Happy 5th Birthday, Sophia

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Your Daddy and I are truly bewildered at how you are possibly 5 years old!  You are such a sweetie, and we feel so blessed that God chose us to be your mom and dad. 

Watching you grow into your roll as a big sister over the past two years has been pretty amazing.  You are protective and loving, and you show unconditional love to Ryland.  The love you have for him melts our hearts.  The way you want to sing to him at bedtime.   How you teach him how to do things, so patiently.  And even though you sometimes need reminders that you are not his mom, we know that you do all these things with love. 

This past year has not been without its challenges.  You are a very strong willed young lady.   You know what you want.  Or don't want.  And for that I am so thankful.  I know that this characteristic will serve you well as you grow into an adult.  But teaching you how to control these feelings has been a challenge for your dad and I.   We are constantly researching and learning ways to help you, and trying to find strategies that you can use to learn this control on your own.  Though you push us at times, we know that it is only because you feel so passionate in the moment.  And the level to which you have matured in the past year has astounded us.  You truly are growing up.

Your desire to learn and go to kindergarten in August is the cutest.  You woke up on your birthday and looked at me wide eyed and asked "Now I get to go to Kindergarten, right?!"  As much as I love that you are ready to start, I am also saddened.  We can't believe that you are really at the age to start school.   real school.  We just want you to stay a kid.  Forever.   (Well, maybe not forever, but we do want this time to slow down.) 

 We love you, Sweetie.   More than we can ever express.  All of our love, Forever,

Momma and Daddy

Happy 1st Birthday Ry-Guy

Dear Ryland,

Tomorrow when you wake up, you will be one year old. I've had many moments this week where I haven't been able to contain the tears when I think about your first year.  We are in awe at how fast this year has gone by.  We are shocked daily at the changes we notice with you.  And you keep us on our toes, little climber.  Every day you are learning new and exciting things and you are not afraid to take big risks, which sometimes scares your Daddy and me.

Having a little guy in the house has been an entirely different experience from having your big sister.   From day one, we could tell that your temperament was different than hers.  We are constantly amazed at how two children from the same parents can be so different.  You are so curious about the way that things work.  From the minute you could crawl you were trying to figure out how to open doors, how your sister's dolly stroller moved around on the floor.   You'd flop it over and play with the wheels for the longest lengths of time, just taking it all in.  And you've become our climber.  We can not take our eyes off of you for one second.   I'm amazed at the risks you will take and the speed at which you do !!

You are such a sweet boy.  You are always ready for a hug, or a cuddle.   And every time we pick you up, you snuggle your little head into the crook between my shoulder and my neck, and wrap your legs around my torso.   Time stops.  And I melt.  Literally.  I've always heard that there is a different kind of love between a mom and her son, and Ryland, you sure do know how to show it.  I just want to hold on to these moments of time forever.

You have an amazing sister in Sophia.  When she first met you in the hospital, there was some reservation on her end.   She wasn't sure what to think about you all bundled up like a caterpillar, and seeing me in the hospital bed is still something she talks about.  But from the moment you came home, she has done nothing but LOVE on you.  I still remember sitting on the couch the afternoon we came home.  Daddy picked her up from school and she ran.  full speed.  straight to you.  I have always felt that the love a parent experiences is not something that can be explained.   Especially since having children of my own.   I also feel that the love is not something you understand until you hold your own child for the first time.  It's bigger and deeper than anything.  But watching Sophia makes me wonder if others do experience it?  She shows love to you in such a big way.   She tells me all the time that she loves you "this much", as she circles her arms in the air as big as they can possibly go.  And the day you started walking, her world changed.  Ryland, I can't wait until you can see this for yourself and feel her love.

But not every single minute is glorious.  That wouldn't be honest.  You hate teething.   And it doesn't come easy for you.   You drool.  And go through several shirts a day.  And everyone knows that you are in pain.   Because you don't let us forget it.   :(   And it breaks our hearts.  With only 4 of your teeth, your smile lights up the room.  And while I enjoy each and every grin, sometimes I fear for the time that the next tooth will appear, and pray that it gets easier.

