It's Fall Ya'll

WOW! Already slacking on my blogging (only 1 month and 5 days since my last post, no biggie) but I have been SOOOOOOO busy! I know people roll their eyes like they aren't but I am. Being a working mother, finding the strength and motivation to help run a business and still throw in being a somewhat mediocre wife takes a toll on ya. OH YEAH, this blog is about Raising a Russell not Feeling Sorry For Jess......

OK, a lot has gone on in the past month! I totally slacked on my yard decor this year and ended up throwing together a simple but lovely little setup in my entryway. It really should be on the cover of some Fab Horn Lake Living Mag- OH YEAH, HAHAHAHA that doesn't exist. Well, if it did mine would be on there. I am my mother's daughter!

Me and Travis woke up on October 30 hungry for Waffle House, threw on some clothes then headed to buy some pumpkins, mums and cornstalks. Better Late Then Never, right!?!?! Please excuse my homeless looking child. I did say we threw on clothes and went to Waffle House..... I'm sounding more and more like a true Horn Lake Resident throughout this blog! This was seriously the best pic I got!

 I guess I can't jump into Halloween talk without discussing how the month went costume wise!

Well, there ya go. I guess you can tell we HATED being a lion AND a hamburger! I'm so glad I tested these options out before deciding we needed something a little more subtle. Maybe next year we can be a little more daring!



We started a tradition last year of going to ZooBoo which I want to stick to every year. This year I think we decided, along with the whole city of Memphis, to go the Sunday before Halloween. I'll never make that mistake again. We had a blast but WAY too many people there. The older I get the more I can not deal with crowds especially ones filled with rude Memphians AND THERE SLUGGISH FEET. Ryder's favorite part of the night was Dracula's Disco. A DJ was set up inside the Panda Exhibit and the room looked like an actual club but for kids.

Ryder was gettin down the whole night!

Our family pic from ZooBoo!

How freakin cute is he!?!?!?!

Found this from last year's ZooBoo trip. Lacey, Ryder's Godmother, goes with us every year. I don't even remember him being this little!

We were so exhausted on Halloween we did nothing but hand out candy. I had to dress up Ryder but I did it to surprise Daddy, a true Alabama fan.

Another little tradition we have started is going to Cedar Hill Farms. It was much more fun than last year now that Ryder can do a little more. He loves animals and being outside so I knew he would have a blast.

Here is a pic from last year and this year. I'm crying now......

Running through the Hay Maze and riding his 1st Pony!

He loved the Hay Ride and picking his own pumpkin!

 

I almost forgot our 1st trip to Hope Presbyterians Fall Fest! What a production our church put on to kick off Fall! I went with all my girls and the kids had a blast. Ryder was on a whole other level that night. He was cracking me and my mom up. Something about getting in a busy environment with other kids and having room to run makes this boy WILD! I love his independence but it can give me mild heart attacks!

So much fun my shirt is CRAZY!

 I love these ladies AND their babes!

OK, long post but it was a busy month! I do have to mention some of my favorite things Ryder is doing now!
- Says Hi: I know that doesn't sound too impressive but it's the way he says it when I open his door in the morning, walk in to pick him up from work or when he walks into a room full of people. His voice is SO angelic and innocent. It literally melts my heart.

-Bye: Bye is another story. He says it with such an "I don't care" tone it will BREAK YOUR HEART! HAHA, I leave him every morning to go to work and when I say bye, he literally turns the other way and throws his hands in the air and says BYE! I love his independence but a couple meltdowns while I'm walking out the door wouldn't hurt my feelings!

-Bath time: He has always loved his bath time but lately it seems to be his FAV thing! He will play in there for an hour if I let him. His fav is mommy and daddy's BIG tub! He goes WILD in there! He know dunks his head underwater and comes up laughing hysterically, IS THAT NORMAL!?!?!? I look forward to that sweet time every night. It's kind of relaxing after a long day at work. It's the one time I can just sit there in silence (smiling, of course) and watch him have a blast! I love it!

-Dog Park: After my fear of Samson running away we have finally decided to get this poor beast out of our house and backyard and let him RUN FREE. He did great and we are now setting aside a day to take him to Shelby Farms Dog Park. I think it's good for the whole family but especially Samson. He needs that space to run and exercise. Ryder, of course, loves dogs but he has LOVED being outside and seeing other pups besides Phoebe and Samson.

