Busy Days

I’ve been trying to get a blog out for the last three days, but everything I have to say seems boring or sounds like I’m trying too hard. So we’re just going to do a picture post of our lives over the last few weeks.

Ryley’s school has a roller-skating night a few times each year, and it is always a huge hit. Poor Ryley is an awful skater, but she sure doesn’t mind going out and trying! Her tailbone hurt for several days after this. :-)

We released the sixth edition of SHINE Magazine about a month ago. It’s our best yet. I enjoy being a part of the production team, however, this particular edition took a lot out of me.  I invested 105 hours in it between August and February, thus the reason I don’t find much time to blog. :-)

Ryley’s Brownies troop sold enough Girl Scout cookies that not only were they able to fund some outreach projects, but they were also able to have a little fun at Build-a-Bear, making their own animal dressed in a Brownie uniform!

Ryley and I are different people and thus make different choices. I repeat that to myself at least five times a day. :-) I would have chosen a teddy bear or a fluffy bunny. But Ryley chose a dog.

It did turn out pretty cute, but the sundress helps a lot. :-)

Ok, this seems a little weird to post this, I know, but at work we have been upping our marketing efforts big-time. I am so excited about it, and I am really enjoying this part of my job. We have a new web marketing initiative, and I was also given a small budget to order the above swag for a tradeshow we’re doing next Friday. I was also allowed to get business cards. Yay! It’s funny how happy this stuff makes us….Leahh, John, and I have been rejoicing any time we see the UPS truck drive into our parking lot. :-) We are a silly bunch, often giving in to our love for song and dance by belting out the “Laverne and Shirley” theme song or Rebecca Black’s viral “Friday” at will.

Ryley’s best friend Amirah came over last weekend, but her visit was cut short by sickness. So we’re trying again tomorrow night and Saturday. We will take the girls to the church’s egg hunt on Saturday morning, so that should be fun.

We did some spring cleaning last weekend, but of course Ryley can’t do anything “normally.” :-) So this is my “blind” spring cleaning princess. Such a big help, stumbling from room to room. ;-)

My friend Kathy and I had coffee last week, so Ryley got to play American Girl dolls with Kathy’s daughter Emma, who is a few years older. Ryley really looks up to her, and it was so cute because she said, “Yeah, we didn’t really ‘play’ with our dolls, but we did talk a lot, which was so fun!” So funny – that bridge between wanting to pretend/imagine and just wanting to do the dolls’ hair and hang out. 

Ryley is getting to that age where it is so fun to converse with her; she gets our jokes and is such a delightful companion. Tonight, for instance, we were at an old Walmart, and it is in the middle of a massive renovation project, so everything is in a different spot, and we found ourselves walking around in circles. I muttered under  my breath, “Remind me not to come back to this Walmart for a very long time!” Ryley just looked up at me and giggled and said, “Ok!”

After much convincing on my part, she finally picked up “Little House in the Big Woods” and read it cover to cover in two days. I have told her for months that she would love it, but she hadn’t believed me. Finally she decided to try it. “Mom, you were right! I love this book! Are there more??” Oh. My. Goodness. :-) The fun is just beginning.