You are such a lovebug.  Each and every kiss you give warms my soul. We have so enjoyed every moment of your first year, and watching the little man you are becoming.  We know that you will do great things.

We love you more than we can say and we can't wait to see what this next year will bring.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Game On !!!

And...he's off!!  Ryland is officially a walker!

Sophia has been living for the day her brother would become a playmate.  Ever since the day he was born she has tried to play with him.  And it took some time for her to comprehend that he couldn't play with her the way all the kids at school can.  

So it was only fitting that on her birthday, Ryland went from standing on his own, to taking 4 steps before melting into the ground.  His legs would literally turn to jello an he'd slowly slide downwards :). 

That Friday I picked Ryland up from daycare and Ms. Diane says "We've been on the go a lot today!" And smiled.  When we got home we fully understood what she meant.  Ryland was walking!!  All by himself.   And it's the cutest thing.  Sometimes he heads straight for his intended goal.  Others, it's almost like he sees what he wants, his balance gets a little off-course, and he looks straight but heads left.  :). I love the early-walker stage!  

From the ways that Sophia now interacts with Ryland, it's obvious that his walking was the best present she could have received. 

4 years. Where Has the Time Gone?

Dear Sophia,

Today is your 4th birthday.  You chose a Tangled theme (Disney's Rapunzel).  Your dad and I have spent the last 3 days cleaning, preparing decorations, and planning for your family dinner party.  With every scrub of the counter or sweep of the broom, memories  are flooding back.  

How is it possible that 4 years have passed?  How is it possible that 4 years ago we were in the hospital awaiting your arrival?  Time flies.  And you've grown so much, Sweetie.  Your father and I are in amazement at the fun loving, beautiful, and sometimes challenging young lady you are turning into.  

You love to sing and dance.  And you are hilarious.  Even when you don't mean to be.  You make us smile in ways that we never knew.  You are kind and loving.   Watching you with your brother has been awesome.  You love that little guy as much as your father and I.  And that's a big love.  Something I never knew children were capable of.   And I can tell that you will always be there for your little brother. Forever.  

 

If anyone could have told us four years ago, just how much we would love you, they would have been wrong...no one could possibly know the depth of our love for you.  Our love for you is bigger than anything we can explain.  You are our sweet, amazing, silly Sophia.  And we wouldn't change a thing about you.  Not even your stubborn nature.  Which you get from your daddy, ok...maybe a little from me :).  You continue to amaze us and surprise us everyday.

Happy 4th Birthday, Princess.

Love Mommy & Daddy

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Little Man

Dear Ryland,

Happy 6 month birthday, Handsome little guy! You are six months old today and Dad and I are already amazed at how fast this time has gone by. It's been such an incredible time watching the dynamics of our family change since your arrival.  It seems like each and every day something changes;  You are able to do something new, or you are making new sounds, or trying new foods (and loving them!). 

While you are not quite mobile yet, you are trying so hard. You so badly want to crawl around, and I’m sure it’s because you want to keep up with Sophia!  You absolutely love her, and it’s so awesome as your parent to sit back and watch the love between you two.   Sophia wastes no time in the morning waiting for you to wake up.   She is up before the sunlight and the moment she hears you stirring around in your crib she announces “Brother’s waking up!”   She is quite the lucky girl, as she gets to give you your very first kiss each morning.   And she loves to be the 1^st one into your room, exclaiming almost every morning “Good Morling, Brother!  Look at your smile!”     It’s the perfect way to start each day.  

 

 Even While you are a very, very content little baby, we can tell that you are taking things in.  When I wave at you, you get the biggest smile, and your little fingers start moving up and down on your leg…you haven’t quite figured out that your hand has to come up too!

While looking at you sometimes throws me into a moment of deja-vu, because of your amazing resemblance to your sister, you two couldn’t be more different.   And it’s crazy how many differences we see already, at 6 months old.  

Where Sophia was a tiny baby, always below the 50^th percentile for weight, you, buddy, are much bigger!   I’ve always heard that a growing boy will eat you out of house and home, but I was sure that didn’t start until you were in your teens.   Not you!  Ryland, you eat every 3 hours.   On the dot.    I can tell time by your appetite!  And now that we’ve started solids, I can see that you are going to be a much better eater than your sister.  Where Sophia’s taste palate is more like your dad’s, limited to say the least, you enjoy a wide variety of foods.   