Runs & Teething

Interesting Blog Title!?!? Well, it's come out of my mouth more this week than the whole 15 months of Ryder's life so I thought, "why not make the Blog Title that very phrase!" This child gets more teeth in at once than any other baby alive! He only has his 4 top and 4 bottom so I knew this was coming and I knew when it did it was going to be bad. Exactly a week ago tonight Ryder came down with the WORST case of the RUNS you could imagine. I thought I was back in the newborn stage running around with 5 changes of clothes everywhere I went. It was a tad ridic. ANYWAY, I still don't think any have broke through but I feel something WWAAYY in the back of his mouth ON BOTH SIDES that's itching to make an appearance. The evidence of EVERYTHING in sight in his mouth and gnawing on fingers are also telling me it's going to be bad! Ryder is SUCH a good sleeper, I hate bragging but he is so when he woke up at 5:30 the other morning, screaming and crying I knew it was his teeth. Daddy rubbed a little orajel on his gums and 2 minutes later he was back to dreamland! The runs have finally left the Russell household but I don't think we have seen the last of the teething! Ugh....

Last weekend was a GREAT weekend to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather with my little man! We had two birthday parties Saturday (only made 1) and spent the WHOLE Sunday with Gigi! Trav was out of town so it was the PERFECT distraction I needed. Baby Kenzley is now 1 and I'm so glad I was able to get off work to spend that special day with my closest girlfriends and their babies. I can't believe we are all mostly mothers now to some of the prettiest babies I have ever laid eyes on. They all played so well with each other and I just feel so blessed to still be surrounded by the same group of girls God put in my life almost 10 years ago. I just hope our children will all become besties and marry each other.... AHEM, BRILEY! I already have a collection of "Ryder and Briley" pics for their wedding slide show. It's going to be PERFECT!

This was the only group shot I got that day, missing some girls AND the Birthday GIRL!

Future Mrs. Ryder Russell (BRILEY)

 Seriously!?!?! They are SO freakin precious together!

BACK to the weekend, it was FULL of fun AND the RUNS. Should have taken a pic but I didn't leave the first birthday party without Ryder's Teething Evidence ALL OVER MOMMY'S WHITE SHIRT! Poor baby, sometimes you just have to laugh!
I must give a sweet little blog shout out to my hubby! He has been working his BUTT off the past few weeks. October is going to be such a busy month for him- Gabby, yards, helping his brother and singing at church. It seems like it NEVER ends for him which means I've been on mommy duty 24/7 FULL FORCE. I forget how big of a help he is until he goes out of town. I think we are such a good team so when he is gone a little part of our routine gets altered. He sure made up for his absence the past couple weeks- HE CLEANED THE HOUSE TOP TO BOTTOM TODAY! It was nice coming home to a shiny, fresh smelling house!

He seriously is AMAZING!

There was a few things I left off my little "Ryder's Current Obsession" List last week. There is plenty to add this week!
- CARS: I know the exact time and place this obsession occured. We were waiting in the parking lot at church one Sunday bc we were super early, Ryder was FIGHTING to get out of his seat so I pulled him out to sit up front with me. He was MESMERIZED by the buttons and lights. I turned up the Radio as loud as it would go and let him GO CRAZY! He was in HEAVEN. 2 seconds later he was in my lap saying VROOM, VROOM which he learned from Pawpaw and holding the steering wheel. SSSOOO now anytime we walk by a car, see a car or get in the car he is DYING to sit up front and "drive". Pawpaw and Nana say they sometimes just go sit in their car with him and let him play all day. It just makes him happy!

- Nana & Pawpaw: GOSH, this kid sure does love ALL his grandparents but since Ryder stays with Nana & Pawpaw he has become VERY attached to them and I think they are becoming VERY attached to him. It is such a sweet thing to watch. Mr. Wayne took Ryder outside this morning as I was leaving, Ryder waved BYE to me like he didn't even care and jumped in the sandbox! I was driving off and saw him dump sand out with the biggest smile on his face, looked at Pawpaw like he was so proud and Wayne let out the biggest chuckle. It kinda brought tears to my eyes. It's such a precious bond he is forming with them and I'm lucky to have that help whenever I need it and anytime I need it. I'm blessed to have them!

This is from Easter so it's old but such a sweet pic!

-BLANKET: How I left this off last week's post, I'm not sure. It pretty much explains itself but Ryder is SO attached to this thing. I really should go to Target and stock up on the same one bc it gets NASTY fast. Just the other day when we were leaving Nana's he fell in a flowerbed holding it. GROSS I know! It gets dragged around every floor, goes with us in every car ride and so on. I can barely pry it out of his hands to wash it. He even CHEWS on it! I do secretly LOVE it though bc it's the blanket my mom bought for him and we took him home from the hospital in it. All my first pics of him have the blanket in it! SO SPECIAL!

About to leave the hospial. July 4, 2010.

 Me and Gigi about to leave the hospital. July 4, 2010.

Spotted it in the HAMPER and digging it out of a tiny hole.

