A Royal Affair

The third and final installment of celebrations marking Rylie's transition from 3 to 4 years took place this past weekend. She will have a reality check when she realizes that most of the time she will not have an entire month devoted to her birthday! The party was a royal success and I believe that a fun time was had by all. All the little girls enjoyed dressing up as their favorite princess and getting to wear fancy shoes, tiaras, and boas and do all the things princesses do. We played lots of fun games, including a pinata, which finally broke, thanks to help from mom and dad. We had a pretty princess tea party with tea pots and cups ( lemonade instead of tea) and finger sandwiches, cookies, and fancy colored marshmallows. Rylie had a beautiful birthday cake in the shape of a princess crown! The highlight of the party for us, was when Jack dragged Poppy back to Rylie's room and picked out a dress up outfit for him to put on and wanted Poppy to dress him so he could play with the girls! Alas, Poppy did not, so we have no pictures to pull out at a later date, say..... for a future girlfriend or even better, his rehearsal dinner! As stressful as it is to do a birthday party, I am so glad we did it at home and that we had a princess party. Rylie had a blast and I think that the other girls did too, it was just too cha cha for words!

Game Day

Does attending one game, officially make me a soccer mom? We experienced our first foray into the world of soccer on Saturday, when Rylie "played" in her first match. As you can see from the video, she was content to play outfield most of the game. I guess we need to help her get out of T-ball mode and into a soccer mindset! I also must keep my competitive spirit in check, as she is only 4. I do not want to be one of those parents who gets kicked out of PeeWee soccer. At one point, the coach told her it was her turn to sit out, which she did gladly, and when he asked her to come back in, I literally had to drag her off the bench to get her to play again. I think she would have rather continued to sit and chat with her friend! There is also no " real" score in 3/4 year old soccer, just like last seasons T-ball. Obviously though, parents can keep score. Let's just say...our team put up a valiant effort, but the goalie on the other team was like 15 or something, he actually dove for the ball to block the goal. Is that even developmentally possible for a child this age? I am not quite convinced, hmm........ But, I do know this for sure, Rylie had fun, even if she wasn't quite sure why she was running around the field!

Long Time No See

This weekend we had the great privilege of hosting Uncle David ( Dabid- as Rylie calls him) and Aunt BaBa ( Bethany). We have not seen them since May, so it was wonderful to visit with them and have them in our new home. Rylie and Jack were so glad to their aunt and uncle. Although, David and Bethany may need to rest and recover from the weekend once they get home, well, mostly David, since Rylie did not leave his side the entire time they were here. She is obsessed with her uncle David. As you can see from the slide show, Rylie led them in a couple rounds of a new game she got for her birthday, which was lots of fun for all! They also came bearing gifts for her birthday. She got some more furniture to go with her doll house, so she was pumped about that! We had a great time while they were here. David and Bethany got to witness the first soccer practice, so they too can attest to the skills that were portrayed on the field! We also took a trip out to IKEA ( with much arm twisting for the men- since a day on the couch watching football was more in their plans). It is always fun to walk around IKEA though, and look at all the gadgets and furniture. David and Bethany found a really cool stool in the " as is" section of the store for their bathroom, for only $19! So that was a steal, although it was touch and go at the end of the trip as to whether it would make it home or not, since we had some difficulty fitting it into the car, and I am afraid Bethany had to ride back with a stroller poking into her neck for the entire trip home! After returning home, we had a relaxing afternoon, enjoyed a dinner at Abuelo's that night, a little bit of music Scene It, and an awesome Arkansas- Alabama game! We look forward to getting to visit more when we go to Clinton in a couple weeks! We only wish that the rest of the Fam could have been here!

Beckham Beware!

Because, here comes Rylie! Is MLS ready for a 4 year old to take them by storm? Rylie had her very first soccer practice this Saturday. She was ready to go! First thing when she woke up that morning, she wanted to put her shin guards and socks on. It was so cute. She was the only girl practicing this week ( there are more on the team) but she definitely was keeping up with all of the boys. She is a great dribbler, and did awesome kicking up and down the field. However, when they did do a little "scrimmage" she was a liitle bit lost when the opposing side took the ball from her, as to what to do. She just kind of stood there. We may need to go over the concepts of soccer a little bit more! It is hard, especially when you have been teaching your preschooler not to snatch things away from friends, to let them know, now it is okay to take the ball away! All in context of the game, right? I think that this is going to be a lot of fun! She is excited. We have our first game next Saturday, and Poppy, Nana, and G-ma will be there. If it is anything like the first T-ball game last season, there will also be about 500 video cameras and cameras as well. Maybe if I am technologically confident enough, we will attach a video next week of the first game.

