A Peaceful Autumn (aka Ryley Stories)

So the days are getting shorter, and the fall colors are getting brighter. We are settling into a peaceful routine, and things are 93.2% better than they were the last time I wrote. Yay for fall! Yay for peace! Yay for God! He is soooo good.

I received the most wonderful call today from Ryley’s school. Given that the last call I received was when she was in the principal’s office, the school’s name  showing up on my caller ID made me feel immediately sick to my stomach. But it was just her teacher calling to tell me that they have seen a marked difference in Ryley and that her behavior has been wonderful these last couple of weeks…that she has been a good and helpful friend to all. Oh, thank You, Jesus!

We’ve been enjoying her as well. :-)

 

 

Here are some recent Ryley Stories:

Ryley is addicted to collecting box tops to support her school. I don’t buy a ton of name brand items, so we don’t have a lot of box tops that we can donate. (If we did, knowing Ryley, she would raid our pantry and cut up all our boxes before we were done with the food). Anyhow, there’s a contest to see which classroom can collect  the most box tops, so when her great-grandma sent her some from Nebraska, she was absolutely thrilled! She took them with her one morning but accidentally left them in the van when I dropped her off. As she told me about it later, she used the following phrase:

“I was walking up to the school when I noticed I didn’t have my box tops, and I said to myself, ‘Dang!’”

I thought it was so funny, but it was one of those things you don’t laugh at! I think I must say “dang” too much….?

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Ryley is constantly trying to define herself. Recently, she’s decided that she wants to grow her hair out to be fairly long.

“Mommy, long hair is my thing. Short hair is your thing.”

I don’t mind if her hair is long as long as she takes good care of it and it stays out of her eyes. She has tried barrettes, pony tails, pig tails, etc., but she hasn’t liked any of them. In the last few weeks, however, she’s settled on headbands. They’re actually pretty cute!

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Ryley and I attended “The Sound of Music Sing-along” on Tuesday night with a friend. This movie is iconic for me. When I was 9, I bought my first vinyl record of the movie soundtrack, and I broke my ankle while dancing to it in our living room. Ryley loves the movie too, so when I saw the sing-along event advertised, I knew we just had to do it!

It was a blast! Ryley was the only kid there, and she just belted out all the tunes. She is so fearless and brave that way, and I love her for it!

But I just want to say that singing along to Julie Andrews’s voice is extremely difficult. All the songs are written in such high keys, so it’s hard to reach those notes. And if you sing an octave lower, you just sound dumb. Her voice is matchless, and a  theater full of older women who aren’t Julie Andrews? Well, it was fun! :-)

And seeing “The Sound of Music” on the big screen is absolutely amazing.

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Ryan and I went to the Broncos game with my aunt and uncle this weekend. We had so much fun!

This is who we sit behind. Yep. He calls himself the “Mile High Jester.” Nice guy.

I love the color orange.

I love the colors pink and purple, too :-)

Happy fall to you!

Growing Pains

I haven’t felt like the most amazing mom recently. Not that I’ve ever felt like I’m an amazing mom….But I think that I would like for Ryley to think that I am. :-)

Either way, we’ve been dealing with some behavioral issues, and we’ve had to crack the whip. Ryley’s got quite  a temper. She’s not a bad kid; she just struggles with self control.

So it’s been a bad week. She ended up in the principal’s office twice, Ryan has been working 10 straight closes, and I am stressed out of my skull with the balancing act of work, home, and freelance editing. Sometimes I wonder how working moms with more than one child manage to balance everything. Especially single working moms.

All I have to say is that God’s grace is sufficient for us.

• Ryan got a new job. The countdown until his last day at Panera is ON. Oh, we are grateful.
• God multiplied my time on Friday, and I miraculously got 12 hours of work done in the allotted 7-hour work day. No weekend hours for me. Yay!
• Ryley and I had a snuggly, rainy weekend where good behavior was rewarded and there were plenty of hugs, cuddly times, and sweet (needed!) mommy/daughter moments.
• We got the house pretty clean, AND I did five hours of editing, which is a weekend record.
• Jesus is responsible for all of the above.

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And now, pictures of our girl with accompanying Ryley Stories:

Ryley and I went to Payless to go boot shopping on Saturday. Oh my, she had fun in Mommy’s shoe aisle! She even had the clerks dropping by to comment on her shoe choices every few minutes.

We also autumnized our house with mini pumpkins and gourds from our local nursery. But it also happened to be the nursery’s pumpkin weigh-off contest day:

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So we are starting Ryley’s sticker chart again as an incentive for good behavior. We told her we were going to do it, but we had not yet filled it out. So she took it upon herself to add chores to the list, one of which was “I Closed My Closet Door.” And as a reward for the week she wrote, “An American Girl Doll or $2.00.” 