-UH OH and NO: OH, how I love his growing vocab but those two words (right now) are my FAV! Again, I know the first time he looked at me and said UH-OH. He dropped a toy in the bathtub, turned to look at me SO SERIOUS and said UH-OH. It was hysterical bc he used it in the RIGHT CONTEXT! He just loves saying it for everything. He will repeatedly drop something OVER AND OVER just to say UH-OH. The word NO is just sayed so randomly. He first said it while watching DORA but he only says it when she asks a question. It has now trickled into when we ask a question, the response is always NO! Love to hear his sweet, angelic voice say NO!

Not sure if any other kids do this but Ryder will say something once and NEVER say it again. We have heard him scream "MAP" at DORA occasinally but he just won't say it when we ask him to say it. ONLY when MAP appears on that dang Dora!
We were leaving the house the other day and I always say "COME ON Ryder" and he knows to walk toward the hallway. We were leaving, I grabbed my keys and I swear Ryder said "COMEON" really quick. It was fast and faint but I know he said it. AGAIN, won't say it again.
Tonight we were leaving dinner with the Hurst Family and I yelled "BYE Danah", 5 seconds later Ryder yells "Da Nah". It was perfect and sounded just like I said it. AGAIN, won't say it again.
Random..... but those are just a few sweet words Ryder is trying to say! I love to hear him talk but I know one day I'm gonna want him to BE QUIET! HAHA!

So that's been our week RAISING A RUSSELL. This is going to be a CRAZY month FULL of Halloween Fun so I'm sure I will have a lot to write about in the coming weeks.

Juggling These MANY Roles

Here We Go.....
I have ONCE AGAIN been talked into something by my BF, Lacey Pease! LIKE I NEED TO TAKE ON SOMETHING ELSE! Because of her I can not only add PINTEREST ADDICT to my resume but now BLOGGER!?!?! I have been wanting to start one for a while, not to whine about the world or how I hate things I can't change but to merely document my life and sort of use this as a Baby Book for my sweet angel RYDER! He may be 15 months but I guess it's a better time than any, besides the first year would have been boring to any reader- LOTS of PUKING, CRYING and POOPY CHANGES. They were all experienced with love and admiration though. Wouldn't have changed a thing. SOOOO if you are annoyed with my constant statutes on Facebook about Ryder and how wonderful he is than maybe you should not follow this. HAHAHA, it's mainly something for me to look back on years down the road when he wants nothing to do with me bc of sports and girls. 15 years down the road this will be my cue to cry......

First, I want to thank Jamie Mays for giving me a little inspiration on how I want to layout my blog. LOVED your "bullet" style points on what you and your family are doing week by week. I am totally stealing that idea from you! :-) Thanks! P.S. I MUST GET THAT WALKER BACK TO YOU. If I turn my back for a second Ryder has turned into a secret Ninja and climbed in it while SCREAMING bc he can't get out. It's exhausting! You would think he has chopped a finger off in the paper shredder or poked his eye out with his toothbrush. NO, he is stuck in the walker......

- What's new with me!?!?!?! I am seriously busier than ever but it's a good thing. When people ask how I am and I say BUSY with this exhausting SIGH I get the same reaction, "Well, that's a good thing!" SO I know beat them to the punch! IT'S A GOOD THING! Work is NUTS (but it's a good thing, hehe). I am always very thankful and feel extremely blessed for the success JRB is experiencing. It's turned into "Never A Dull Moment" kind of thing but I'll take it. Nothing worse than being BORED! Special shout out to Mark Zuckerburg, FB has changed the way our business runs.
On top of working, working, working I am juggling the most important role- BEING A MOMMY to Baby (not a baby anymore but it just flows so well with his name) Ryder. He is my WORLD. Sometimes I wonder how I am doing it everyday but God isn't throwing me anything I can't handle. Being a working mother is the toughest job in the world but it's what I have to do and I'm blessed. I know we are able to do the things we can do because me and Travis bust our butts everyday for our family. God is rewarding us with this wonderful life. PRAISE GOD! I do have a once-a-month breakdown but I just have to suck it up, wipe the tears and know my mother and father were hard workers and that is rubbing off on me. I turned out fine and Ryder will appreciate his mother being a provider just like daddy! Plus, I'm blessed with my other BF, Stephanie Bennett, who I seriously talk to DAILY! It is something I can not explain. Being able to talk to someone who completely understands what you're going through and has a sweet baby pretty much the same age sometimes helps me make it through life. It's also a great feeling to know I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE! Things could be worse and I'm not naive to believe something could change tomorrow that could be devastating but trusting in God is what it's about.
OK, enough with me! LOL.

