TK's Jungle

We have found a new favorite Tuesday event.  Half price day at TK's Jungle, an inflatables fun house in RTP.  Since we went last Tuesday, Ryan wakes up each morning asking if we can go to the jumping place.  Here are a few pictures from our time.  It was actually VERY difficult to take pictures, as the kids were running from one inflatable to the next and then, literally, bouncing all around.

Here's Ry with two of the Shields' boys.  I hope Ryan continues to look up to these two.  They are ALL boy, yet sweet and well-mannered.  Ryan followed them all around and they were quick to help him when he need a push.

This picture is to showcase the newest mohawk cut.  Daddy really outdid himself this time!

Oh no, Madeline and Ryan are being eaten by a giant shark!!!

This girl is too sweet for words.

Here are Madeline and Ryan pretending to operate a race car game at TK's.  This picture is included because it highlights their innate differences as male and female.  From the look on Ry's face, you can tell he is focused and driven (ha, ha, ha) to win and conquer the game.  Though you can't tell from the picture, Madeline is right beside him, placing her head on the steering wheel and moving her head back and forth as she gently turns the steering wheel.  It was quite amusing to watch.

A new game was invented today at TK's.  The children would press their hands and heads on the mesh and the mommies would press back on their hands, making them fall over.  This game produced belly laughs from Madeline, Chase, Ryan and Jackson.  Above is a picture of Ryan and Jackson.

Madeline and Chase playing the mesh game.

This morning Daddy left for Fayetteville.  Both Madeline and Ryan wanted to climb onto his lap and have some cuddle time before he headed out.  Daddy loves his babies.  We can't wait until he gets home!!!

Some interesting things happened at TK's Jungle:

-For the first time, I was approached by another parent for my child's behavior.  I was in one of the jumping houses with Anna and Beth and the kids when a mother came up, who was sitting a ways off, and asked whose child had on the blue shirt.  It was Ryan.  She told me that I needed to watch him because her son (who was about 3.5 or 4) just told her that Ryan had pushed his head.  I promptly began to watch Ryan like a hawk.  At the time, he and Madeline were at the top of a slide and the little boy with the complaint was directly behind them.  Just as Madeline was about to sit down to go down the slide, I watched this little boy push her from a standing position down the slide.  I then observed him do the same to Ryan.  As soon as the little boy got down the slide, he decided to go through a tunnel.  At the time, Jacob, Ry's almost 2 year old friend, was climbing through the tunnel.  Instead of waiting for Jacob to climb through, the boy proceeded to climb on top of Jacob and in front of him.  I then realized that if Ryan had pushed this little boy's head, it was not without provocation.  When I had time to think about it that evening, I realized how funny it was that the little boy's mom was paying no attention to him or his brother, but sitting in a central area doing her own thing, but was accosting me about my child's behavior when I was only feet away from my children.  I wish I could say that was the end of things.  About 30 minutes later, as the little boy and Ryan were both entering the same inflatable, the little boy looked at Ryan and continually said, "you horrible, horrible boy". Thankfully, Ryan has no idea what the word horrible means and I quickly scooped him up.  The boy's mother was next to him at the moment and chided him for saying such things, but did not stop him and then just uttered, "oh, boys".  Part of me wishes I had confronted this mother, but the other part of me likes peace and I had a peace about this situation--my children were not harmed physically or emotionally, and there would likely be nothing but strife that resulted from a confrontation.

-Today at TK's an older boy befriended Ryan.  This boy was a bit overly helpful and Ryan was overwhelmed by him and came to me crying a couple times.  I, of course, kept a very close eye on them and finally told the boy that Ryan just wanted his mommy.  The funny thing was that Ryan's friend, Jackson, who is a year older, became very protective of Ryan and literally started pulling Ryan the opposite direction as this older boy tried to "take him away".  It was really endearing to watch Jackson display such strong bonds of friendship at such a young age.  

-Joe Shields is the most energetic dad I know!  He was all over the inflatables with the kids.  Madeline and Ryan were in love with him by the time we left.  

-Tim Walters is the most flexible man over 6 feet tall that I have met!  He was like a snake slithering through an obstacle course that I struggled to get through with the kids.  I wish I had a video snip to show.

-While I have loved chatting with the ladies at TK's, I had the most fun tonight when it was just me and the kids.  I played with them in the inflatables, jumping, climbing up stairs, sliding, and chasing.  It was such special bonding time.  As I mature as a mom, I hope to spend more time investing in what Madeline and Ryan enjoy, versus getting tasks done.

Pictures from the week

I need some help from my blogger friends.  When I attempt to post vertical pictures, they post horizontally.  When I look at the vertical pictures in iphoto (our picture software) they are vertical.  However, they don't post that way.  What do I do???

Here is Ryan making a Valentine at a special time for tots at North Carolina's Natural History Museum.  It is here that Ryan discovered scissors and his passion for cutting.  As a result, all scissors were placed high out of reach when we got home.