Sophia has been your chef.   She absolutely loves to make your foods for you, and I enjoy the help.   You eat up all of your veggies and all of your fruits.   Every last drop.  Funny, but your favorite is absolutely butternut squash.  You love to grab the spoon and try and feed yourself, but many times the squash ends up on your forehead instead of in your mouth. 

You haven’t yet started talking, but you are the most vocal little guy!  When we are in the car listening to music, I am certain that you are singing along, as you coo and babble nonstop! 

And your laugh!   Oh man is it the best sound.   No one can make you laugh better than your sister.   Your dad and I love to just sit back and watch these interactions.   It’s as if you two are the only two in the world.   You are mesmerized by her, and she loves the attention you give her.   She plays peek a boo with you, tickles you, and just talks to you.   And you laugh and laugh and laugh.   

Ryland, You are the newest love of my life.   And you complete our family.   Each and every day we are so thankful for the smiles and laughs that you bring us.   We are in awe of the love you and your sister share already.  And we can’t wait for the adventures yet to come.

With all my love,

Momma

And....It's Summer!

Looking back on the last 7 weeks I am amazed at how fast it has flown by!  And now it's summer time.   Thank the Lord for that.   Being a working mommy is so hard.  I have so much more compassion and understanding for working moms now that I've had to experience it myself. 

Going back to work when we just had Sophia was a natural transition from having our first kid, to getting life back on a roll.   We made it work.  And it seemed pretty easy.    There were two adults, and one baby, so there was always someone to stop what they were doing and tend to her every need.  But now, with two kids, things have gotten exponentially more difficult.   :)   But not in a "We can't do this!" kind of way.   More like a "Now I get why (fill in the name of your perpetually late family member here) is ALWAYS late"   :)  Always.  

Now the day is longer.   We wake up at 5, shower, maybe sneak in 1/2 cup of coffee while putting make up on, drying hair, and getting dressed.  Then Sophia is up.   She doesn't wake up as happy and chipper as her mom.  No, she's more like her dad.   She likes to take her time waking up, and getting dressed, and doing her hair, and picking out her snack. And arguing over what color vitamin she had yesterday, and what shoes she wants to wear to school that day.  And if she should wear pink socks like the ones we picked out the night before, or orange ones.  No, wait.  The orange ones will NOT match.  So blue it is.  If we're lucky, then Ryland is just starting to stir awake.  Which means we need to fix him a bottle and feed him.   And hopefully he doesn't have a diaper explosion like yesterday.   Because then we're changing clothes again, before work.   Pack up the diaper bag, make sure the lunch bags get ice packs, grab our waters, my school bag.   And my purse.   Carry all of this, and Ryland out to the car.  That's right, one trip!   And we're off.  On days where we time it perfectly, which are few and far between, I am leaving with Ryland the same time Matthew is leaving with Sophia.  We both have a drop off, and take a deep breath.  Off to work.   8 hours later, head home, and the never ending movement continues.  It's a wonder I haven't worked off the baby weight yet.  Oh wait, let's be honest here...Take-out happens more than it ever has.  (Horrible, I know...)  There are snacks, and more bottles, and diapers, and laundry.  Oh Laundry.  The never-ending chore!  Dinner, packing of lunches for the next day, dishes, bedtime baths, story & songs.  And Sophia's in bed.   If we're lucky, it's not 9pm yet!  

Where does the time go?   It's so easy to lose track of.   And how do families fit homework in?  Are we going to survive once the kids start school?  Or will I be "that" mom...the kind that is the teacher, but her kids still don't manage to get all of their homework done?

The balance is the hardest part.  It's so easy to make it look like we have it all together.  But if you come to our house on any given weeknight, I can't gaurantee that the dishes were done.  Or the dishwasher emptied.  And there may be a pile of clothes in my hallway, waiting to be the next laundry load.  