Hmmm, since American Girl Dolls are roughly $110, I wonder which one Mommy and Daddy will go with….

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Ryley loves to hear stories from our childhood. I don’t know how it came up, but Ryan was telling Ryley how her Aunt Rhonda used to believe that the moon was made of cheese. Ryley laughed out loud at the preposterousness of it all. After she had been genuinely laughing for a good 30 seconds, Ryan asked her, “Well, what do you think the moon is made of?”

Without missing a beat, Ryley answered, “The moon is made of moon!”

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Ryley came to me with this nice little bit of info:

“Mommy, it’s great. Everybody in the school office knows me so well because I’ve been late so many times. So every time I go to the office for a late pass, all I have to do is just stand there, and they know my name by the way I look, so they write my name, give me my late slip, and I’m off!”

Awesome. That’s just awesome.

Obligatory Post? (or just a late-night update in the midst of a busy September)

I don’t really have anything of substance to say tonight.

I could complain about my job and how everyone seems to think that my world should stop when a customer’s siding was ordered short or when a roof fails inspection. That is not to say that I am not a good employee. I am an awesome employee, in my opinion. I’m just tired of being the “responsible one.” We had to let one of our office girls go, you see….for not doing her job and lying to cover it up and being mean and rude all the time. So my duties have doubled, and my day is shorter, and my pay is less. Then the other remaining office girl decided to call in sick for three days. So I was doing the job of three people. And when someone stands in my office and waits for me to react to a “crisis situation,” it takes everything within me to keep from rolling my eyes and saying, “Don’t you see that there is so much more to me than roofs?? I have other interests and other talents too! I think.”

Somehow I don’t think I am expressing my thoughts well….It sounds like I am an admitted slacker. But I’m not. I’m just tired of the same old, same old, and not being able to make anybody happy.

I’m tired of knowing that no matter how hard I work, there will always be crap to deal with. Every single day.

Ryan is too. My heart breaks for him in his job, and I wish I could make it better. I check my text messages as often as I can throughout the day, just because I can’t stand not knowing what level of hell he’s dealing with on any given day. All I can do is give him to the Lord. And for some reason, that’s hard for a control-freak like me. He had an interview last week, though, so hope is on the horizon.

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Enough of the complaining!  Look at this: the babies are doing amazing!!!!

Aren’t they adorable???? They are so precious. They are almost four pounds each.

We can hardly wait to meet them!!! We probably won’t go until Thanksgiving, and that seems like such a long time from now!

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Their cousin Ryley is growing up. Look how mature she looks!

It makes me sad what a big girl she is getting to be. So dramatic and witty and filled with empathy. Such good company. But not nearly as cuddly as she used to be. Then again, she’s always been busy….

And here are the Ry’s before going to the Broncos game on Sunday:

So adorable. She is such a daddy’s girl. Ryan said she spent almost the entire game people-watching with our binoculars. :-)

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We are doing well with our resolution to have no fast food for lunch or dinner, Monday through Thursday. That means I find time to cook a “healthy” meal every week night. I know it sounds dumb that that is a resolution for us, but nevertheless, it is, and it was needed. No weight loss progress as of yet, but we are making changes to our lifestyle one at a time. And you know what? We had McDonalds this weekend for the first time in a month, and it didn’t taste as good as it used to. Go figure. :-)

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Back to editing now. See you in October! ;-)

Wonderful Things

So many wonderful things have happened in the last week!

Of course I have to begin with the most incredible event of all – the whirlwind miracle birth of my adorable twin nephews Will and Jack on September 1!

Most people who read this blog are aware of the struggles that my brother Justin and sister-in-law Aly have been through in their journey to becoming parents. And God is so good. It’s overwhelming! The babies were born much earlier than we hoped, at 28 weeks, 6 days. But though tiny, they are very healthy and are breathing on their own. I just love these babies SO much!!!!! I can’t wait to visit!

This is my favorite picture of all: My little brother finally getting to hold his son. Look at the joy in his face!

 

There are some amazing pictures on their blog, too, so hop on over to check them out!

We have had the most wonderful experience getting to visit the NICU in Texas from our very own living room in Colorado, via FaceTime on the iPhone 4! Ryan and Justin sync up their phones, then Justin takes us down the hallway to the NICU. Sometimes we’re in his pocket; other times we are able to see the people in the hallway passing by. It’s surreal! Then he holds up the phone right inside one of the babies’ beds and we can hear the baby cry, see the nurse cleaning his face, see the baby stretch – all LIVE. And because it connects through wifi, there is absolutely no harm or interference to the medical equipment. It is such an amazing experience that last night I wrote a letter to Apple, telling them of our awesome experience! It’s a much clearer picture than Skype has ever been for us; it’s seriously like a little window into their world!

