Short end of the stick

Sometimes i find my self complaining that Rylie isn't more "girly". She doesn't really like to play with dolls (maybe because we haven't bought her that many) or most of the typically girly things. She would rather play with cars (with her brother) or wrestle. I realized this morning that i am not helping the situation by putting her in Tristan's old pajamas, that are obviously all boy. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind. I guess this is what happens when you have a boy and then a girl. It will be interesting to see what kind of girl she turns out to be. For the record, i did paint her nails pink yesterday so maybe there is still hope for a girly girl after all...

Beachside Retreat Reunion

We just got back from a wonderful mini vacation in Long Beach with my family. It was the first time i have been with all of my siblings at the same time in literally like 5 years. My grandma Wilcox, few of my Dad's siblings, and my sister Nicole's boyfriend Danny came too. We stayed at the Beachside Retreat which is an apartment complex right on the beach. Many thanks to Muriel for putting it all together and allowing all of us to stay. We were spoiled for sure. Lots of food, sun, sand, and fun! I am hoping we can do something like this every year. I suppose the real reason we all got together was to celebrate my Grandma, Dad, and sister Natalie's birthday. It really was a great weekend!! Check out the pictures!

Back from the dead!

The past week has been brutal to our little family. A week ago on Monday Rylie got sick. Violently sick all of Monday night. It was bad. She woke up doing pretty well and after pretty much washing and wiping down the whole house i was thankful no one else seemed to get it! Then, Thursday night before bed Tristan kept saying his tummy hurt. He would go in the bathroom and put his face over the toilet like i had assumed he saw Rylie do a few days before. I thought it was a genius tactic for him to stay up and continually told him to go back to bed. Bad Mommy. Then, Jay got home around 9:00pm and Tristan ran over to say hi (he was still awake). He immediately ran to the bathroom and straight to the toilet he went with the same head over pose. But this time, he wasn't posing. That's when it hit me!! He really was sick, and his tummy really did hurt, and he was really trying to tell me the whole time. Dang i felt so bad!! He continued to visit the porcelain throne a few more times throughout the night. At the same time Jay was complaining he didn't feel so well and wanted to go to bed. I told him to stay in Tristan's room so he wouldn't get sick and Tristan could stay with me in our bed. Seriously, it wasn't even 10:00pm before Jay was in the bathroom completely sick as well. Perfect. 2 sick boys on the same night! Luckily Tristan was done about 1:00am, but i really can't say the same for Jay as he was up at least every 45 minutes. So sad. As with Rylie, the next day Tristan was in good spirits and acting as if nothing happened. Well, he did have the occasional bout of exhaustion but that is to be expected. Jay, however, SLEPT. The entire day. Seriously, i think we saw him for all of one hour and he was back to sleep. It was crazy. We have spent the weekend trying to recover and I really cannot believe i did not catch it. Especially since i was the one taking care of everyone!! God is good. Anyway, yesterday was the first day everyone felt well enough to get out for a bit. We weren't up for going to church yet (which, by the way, is where i think we caught it to begin with.. such is life) so we relaxed in the morning and then headed to Islands for lunch, walked around the mall for a bit, the kids got their face and hand painted, went to Rite Aide for some ice cream in a cup, and then hit up Petco to look at the pets. After all of that it is safe to say we were all ready for a nap. Anyway, I am so glad the flu has left our family and I am still praying i don't get it. Here are a few pictures of the kids with their paint. Rylie wanted a cat and it turned out awful, but it was because she moved a lot i think. This is when it looked the best. Tristan asked for a spider (looks more like a scorpion?!) on his hand and was so funny after.. he didn't want to move his arm at all. Too cute.

I love my kids!

I think sometimes I complain a little too much about my children. Yes, they are 2 and 3 and only 16 months apart (which I admit is very challenging) but I love them so much. I thought I would dedicate this post to them and 10 things I love about them!

1. The smiles on their faces when they wake up and see me in the morning. Complete joy.
2. I love their cuddles and sweet hugs and kisses.
3. I love that they pray for their Mommy and Daddy and sweet friends every single night.
4. I love to hear Rylie call Tristan "Brother"
5. I love hearing Tristan tell me to "Leave Rylie alone" if I have been too hard on her.
6. I love how quick they are to forgive me when I lose my cool.
7. I love that I look at them every day and see how much God loves me.
8. I love to hear Ry Ry shriek (very loudly) when she sees a balloon or birdie or something outside.
9. I love to hear them call me Mommy.
10. I love watching them hold hands and play together.

There are obviously so many things I love about my kids. This only scratches the surface. I needed to write this for me though. It is easy for me to get caught up in the messes and fights and little things like that. But I am blessed. I love them. So next time you hear me complain remind me of this...

Our beautifully dirty girl.

In awe that she caught the bubble. I love her.