But, we are all loved.   We are all happy.  and things get done.  Just not on the time table I may expect of myself...But if I've taken some time in the evening to spend time building Lego's with Sophia, or helping Ryland roll, and actually having a conversation with Matthew, then I feel full.  I feel refreshed; Like I can take this all on again the next day.  And that makes it all worth it. 


Quick Updates on the Fam:

Matthew:
GRADUATION!!!  Yep!  Matthew finished his Master's Degree!   We are so proud of him and how hard he worked to get through his classes.  And he finally is finished!   In the midst of end of school year stuff, and yard projects, and going back to work, Sue and I planned a surprise party to celebrate his big accomplishment.  I don't know how we ever pulled it off, as he always knows when something is up, but we did!  And it was great!

He's also been busy in the yard this month.  The Back-Back is taking on it's intended dream: a play-yard!  The sod is down, the curb is in.  Matthew's been busy!

Matthew was also offered a full time position:  His 6 month contract led its way into a full time position, after many prayers.   Matthew was offered a full time position with Oracle that will begin in July!  We are so thankful that he loves his new job, he's home earlier than when he worked in town, and he's been brought on full time!   MANY answered Prayers.

Katie:
Summer is here.  Not only is school done, but I'm done in 1st grade too.   After many contributing factors were considered, I decided to make a move.   And back to 6th grade I go! 

I'm LOVING my time at home (I know, it's only day 3!) with both Sophia and Ryland!

Sophia:
Sophia will be at home with me all summer, as opposed to going to preschool part-time.  She is so eager to learn right now.   We are working on her letter names, she knows all her colors, how to count to 20-teen, and will be taking private swim lessons in the next couple weeks.  We've been going swimming over at Grandpa Whit and Grandma Sue's house every couple of days, and she does great with her floaties on.   We're just really hoping she can become an independent swimmer and gain some confidence in the water alone. 

Ryland:
Our growing boy.   Growing so much and so fast.   We have his 4 month appointment on Monday and I am so anxious to see how much he weighs.  We are used to our petite little Sophia.   Who was always tall on the height charts and low on the weight charts.   Ryland however, is a bigger boy.   He keeps down 99% of his food, and every oz sticks to his bones.  In comparison, we looked at Sophia's baby book and his last weight (at 3 1/2 months) was 6 oz more than what Sophia weighed at 5 months!  It won't be long before he's bigger than his big sister if he keeps up this growing pattern!    He finally found the strength to move all of his body and he's rolling over.   A celebration, and a challenge.   Now nap-time is a struggle, as he flops over, wiggles out of his swaddle-wrap, and lays there laughing and squealing for help!  He's a HAPPY boy.  All of the time. Well, unless he's hungry.  But honestly, he smiles and talks more than any baby I've ever been around.  Just a constant chatter box when he's not napping. We love it!  

 Ryland's first book from an online book exchange!  :)

 First time he didn't cry and scream in the bath.  It took about 3 months!  :)

 Our sleepy Big Sis.   She is such a great sister.

 Ryland's best bud.  We've named him Patches.   He LOVES this dog!  It's adorable!

 Sophia and Mommy cuddles

 Thought maybe Ryland had an ear infection.   

Poor boy just wasn't himself.  But luckily, no ear infection!

 Sophia and Daddy at Mini-Golf on our Miranda Memorial Day Weekend trip

 Ryland wrapped up.  He loves to be held against our chest, and will fall asleep almost instantly.

 My Favorite Pictures.  Nothing better than a walk through the Redwoods. 

 Big Boy, starting to try out holding his own bottle.

 Our Cool Dude.

 Sophia's first harvest from her garden.  She grew dinner this night.  Green beans!

 Our creative little artist.

 From dirt, to lawn.  Messy job!

 Little Miss likes to pick out her own outfits.  I pick my battles.

 Our Happy Kiddos

 Last day of school;  Popsicles in the grass.

 Sibling cuddles.   They have my heart.

 Happy kids on the 1st day of summer!

 Floor time.  Loving his precious little face.

Our boy is growing.   And Sophia is a proud Sister.

I'm hoping that I am better about updates now that I'm home for the summer, but I'm not making many promises.   My days are kid filled, which leads to unpredictable schedules lots of times!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's off to work we go...