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The second wonderful occurrence was the wedding of Danielle and Michael in Estes Park. It was seriously one of the most beautiful weddings I had ever been to. Isn’t Danielle gorgeous?

It was such a lovely day!!! Ryan and I were talking about how you know someone’s a close friend when you discover that you have the same music tastes. And it’s so refreshing and reaffirming to discover it!

Danielle and I have been friends since we were 13, and we have always shared a love for music. She and I used to spend hours together in the piano room in our high school, taking turns playing our favorite piano solos for each other. But as adults, on our weekly Friday lunch dates, we don’t really discuss music anymore. But at her wedding and reception….I would say there were at least four songs that were played that Ryan and I knew…that he and I specifically thought we were the only ones that knew them!

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While in Estes Park, we had our share of wildlife run-ins:

“Why…Is that a black bear on the lawn of the inn where you stayed?” you ask.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Yes, and in typical Joy-fashion, I was only 20 feet away from it. But so were all the other inn guests!! I was not alone in my craziness.

Less than 15 minutes later, Ryan and I saw this:

And the next day, I came across this:

I spent the rest of the weekend in Nebraska with my grandma, aunt, uncle, and Ryley, but unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of our extremely relaxing time up there. And Ryan had to return home to work.

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A little bit of a praise report….In addition to the magazine, I suddenly have two and a half freelance editing projects on the back burner! I am going to have a very busy fall! Now that the editing is picking up, I am feeling very overwhelmed. Scared. Incompetent. But hopeful too. :-)

His grace is sufficient for me. And the editing is from Him, so He will help me organize my days. I have to continue believing that.

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This afternoon, Ryley and I visited a Girl Scouts meeting, completely on a whim. I am loving this 3:00 day-end, because I am able to do things like this with my daughter. I enrolled her in ballet, too (haven’t quite decided if we’ll stick with that), and we’re finally finding time to do her piano lessons consistently. Our schedule is actually filling up faster than I anticipated, and that is my only hesitancy with joining Girl Scouts. We will see. All the same, it brought back tons of memories that I hadn’t thought of in probably 25 years! :-)

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I am a little under the weather today, fighting some sort of flu virus thing. I am living on Emergen-C, cough drops, and Dayquil. My hope is to go to bed early, so I guess I should get some editing done first.

On another note, today is Ryan's and my 14-year anniversary of dating. Hard to believe!!

God is just so good. He is working miracles in every area of our lives.

Sometimes we wonder about it. But then we just have to remember how far we’ve come. :-)

First Day of School (and other things)

So when I asked Ryley what she was most looking forward to about starting 2nd grade, she answered, “That you will be picking me up on time every day so I don’t have to go to after-care.” :-)

Today was her first day, and she loves it. She seems too small to be entering 2nd grade, though.

Here she is posing in front of her desk last week at Back to School Night. She is so excited to have her very own desk for the first time!!

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Other Ryley Stories of interest:

Yesterday I was baking some banana bread, and Ryley asked, “Are you using a new reesip?”

Me: “A what?”

Ryley: “A new reesip.”

And then it dawned on me. Ryley reads a ton. She sees the word “recipe” and, in her head, she pronounces it “reesip.” Of course she knows the word “recipe” when she hears it. But sometimes there is that disconnect when you are learning by hearing and learning by reading. And you’re seven. :-)

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Tonight Ryley asked me to take her temperature because she felt hot. I took it, and it was normal. As I showed her, she suddenly got a concerned look.

“What does the F mean?”

“It stands for Fahrenheit. You’re fine,” I reassured her.

“Oh,” she answered. “I thought the F stood for fever.”

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My dear sweet friend Danielle is getting married this weekend, so a few of us took her out last Thursday for a wonderful little bachelorette dinner at The Cheesecake Factory downtown.

I am so grateful for good friends. We have all been together since our freshman year of high school, and some of us go back to 3rd grade. Such beautiful ladies!

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And now, please pray for my brother Justin and sister-in-law Alyson. Her blog says it best. We are all on the roller coaster ride of our lives while waiting for God to bring my precious twin nephews Will and Jack safely into the world. It has been a very intense and anxiety-filled 11 days.

Every time the phone rings…. Let’s just say it’s a lot of deja vu for our family. Please pray for another few weeks of tummy time for the twins, as well as for supernatural peace for Aly, Justin, and the rest of us! Thank you. :-)

Narnia, Green Gables, and Ryley

Ryley is finally at the age Ryan and I been waiting for…the age when we as parents can begin to share our favorite stories with her...when we can pass on to her a love for the very characters that helped shape and define  and inspire us when we were young.

