Rambling and Pictures

WARNING: Rambling and Picture OVERLOAD!!! :-)

Life has been rather uneventful at the Wall house lately, which is good! We've been busy, just nothing exciting to report. It's always hard for me when basketball is over. Yes, I complain during basketball season about being a "single-parent" most nights, but I do love it! It gives us something to do on Mon, Tues, and Fri nights, when we go watch games. It gets us out of the house and lets me socialize, which is very important for a stay-at-home mom! So, there is always a sort of letdown the first week or two after the season is over. Dustin feels it too, just for different reasons, I guess.

Like I said, we've been busy, just uneventful. I've had baby showers the last 2 weekends in Lubbock, so we've gotten to go see family, which is always good! I've been running now for 6 weeks, training for a half marathon in August. I have really been LOVING it! I love the way I feel, I love spending time outside, I enjoy some time for me without kids pulling on my leg or needing refills in their sippy cups every 5 minutes, and I love the quiet time I can spend reflecting and in prayer! It's really blessed me. I'm not afraid to say that I'm a little scared to train for/run a half marathon (okay maybe more than just a little scared), but Dustin's doing it too and we're taking our training slowly. I had to tell myself today over and over to quit worrying about my time and just enjoy the feeling...darn competitiveness!!

My kids are growing like crazy!!! Too quickly, in fact! Ryan is eating all sorts of baby foods and has recently been introduced to biter biscuits (baby cookies) which he loves! Although they are SUPER messy, they will keep him entertained for a long time, which is worth the clean up in my book! He is beginning to crawl...he really started moving good today. He loves power cords and will roll/crawl across the room to them and tug and pull them and try to put them in his mouth. Not good!! He wakes up in the morning and from his naps grinning from ear to ear, which fills my heart with so much joy! I just love this easy-going, fun-loving boy!! Taylor is my little sweetheart! She tells us she loves us at least 10 times a day, most of the time even more! She loves to be silly and make her "bubba" laugh. She sings, dances and flips everywhere she goes! She is known at Pal's (the Cafe in Ackerly) for singing the "Ariel song" from The Little Mermaid. It is hilarious! The girl will win 1-Act play when she is in High School...mark my words. So, my rambling wouldn't be complete without a Taylor-story...

The other night, Dustin was laying Taylor down and going through her devotional that we do with her each night. She was asking about why we can't see God but he can see us all the time. Dustin was trying to explain that He is everywhere, but He is in spirit form. The conversation goes something like this:

Taylor, stepping on the floor: "Is He right here?"
Dustin: "Yes"
Taylor, stomping on the floor hard, "Did I just smash His head?"
Dustin: "No, He doesn't have a head. He's a spirit."
Taylor: "What?! God doesn't have a head?"

Good going Dustin. Man, this parenting thing isn't always easy!! I guess I'm done rambling...I've done enough!! Here are TONS of pictures of the kids. Can't you tell I love my new camera?!

Taylor and cousin Riley at baby shower

Taylor got attacked by a chocolate covered strawberry


Twinkies!!

I just love that smile!

Balance beam at gymnastics

Backroll at gymnastics

Fun Bathtime pictures!!

Trying to crawl

So frustrated b/c he can't get where he wants to!!
Just plain cute!

So I bought Taylor some sponge rollers and we tried them out one night



This was the end result - SUPER CURLY!!!

First biter biscuit - he's sad b/c it's all gone!

YUM - Finally I can eat when they do!

This face cracks me up!

Sweet siblings

Family pic on self-timer (Ryan is wondering what the heck that beeping is?!)

Being silly at Dad's

pretty girl!

Tay and I before baby shower

another adorable face!

Bathroom Blues and Fun Pictures

I have to blog about a crazy experience I had Monday in a McDonalds bathroom. I blog 1)Because I want to be able to remember these experiences I have with my family and 2) Because I want to share my crazy experiences with other mom's that I know understand and can laugh at the crazy things that come with being a mom.

On Monday, the kids and I headed to Lubbock to go to the doctor for their second round of the H1N1 vaccine. The day was good, hectic hauling 2 kids around Lubbock, but good. We finished our errands, and Taylor and I needed to potty and I needed to change Ryan's diaper before heading home. I stopped at McDonald's (first mistake)! Ryan is now in a "big-boy carseat", so I have to carry him in. I was thinking that I would buckle him into the diaper changer while Taylor and I used the bathroom. Of course, someone was in the stall with the diaper changer, so we waited. While we waited, Taylor kept asking, "What's taking so long? Why are we waiting?" and things like that. I had to go so bad, so finally I gave up waiting. Taylor, Ryan and I went into the open stall and I laid t.p. down on the potty with my free hand (my other arm was holding my 21 lb son!). I picked Taylor up onto the potty, with strict orders not to touch anything! She pottied, I unbuckled my belt and pants with my free hand, and used the restroom with my son on my lap...I had no other choice!! I got Taylor's pants pulled up, then realized I couldn't buckle my pants with one hand. I checked the other stall, and it was STILL occupied! So, I took one knee on the bathroom floor and set Ryan on my other knee. I had Taylor hold him under his arms and balance him on my knee so I could quickly button my pants. Then we had to wash hands. It wasn't happening for me, but I lifted Taylor with my free hand and she put soap on her hands. She clapped her hands together and got soap in her eyes. She was screaming, Ryan was laughing and jumping in my other arm and my cell phone was ringing. I grabbed t.p. (of course there weren't any paper towels, just hand dryers) and wiped the soap out of Taylor's eyes. We rinsed and dried her hands and headed to the car. I changed Ryan's diaper in the car and we headed home. I was exhausted and I thought my arm was going to fall off from holding Ryan for so long! My 36 minute jog that night when I got home was much less exhausting than my 1o minutes in the McDonald's bathroom!! Lesson learned...bring your stroller and put the baby in it when going in a public restroom!

Here's some more pictures of my sweet kiddos...

Ryan sleeping after his shots

Pretty blue eyes!

At the doctor

The coaches in the girls locker room. The theme was staying alive!

Taylor with her daddy's picture

Taylor had to have a Valentine's picture with Meagan and Morgan

This picture looks just like a picture of Dustin when he was this age!

Playing with his frog from Grandpa and Grandma

Our snowman
Taylor making a snow angel

Taylor and Cali with the snowman they helped build

My sweet Valentine
Taylor with her frog puppet from Uncle Mike and Aunt Betsy

Before Wed night church

Taylor decided she was an artist last week and wrote all over her's and Cali's legs with pen. After having a chat about what we use pens on, I had to take pictures!

Random Pictures

These are a few of the pictures I've taken in the last week! I got a new point-and-shoot canon (my canon SLR broke and I'm tired of getting it repaired). I love this little camera...I've gone a little picture crazy over the last week. I need to install the program so I can save and rotate my vertical pictures and I'll have many more to post. Enjoy!

Taylor and Cali

Watching cartoons

Ready for the basketball game! Go Brown!

Ryan - 7 months

Ryan demonstrating yoga...downward dog

Ready to crawl!!

Bathtime!

He LOVES to splash!

He's so shocked that he's getting a bath!

Before church

Aren't they just precious?!