Hello, we are still around.

Ryder has more facts up his sleeve than an encyclopedia.

Today's fact:

Did you know that black thing in the center of your eye is called your people?

It's called your pupil.

No, it's called your people.  And when you are in the light, it is small.  But when it gets dark, it gets large.

Our Rhodes at 19 months:
Weighs 24 lb
Takes one long nap a day, usually around 10-1 or so.
Has finally started to say a few things that he sees such as socks, boots, hot (for food or fire), ahhhda (Ryder), cheese, miiiiink (milk), apple, uuhhhhncce (juice), bye, woof (dog).  Slowly but surely we are speaking!!! About time!
When we say bath time he runs to the bathtub and starts tugging on his clothes and diaper.
When we say lets go outside he hauls it to the back door.
Sometimes when he's pooping in his diaper and he's all squatted over he'll look up with a grin and say pooooooh!

Ryder's favorite game around the house is chase or hide and seek.  I usually opt for hide and seek because I don't particularly like to run around the house for 20 minutes straight.  Too tired for all that.

Ryder is a great hider...

And he likes to rock his baby to sleep sometimes.  Nothing sweeter than hearing him sing lullabies.

This little incident broke my heart.  Ryder has about given up on napping but I still insist on "rest time" so I can have my own mama time.  This day I let him lay on the couch and watch something on the iPad while I painted furniture in the garage.  I came in for something and the door wouldn't budge.  I pushed harder and saw Ryder had made himself a little pallet outside the garage door.  I asked him why he was laying there and he said that he wanted to be close to me :(((  I scooped him right up and put my painting on hold until he was asleep that night.  Such a sweet boy.

Little chickfila ice cream for the WIN!

Bird watching is on our daily agenda.  Ryder is like a bird encyclopedia.  All credit goes to Wild Kratts.  If you have a boy and you haven't watched this show on PBS, you must.  Ryder has seriously learned the most interesting things from this show.  He is absolutely, positively, certified obsessed.

Me and OCD decided to clean up the play room.  But before OCD would put the blocks in the basket, he first had to organize them by color.  And notice how he found something that matched each group of blocks to set the blocks on.

Well five months after Ryder's fourth birthday, we made a four year old check up appointment.  I didn't know we were supposed to go at 4 years old.  Three shots and a flu shot happened at this appointment and it was one of the top 3 saddest things to watch.  He was having a conniption fit.

All I could do to avoid the shot questions as we waited on the nurse was take selfies.

Tball is right around the corner.  Hoping for a more successful season now that he is four.  Three was a little too young... now we know.

Post bath lounging before bedtime.

Whoville

Cinnamon roll anyone? The thing was near the size of Ryder's head.  And that's big.  

Looks like I wasn't the only one who needed some hair therapy.

Ryder sending me off for a date night.

We celebrated Swayze's 4th birthday with a fun paint party!

Ryder and Swayze on a date, apparently.

Ryder likes to join me in the kitchen.  We made french toast and he was on top of it.

He was pleased with the turnout.

Rhodes is a little indecisive sometimes.  Milk, juice, milk, juice... both.

Valentine's Day party at school.

There is no denying that I completely failed at keeping my blog up lately.  I have two things to blame it on though.  It's called Scandal.  And 24.  I recently got Netflix and wanted to get in the loop with these TV series I keep hearing about.  So I started Scandal.  And finished in about 9 days.  Next I started 24, and it took me about a week to get to season 2.  So now when I am on my computer, I'm watching 24.  I can't force myself to blog because I can't peel my eyes away from the show.  It's a problem.

But I was able to peel myself away to upload these pictures.  This is my babies' "baby book" after all.  I can do this!!!

Nicer weather calls for a little fishing. 

Ryder and John Michael have been out fishing several times and Ryder caught his first bream!

Proud papa (who needs to burn this awful MBraves tshirt that he wears way too much.  Everytime I wash it and it is folded up in his drawer, along with 30 other tshirts, he picks this one).  It's got to go.

Ryder doesn't bother pausing his show when he's gotta go.  Just brings it along.  Can't miss anything.

Ryder got creative with his breakfast and said he made his dad's face out of grapes and raisin bread :/

Rhodes only charges five bucks to mow lawns!  He's for hire!

Love my cutie.  His sweet smile...

Ryder is trying to get the hang of skipping rocks.

Boys are trouble I tell you.  Ryder was dedicated to his workout and when no one bothered to take him to do his pull ups, he decided to take matters in his own hands.  And then tried to pin the crime on Rhodes!!!

Wish this picture was zoomed in.  Trouble 1 and Trouble 2 got into the markers again!

 I do love being this boy's mama.  He always wants to make me look "pretty" he says.  This day he wanted to bring me flowers for my hair.  He always asks me to wear dresses and heels.  He said he likes it when I dress up.  He tells me I am the prettiest mama he could ever have.  I will never turn down a compliment from his sweet little heart.  And in the same breath he brought me crickets.  Gotta love it!

When Rhodes wakes up in the night, I know it's an ear infection.  He doesn't get fever with ear infections.  He doesn't have trouble drinking or eating.  But he will wake up around 2 a.m.  And I always know.  Thursday morning he woke up around 3 a.m. and never went back to sleep.  So when I went to pick him up from school he had conked out during lunch.  I knew it was time to make a doctor's appointment and of course I was right.  Ear infection!

Puzzles pass the time.

Fun at Rivers' birthday party!

Early morning dirt digging.  John Michael and his projects.  This time he wanted to fill in holes in the backyard.  The boys love a project too, so what can I say.

Ryder constantly talks about getting strong and working out.  Seriously don't know where he gets this workout ethic because it's not from us.  On this afternoon he was "marathoning" around the backyard while I counted his laps.  Rhodes is never far behind.

 Loading up the boat for some more fishing!

Here's to hoping I blog again sometime in 2014.  For my family's sake at least!