. Beautiful. Months.











Some of your favorite things right now are:

~Crawling everywhere and pulling up and cruising a few steps.
~You love looking out the windows, especially if Harlow is outside.
~Giggling.....Daddy says "squawking".



~Your brother....he facinates you!

~Any food that you can pick up with your fingers and feed yourself:


~Watermelon....can't get enough!

~black beans, cucumbers, turkey..."More Please", cheese, meatloaf, carrots, apples, spaghetti, you name it! You're such a great eater.

You also love:

~Bath time.
~Grass.

~Harlow's chew bones...yuck.
~Mommy's makeup brushes....you like to lick them.

~Drinking out of straws......you turn your nose up to sippy cups!


At your 9 month check up, you weighed in at 18 1/2 precious lbs!!!

You are nursing about 3-4 times a day and still in size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.

For some reason, this past month, you look so petite to me.....maybe because you are moving so fast, those chubby chub legs are starting to thin out a bit????

We have been going on walks to the park in the wagon these past few weeks since the weather has been so nice.....you look like such a big girl!

You, like your brother, love to be outside.

You are a little fish in the water, kicking your legs soooo so fast....maybe that's where your chubby chub thighs thinned out???

My little angel love. My day begins with you squawking and ends with you nestled in my arms, loving on me.

I dreamed of this for forever.

Happy 9 Months, Lovie-girl.
I love you SO Big!

~Mommy

Easter

John 10:17-18 ESV
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

We had our Annual Richard's Easter Hunt a little early this year since Aunt Emily was in town.

It was a beautiful weekend, the weather was perfect, and Lil' Miss was So excited!!

Her very first Easter!!

Big brother had to show her the ropes. He found 7 eggs filled with candy and 7 eggs filled with money...not too shabby!

Mimi and Pappi spoiled the kids with their very own Easter baskets filled with treats and toys and clothes.

We had a very authentic Easter lunch.....pizza! They are in the middle of remodeling their kitchen so of course pizza was just fine with everyone!

It was such a treat having Aunt Emily there to celebrate with us and we are looking forward to July when we will have her here permanently.

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Our next Easter celebration was at Nana and Pawpaw's house on Easter Sunday.

We had an amazing lakeside church service and then headed back to their house for a delicious traditional Easter lunch with all the fixin's and another Easter egg hunt.

We had a fabulous time with good friends, family, and another beautiful day outdoors.

The kids were spoiled, yet again, with their very own Easter baskets

from Nana and Pawpaw filled with super cute pj's and goodies!

We spent the majority of the day just sitting outside, swinging on the swing, while the older kids played in Nana's fountain.

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So, between two Easter's plus soccer practice plus a MOPS Easter egg hunt at the park, I guess I could say that our April was pretty busy!!

We are looking forward to summer and getting our feet wet in the splash parks and pools and to lazy days when there isn't a care in the world........except for what flavor ice cream to choose.

8 Beautiful Months...

and it's gone by so incredibly fast, my love! Next week you will be turning 9 months....NINE! How is this possible?? You have now been in this world as long as you were inside of me.





How surreal.

In your busy little eight months you have accomplished SO much! You now have two little pearly whites and a smile bigger than Dallas!

I love your smile....it's so contagious. The way you squinch up your little nose and breathe in and out so fast that you sound like a little snorting piglet, all the while smiling from ear to ear. Our "Smiley Rylee"...that's what we call you.

Oh Punky, you are just a joy to be around and can make every day brighter just by being you!

Your chunky, little butt is wearing size 12 month clothes and are still in size 3 diapers. You are nursing 5-6 times a day and still taking 3 naps. I put you down around 7:30-8:00 and you stick your sweet, little hands underneathe your tummy and poke your butt up in the air and fall fast asleep. All you need is your waterfall turned on, your glo worm, and your sassies. I scatter about half a dozen in your crib so that if you wake you can always find one. You must have some sort of game going on in the middle of the night to see just how far that you can chunk those suckers because when I come in the next morning, there are sassies sprinkled all over the floor like fairy dust.

I took your bumper pads off your crib this month because you started untying the ribbons and chewing on them. Busted.

You started off on all fours at the beginning of the month, rocking back and forth, back and forth. That lasted for about a minute. The next couple of days you started army crawling, dragging one dead leg behind you...too funny! And now, now you're off. You're so fast!! I can put you down in your room to play with your toys and a second later I hear the pitter patter of chubby knees and hands on the hard wood floor coming down the hallway. You stop to dabble with the door stop and then "pitter patter", there you go again looking for Momma.

My sweet lil' Momma's girl!!

Everyone says what a Momma's Girl you are and they're right....and that's ok by me because in 12-15 years, you're not gonna wanna have anything to do with me, so I'll take all that I can get of this precious loving right now.

Rylee, you love your big brother SO much!! You are so intrested in everything that he's saying and watching every move he makes....and one day soon, you'll be swiping toys from him left and right.

He has no idea what's in store! He loves you so much, always encouraging you

to crawl and clapping when you try so hard to pull yourself up. And when you're stuck and can't sit back down on your own....he's right there gently pulling you back down into his lap. Such the protector of his little Sissy! He thanks God every night for you....every.single.night. We all do, angel.

You have made this family complete. Your infectious laugh, your beautiful spirit, your sassy attitude...we love every bit of you!

~Love Mama

Flashback Friday