So we decided that this summer we would each, individually,  introduce her to our favorite book, then watch the corresponding movie together.

I chose “Anne of Green Gables.” It was an abridged junior edition, but it was the same beautiful story nonetheless. And as we alternated reading with watching the mini-series, Ryley told me that she liked my “Anne” voice when I read much better than the actress’s voice on the movie. Considering that I worked so hard on my Anne voice, that was the best compliment she could have given me. :-) She also loves it when I do Rachel Lynde.

It has been so fun to witness her frustration at Anne’s haughtiness, to see her genuine sadness when Matthew dies, to hear her ask time and time again if Anne marries Gilbert at the end, to hear her talk out her comparisons when the book and the movie story lines don’t quite line up. We finally finished both the book and the movie yesterday, and her joy at the ending did not disappoint! She bounced around our bed in jubilation that Anne finally realized Gilbert had been the one all along. I honestly think that, since the moment I found out I was expecting a baby girl, this was the motherhood moment I had been waiting for. :-)

Now that we’ve concluded our girlie time, Ryan has launched into “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” his favorite book of all time. Ryley loves it. What’s even better for me is to watch the joy in Ryan’s face as he reads it to her and to hear how his voice caresses each word of the story like it’s an old friend. In response, Ryley’s eyes grow wide when she fears for Mr. Tumnus’s life and when she hopes aloud that Lucy and Edmund will just stay safely back in the real world and not try to bring their brother and sister back to that strange land called Narnia.

The goal is to read the first three books of the series and watch the first two movies in preparation for the third Narnia movie which comes out in December.

Then what? “Little Women”?  I showed Ryley my collection of Anne books that she can read when she’s a bit older, and she was thrilled that there is even more to the story.

Nothing can live up to Narnia or Green Gables.

In our book, at least. :-)

A Ryley Story: The Short-Lived Boyfriend Named Chasz

The following conversation from yesterday is true:

Ryley: "Oh, Mommy, I almost forgot to tell you. I had a REALLY good day today. I have a boyfriend!"

Me: "What??? You do?"

Ryley (sheepishly): "Yes."

Me: "So, ok...tell me about it...What's his name? Did he ask you, or how did it happen?"

Ryley: "His name is Chasz."

Me: "What?? Chasz? Spell it..."

Ryley: "C-H-A-S-Z. Chasz."

(Silence for a second while I grab my phone and text Ryan with the newsflash that Ryley has a boyfriend named Chasz. Sounds like a winner!)

Me: "Ok, so how did it happen?"

Ryley: "Weelll...We were lining up to go outside, and he whispered in my ear, 'Ryley, can I tell you a secret?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Will you be my girlfriend?' And I said, 'Well, my mommy and daddy don't want me to have a boyfriend.' And I told him the story about Zachary from kindergarten. I told him all about that. And he said, 'Well, we can keep it a secret. You don't have to tell your parents.' And I didn't want to hurt his feelings and say no, so I decided to say yes and I decided that I would tell you anyway."

Me: "Um, ok....Do you like him? Is he nice? How did it make you feel when he asked you?"

Ryley: "I felt nervous. Well, um, maybe something else too, but I can't think of the word..."

Me: "Maybe excited?"

Ryley: "YES. Nervous and excited, all at the same time."

Me: "Ryley, it was a really good decision to tell us, even though Chasz said not to. Because we don't ever keep secrets from Mommy and Daddy, do we?"

Ryley: "Right. And I don't like to feel all closed up. I like to feel clear. But then later I decided I didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore anyway, but I don't want to hurt his feelings, so I will just pretend to be his girlfriend. Or maybe I will tell him that we should just be friends..."

(When telling my mom later, she actually used the phrase "break up.")

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So tonight I attended Ryley's daycare end-of-summer program. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to point Chasz out to me.

"Don't worry, Mom," she said. "I told him we were just going to be friends."

"That's good," I answered, "but I still want to see which one he is."

She pointed to a cute, short kid with unruly brown hair and mischievous brown eyes sitting quietly with his classmates. But during the program, he began to run around the stage hiding behind people and objects while the other kids were singing their praise songs. Chasz was completely out of control!

As we got into the van, I said, "I'm glad you broke up with Chasz today. He seemed like a really disobedient and naughty little boy."

"Why?"

"Well, he was running around the stage while the rest of you were singing," I answered. "He was hiding behind Robert and not doing what he was supposed to be doing."

"No! You're kidding!" Ryley was in absolute shock.

And that is the end of that.