-Ryder is about a week shy of turning 15 months and HAS TURNED INTO SUCH A LITTLE BOY! He seriously makes me laugh and worry everyday! We are probably on our 5th busted lip, 3rd Skinned Knee and 2nd busted nose. Sounds like I'm negligent or beat him but there is just NO STOPPING this wild man. I do love it though, nothing better than a little kid with "personality". Thought it would be fun to look back on what his obsession is this week/month down the road:
1. DORA- as cute as it was in the beginning it's becoming a slight problem! I do let him watch it for 30 minutes in the morning while I'm getting ready or at night when I'm cooking (not gonna lie, it's usually Travis doing all the cooking now)  but it was getting to the point where he would eat breakfast and point to the TV or find the remote, shove it in my face and whine. He is IN LOVE with this chick. He can spot her anywhere and it just makes him happy. We have knocked it down a little and only let him watch it while we are super busy. He has finally kicked the begging! It is cute to see how excited he gets when the theme song comes on though. His interpretation is: DO, DO, DO, DO, DO, DOR AAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE IT!
Ryder watching Dora in Trav's old chair! HOW SWEET IS THAT!?!?!

2. TOOTHBRUSHES- Lord, HELP ME! When I am in the bathroom he literally stands under the sink cabinet and tries to reach for the counter to get this Spongebob toothbrush! I guess this is a good thing and I will remember this one day when I CAN'T get him to brush his teeth! When it's time to do our morning/nightly routine I say, "Let's go brush our teeth!" His eyes light up and seriously RUNS to the bathroom! He has to hold me and Trav's toothbrush while I brush his. Sometimes he tries to brush mine while I brush his. It MELTS MY HEART! He thinks it's SO funny! BUT then it turns into a nightmare. As soon as those little teeth cleaning devices gets ripped from his tiny, sweet hands the meltdown occurs. You would think something DEVASTATING just happened. He also wants to run around with them but we all know how that will end. NOT PLEASANT!

3. INDEPENDENCE- ALREADY!?!?!?! I did not get the memo! Is this already supposed to be happening?!?! I am a freak about messes so I would much rather give him finger foods. If he sees us eating with a spoon or fork HE HAS to eat with a spoon or fork! He is actually really good at it. I should be excited that he is wanting to learn all these "adult" like things but it's too much for me. HAHA! I have wondered if I should start using a sippy so he will not CRY to use my cup. He ONLY wants me and daddy's cup when he SEES it. He has transitioned GREAT to a sippy with cold milk but the world stops when he sees us drinking from cups! He is DYING to be a BIG KID!

4. DOGS- My sweet boy already has such a big spot in his heart for puppies which makes me happy! He will bark at ANYTHING that is an animal with a tail! We are working on that too! Can't have him running around barking at anything and everything! We have finally learned to ROAR like a Lion which is precious! His favorite little DOG book that we keep in his crib has withered into a disaster. The puppies heads and body parts have all been ripped off, the binding is gone and the ONE book has now become TWO. He LOVES THAT BOOK! I think we are going to keep it so we can show him one day how much he played with that thing. I think I will be a HOT MESS the day Samson leaves us. He is so sweet with Ryder and pretty much lets him do WHATEVER he wants to him. He just lays there like a good boy and is Ryder's little "Jungle Gym". I could watch them play ALL DAY!
This used to be ONE book!

So those are a few things that gets my boy giggling! Everyday is different so hopefully I will be able to have lots of new, funny obsessions up soon!

October is around the corner which means Halloween and decorating for the holidays! I can NOT explain how excited I am! This year will be SO much fun since he is MOBILE!
We went to the FAIR this past week and think we waited too long after his nap to go. He was a tad fussy but somewhat enjoyed the rides. All he wanted to really do was run around like a maniac and play with a golf cart he spotted. HUGE, EMBARASSING MELTDOWN ensued when I had to peel his lil fingers from the POLICE OFFICERS CART! Rides, Games, Colors and Lights EVERYWHERE and my boy is enthralled with a GOLF CART! CRAZY..... He, OF COURSE, loved the petting zoo. He barked at EVERYTHING and wanted to attack any animal that stuck their head out of a fence. He just doesn't understand not every animal is as patient and loving as Samson!

We had to cut our adventure short when he peed on himself after sliding down a MASSIVE slide! I'm sure it was the massive cup of milk then tea that caused his rare accident. I was so confused why I was soaking wet! Poor baby, guess that fast, huge slide scared him to death! HAHA!

We are also trying to prepare Ryder for his HALLOWEEN costume! He basically HATES it! I put it on him EVERYDAY and he screams, thrashes and FREAKS OUT when he sees me pull it out! It's absolutely adorable but we might need a back up plan! I think he is just HOT in it so hopefully ZooBoo will be FREEZING! You might see a cute lil Lion running around without his mane or head on! HAHAHA!

AND so there ya go! My 1st Blog post is up! I can't wait to read this a year or so down the road and laugh at what my lil monkey is doing! Hopefully this will be a good way for my close friends and family to see how we are doing and watch me Raise A Russell.....