Cutchie Cheese ( Yes, I know I spelled it wrong)

Cutchie ( pronounced Cut-chy) Cheese is Rylie's name for what other folks refer to as Chuck E Cheese. We have tried to correct this mispronunciation, but to no avail, and now we just let her, it is a cute little quirk, that she will soon outgrow. Anyway, that is where we went this evening to celebrate her turning 4! She had a blast, Jack had blast, and I think Luke had the most fun of all! Thank goodness for coupons, we got 25 free tokens because it was her birthday and another 30 with our pizza deal. So we had 55 tokens which is definitely plenty for a 4 year old. We played lots of games and then left before it got really crowded ( there were 3 other birthday parties coming in as we left). Then we returned home for cake and presents. She had a pink cake in the shape of a number and got a book of Princess stories and the game Hullabaloo, which we all played after cake, that is such a cute game! She loved it! Well, check off celebration #2 in the month long extravaganza known as Rylie's birthday ( celebration #1 being cookies during snack time at school last Thursday, celebration #3 being her actual party later this month). She really had a great day, and was sacked out by 8 o'clock.

Where does all the Charmin go?

It seems like I am ALWAYS buying toilet paper. Every time I go to the grocery store, TP is on the list. When there are only 3 members of my family actually partaking of this product, I began to wonder where does it all go and so fast? Well as you can see in the pictures below, the question was answered.

The culprit has been caught red handed. Now I guess I need to get a lock for the toilet paper, that can only be accessed through code. It will be like Fort Knox when trying to go to the bathroom in the Benton household. Hey, but at least I may be able to scratch TP off my grocery list for the next couple of weeks!

August 30th - First day of Preschool

Today was the big day- first day of Preschool. Rylie is starting to attend a preschool program at our church, two days a week. She will be going on from 9-2:30pm. She was pumped! She has been talking about this since February when I went and registered her! She thinks she is major big time going to " big school" as she calls it. We went and met her teachers two days before school started. She is in a class with 15 other students. She knows several of the students in class from her Sunday school class, so that is great. This morning went pretty good, although I didn't want to be rushed, we were rushed. Is there ever going to be a day that you don't rush when you have children? I somehow don't think so.The best part was when I was gritting my teeth, and snapping my fingers while trying to take a great, cute first day of school picture. Note to all moms, if you want some good, not rushed pictures of the first day of school- stage those the night before, just go ahead and take some fake first day of school pictures. Years from now, who will know the difference- plus it could mean the difference between smiles and red ,puffy ,splotchy faces, snotty noses, and pouty looks!

The drop off went great, although, we may need to start bringing a trailer to cart all the things that must accompany Rylie to school . She has to sport a back pack that is roughly twice her size, to carry her lunchbox and she also must tote a small sleeper sofa on which to take her nap ( not really that big-but that is only a slight exaggeration as to the size of the nap mat!)

As soon as Rylie arrived at her room, off she went, without so much as a good bye- she was raring to go. Like I said before, she is very social, and I knew would have blast.

At the end of the day, she looked like she had worked hard, played hard, and had a super day. I know that this is going to be great for her!

Now Introducing, Princess Rylie!

Little Miss Rylie~ how can she already be four years old! It does not seem possible! She keeps us in stitches most days and has a constant, never ending barrage of questions, that may or may not have answers! She is definitely begun to emulate her aunt Jay Jay more and more and is quickly earning the so beloved title that was given to Jayme as a young child, " Chatterbox". She knows not a stranger and is quick to tell any that will listen, all of our business. If you happen to be a checker at our local Walmart or Kroger, you will be informed of everything that has happened and is going to happen in the near future of our family! At least we know that she is not a shy child! Whether or not I wanted Cathy at Kroger to know all of our business, is of no concern to dear Rylie, she is just happy to have a captive audience! She is also a very literal child. One of the funnier things she said was the other day, while we were driving in the car past the hospital where she was born. Her Papa pointed it out, saying " That is where you were born, Rylie". To which her reply was " In the parking lot?"

She loves to listen to music ( which she calls mucis), read books, play with her dolls and barbies, and play dress up. She is looking forward to having her Princess birthday party at the end of the month. She is a great big sister and loves to hug on Jack. Church is one of her favorite places to be, she has lots of friends and loves her Sunday School teachers. Rylie is such a sweet blessing and we are so grateful that she is in our life.

Superstar Jack!

Meet Jack- other aliases he goes by: Captain Destructo, Jack Jack Quarterback, Bubba, and the ever popular "brother". He definitely keeps us on our toes, as the word curious does not begin to even remotely cover this little guy. If it is not something that he should be getting in to, he will definitely be trying his best to finagle a way to get into it! Just the other day, mom forgot to put the child lock on the pantry doors ( yes, it is a sad day when the food must be locked away) and lo and behold I heard the crinkling of a chip bag from the other room. I come into the kitchen to find Jack, hand buried in a bag of Fritos, and several in his mouth! The best part, when he saw me, he hurriedly tried to stuff them back in the pantry! Another jewel of a moment was when I peered out of the shower to Jack's cries, only to see him with Rylie's Dora the Explorer potty seat - around his neck! Just wished I had had the camera for that one! He loves to follow big sister Rylie around and play with her, when she will let him. He loves to dance and sing and wrestle with his daddy. His favorite new phrases are " Uh-oh" and "Bye Bye"- which he will stand at the door and say for 5 minutes after Luke leaves for work! He is such a blessing and a continuous joy in our lives!