On Valentine's Day we had some friends over to decorate cookies.  Here are sweet Emmy and Madeline decorating their cookies.

Where's the cookie in Madeline's hand, you might ask?  It is hiding beneath the multitude of sprinkles.

Of course this is a Wells' child.  Do you know what he is doing?  Licking his place mat to make sure that every last sprinkle lands in his mouth.

That's right, we have become one of those parents.  We let Maddie and Ryan take their strollers and baby dolls (Ryan has a dog) to the mall.  Of course we started out the day at the museum where only Madeline brought her stroller and doll.  It turned into a disaster, as Ryan too wanted to push the stroller.  As a result, we took two strollers to the mall that evening.

Madeline and her GG.

Look at that handsome boy!

Here is Maddie making her Valentine at the museum.  Do you see that she is placing heart stickers in a line around the perimeter of the card.  She is very methodical and practical, just like her mama.

The Ry guy and his GG.  This boy loves his energetic GG.

GG and Madeline await Ryan's descent down the slide.

What a sweet pair.

My favorite time as a parent is watching Madeline and Ryan play with each other and enjoy each other's company.

GG and Madeline bury a hidden treasure in the sand.

Garlic Breath

Our sweet friend Beth is watching Madeline and Ryan on Saturday for us to celebrate Valentine's Day.  Since we did not have anything planned last night, I made one of Matt's favorites. . .white pizza (I also made a regular one for the kids).  Well, surprise, surprise, Ryan loves white pizza. He ate at least two regular size pieces.  At the time I was excited that he was eating it. . .last night the excitement began to wane, as his breath began to stink.  My sweet little boy has garlic breath and it is BAD!!!  When one's husband has bad garlic breath, you can tell him that he stinks and that the kisses will have to wait for tomorrow.  Not so with your two year old little boy.  This is the first time I can remember kissing one of my children and having my stomach churn.  And while the breath was bad, this morning's diaper was horrid.  If only there were words to describe the aroma.  

I love holidays, as do my mom and sisters.  In fact, my whole family called yesterday to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day.  To celebrate with the kids, we had a little cookie decorating party and bag lunch at our house.  It was fun and crazy all at the same time.  Madeline piled a centimeter worth of sprinkles on her cookie and Ryan picked up his placemat numerous times to lick the sprinkles off.  

Oh, I forgot about our morning Valentine's Day celebration.  I made special pancakes and the kids had pink milk to drink.  Daddy hid cards all around the family room for Madeline to find and we gave the kids a special V Day treat.  Holidays are so much more magical and fun with children.  Matt was also quite the romantic!

This morning we met our friends Ms. Tara, Riley and new baby Grady at the playground.  It was our first time meeting baby Grady and all three of us loved it.  We could not get enough of his little face and body.  Madeline is so sweet and tender with babies.  She kept saying that Tyler and Riley must LOVE having this baby.  And with all his toughness, Ryan also has a tender spot for babies.  He knows to be gentle with them and loves to look at them and say, "ohhhh, baby". Though Ryan is over 2, at the playground I felt like I became an official boy mom.  Ryan found his first mud puddles.  How, I have no idea, as they were on the outskirts of the playground. When I watched him leap into the first puddle, I cringed.  Most of me wanted to yank him up and run home, but a small part of me knew this was just a boy being a boy and he was about to have the time of his life.  He did.  Before heading into the car, he was stripped down and upon arriving home, given a sink bath.

Madeline said something really cute yesterday.  She asked me where Daddy was going.  I told her that he was going to lacrosse practice.  Then she asked me if that meant he was going to heaven.  I was totally baffled and asked her why she asked that.  Turns out that she thought I said that Daddy was going to the cross.  

I am continually in awe of Madeline's tenderness for people, even her brother.  Today, Ryan got into major trouble after dumping a tub of crayons when I told him not to and then writing on the floor when I was making him pick up all the crayons.  As a result of this, we had two major discipline sessions.  After the second one, Ryan was crying and broken (unfortunately, the brokenness does not last for long these days, as his disobedience is at a peak), but I was still making him pick up the crayons.  Madeline came up to him and said, "Hey buddy, I will help you pick them up".  I told her that she did not have to, but she told me that she wanted to help him.

GG Comes to Town

The camera is upstairs and I am downstairs, so the pictures will have to follow.  The last few weeks have passed in a whirlwind, ending with a visit from GG.  I love having my mom visit and I love watching the kids love my mom.  The older I get the more I appreciate my mom and enjoy spending time with her.  With both love to go, go, go, so we enjoy filling our time with outings and playground visits.  

We discovered an interesting thing while GG was here.  Because my mom is called GG and Matt's mom is called Grandma, Madeline does not think that GG is a "real" grandma.  She often told GG about her real Grandma, referring to Matt's mom.  Thankfully my mom is not offended and soon Madeline will be able to grasp the "sameness" of distinct titles.