I can not believe how incredibly fast my time at home has gone by.   Ryland is now 8 weeks old, and is SUCH a good baby!  He truly makes parenthood seem like a breeze.

Life has become quite different around the Taylor home in the last few weeks!  Here are some updates:

Matthew
After months of job-hunting & working with a job-recruiter, Matthew got a new job!   :)   It has been a long-awaited move for him.   He is now commuting down to Rocklin (about a 40 min drive), working with Oracle, a big software company.   His job is in the corporate offices, where he calculates the commissions earned by the sales reps.  The biggest change for Matthew is that his mornings now start MUCH earlier!   Despite the lack of extra sleep, he is coming home much more relaxed and much happier at the end of the day.   And even though there is a commute, he's home earlier than when he worked in town!

Katie
Monday brings work again.   It is absolutely a bittersweet change for me.   I have LOVED every second that I've been at home with Ryland and Sophia over the last 8 weeks.  I love my job as a mommy more than anything.  Sophia is such a silly girl right now.  Her little personality is really, really blossoming.  She is so creative and imaginative.  It's amazing to watch her mimic us, and to be a "little mommy" herself.   She continues to love, love, love her brother.  I just want to bottle it up!

But I do miss my silly 1st graders too.   Especially this time of year.   Spring is when you see the hard-work that you've put in all year really paying off with the students.  So many of them come into 1st grade knowing letter names, but maybe not knowing all of the sounds.  But at this point in the year, they are READING!   Such a rewarding moment to see!

I have been LOVING the recent AT&T commercials, because they absolutely remind me of the fun moments in the classroom.  If you're in for a giggle, watch these:

Faster or Slower

Nicky Flash

Pickle Roll


Sophia
Going back to work for me, means Sophia goes back to preschool full time.  We know how much she is a creature of routine, so we started her back full time this week.   We figured with 2 kids to get out the door each morning, we would start her early.   By having this week to "practice" being ready each morning, hopefully next week will run a little more smoothly.  She is already loving that she has "a school day every day!"   :)    It's such a relief to know that she is happy, well cared for, and excelling while she is there!

Ryland
We had a bit of a health scare with Ryland in the last few weeks.   Long story short...We noticed that his pupils were different sizes.  Dr. Midha, our pediatrician, wanted to see him right away.  And after a long exam, decided that this was definitely something he wanted explored further.  He explained that often times when this happens in babies it can be a brain tumor.  When he said tumor, I didn't hear anything else.  I just stood crying, holding my little man, and wanting to make everything ok.   So he made us a referral for a pediatric ophthalmologist.  The referral however, would not get us an appointment until May.  When you tell a parent their child "may have" a tumor, it is very scary.  We really didn't want to wait so long to get answers.   Carly made a phone call to Fran, her mother-in-law, who works for an eye doctor, and asked her if she'd seen anything like that before.   The doctor she worked for said that he probably wouldn't wait that long to get things checked.   this created another level of fear.   If the doctor wouldn't wait, then we needed to get an appointment soon.  Fran called a former employer, and he was willing to get us in sooner.   We had our appointment this last week, and everything checked out fine.   Big sigh of relief.   We know that lots of people were praying for Ryland and we thank you so much.

On a lighter note, Ryland will be having a big schedule change this week.  As much as I'd love to be able to take Ryland to work with me every day...that just isn't an option!   I only have 7 weeks of school before Summer Vacation!  7 weeks!!!  So my mom has offered to watch him during that time.   I am so thankful for her offer to watch him for us.   And I know she is so excited to have her time with him, too!     Even though I'll be leaving him with my mom, I'm pretty sure I'll still be shedding some tears on Monday morning.   Hopefully the next 7 weeks fly by.  I keep telling myself "7 Mondays"   and somehow it makes my time away seem so much more manageable!  Then this summer we'll start the hunt for daycare.  So Ryland won't officially start daycare until August.  At that point he'll be 6 months old.   So crazy how the time flies!

 
 So here are some pictures of life over the past 8 weeks!

 Our Smily Little Guy!

 Gardening Day!  Sophia tells us "We're growing dinner!"   Squash and Green Beans, yummy!

SUCH a happy little guy!

Saturday Morning Cuddles!