Chip Ingram is one of my favorite pastors to listen to online.  He did a great talk on faith, wherein faith is defined as believing God and therefore acting on that belief.  He talked about how faith is the single most thing that pleases God.  His talk centered mostly around Hebrews 10-12.  Here are the 7 ways he shared to grow in faith.  1)  The Bible--soaking your mind and heart in scripture.  2) Giving--giving the first and best of your finances, as reflected by Abel.  We want to believe to the point that we give our best. 3) Faith is caught--get around people who have it and read books on people with great faith. 4) Sanctified dreaming--as we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (so long as those desires are in line with Scripture), as he longs to reward those who earnestly seek him.  Ps. 37:4. 5) Earnestly seek him. 6) Just Go--start asking for a calling from God.  7) Roll--where there is no risk, there is no faith.  This talk spurred me on to seek faith and pray for faith.  

   

Playtime with Emmy and Kate

Friday morning was rainy and gray. A perfect time to meet friends at the mall to play! As we drove to the mall Madeline kept asking me if I could see through the smoke (it was foggy outside). She is very concerned about safety. If I do not buckle my seatbelt immediately upon entering the car, she makes a comment. And she often worries that I am driving too fast or in the grass.

Anyway, we spent Friday morning at Crabtree Valley Mall playing with Emmy and Anna Kate. Actually, Emmy and Madeline played and Christy ran after Anna Kate while I ran after Ryan. When Christy and I tired of our chases, we plopped our little ones in their strollers and headed to the food court while Madeline and Emmy held hands behind us, laughing and giggling and walking zig zags. I love watching these girls together. They are both very tender and have very sweet spirits. When they play together they really seem to understand each other and thoroughly enjoy one another's company. It is such a joy to watch them.

This is an aside, but they had this new eatery called Crisp. It had a wonderful selection of salads and wraps. Christy ate there while I went to Subway. Today, I wish I would have eaten at Crisp!!! I'm such a creature of habit. I think I will have to go back to Crabtree just to eat there.

Here are some pictures of our fun time.

A sweet moment between brother and sister.

Look at these sweet girls. You would not believe how hard it was to get a picture with both of them looking at the camera and smiling at the same time.

Check them out driving together. I was all out of quarters and I think Madeline convinced Emily to ask her mommy for quarters. I was a little embarrassed by this, but thankfully we were with Christy. When we got home we had a conversation about how we do not ask our friends' mommies for something that "we" want.

RyRy and Emmy driving the ice cream truck.

This week has been difficult with Ryan. I feel like we are new parents all over again. When I tell him "no" he usually does not listen. If I tell him to come, he often ignores me. And if I ask him to do something and he does not want to, he tells me no. Last Sunday he started hitting me and screaming if he does not get his way. The crazy thing is that the boy gets disciplined. Last night Matt and I had a big conversation. He is calling his mentor from Virginia today to discuss our struggles and seek wisdom. In the meantime, we are uniting and committing to be on top of him, discipling every act of disobedience. While I desire him to develop a strong, independent personality, he must learn to respect Mommy and Daddy and those in authority over him.

Mohawk Mania

Yes, it's true. Ryan has a mohawk. When Daddy first suggested it, I said NO WAY. Of course, he persisted and I finally gave in. Though, this is not my hair cut of choice for my sweet boy, I admit that it is funny. On Friday night, Matt was walking ahead of me in Target. As a couple passed Matt and the kids, the women said to her husband, "Did you see that little boy". Ha, ha, ha. I got a good laugh and was even bold enough to tell her that my husband gave my little boy a mohawk. We still have hope that Tim and Anna might give Ty a mohawk too. Come on Tim and Anna, they could be BFF's!!! And imagine the fun we will have in 20 years when we show their girlfriends and wives these pictures. :)

Ballerina Perfection

Here are a couple pictures of our sweet ballerina. When Madeline was born, I thought we would be perfect parents. I had read so many parenting books, and Matt and I had spent hours upon hours discussing how we would parent. Of course, parenting has turned out to be much more difficult and not so clear cut. Though Madeline loves ballet, she does not like her ballet class. After one session she told me that she did not want to go back. Of course I asked her why and she told me that she did not like it because she was not very good at it. At her age, none of the little girls are very good at it, as their bodies are still developing fine and gross motor skills. Anyway, Matt and I went to great lengths explaining how no one is good at something when they first begin, but as they practice, they get better and better. However, this little lesson is not sinking in, as she persists in saying the same thing after each ballet class. For me as a parent, it makes me nervous to see this trait in her, as I don't want her to feel like she has to be perfect at everything. I was and am that way and it did and does keep me from trying new things, and I don't want this for her. Though her personality may tend toward perfectionism, I hope we can steer her to have confidence and try new things regardless of how good or bad she is.