Build A Bear and Justice

Sometimes I wish we lived across the bay. I feel like we are over there all the time and it's MUCH closer to the beach! If it wasn't for our family living by us, I could see us living over there. Saturday we had a late lunch/early dinner on the causeway. I love Ryleigh's face in this picture. She was working hard on that crossword puzzle! Ryan started nights this Sunday night for 2-3 weeks so we went to church at Bay Community Church in Malbis. We have been there a few times and love it! We really love that they have a Saturday night service. 

After church we went to Build A Bear so Ryleigh and Madi could make a bear. Ryleigh and Tan love build a bear but I HATE stuffed animals, HATE them!!!!!!!! So we found out they were doing a special thing for USA Children's and Women's Hospital. Basically you go and make the bear like normal and then you just donate it to the hospital. It was a lot of fun for them to be able to make it but then not have to bring it home. they both did really well with leaving it there. I was so proud of them!!!!

 We were planning on heading home after that until Ryleigh saw Justice. Yall, I'm not kidding when I say that store is the definition of Tacky. It's like you died and went to glitter, sparkle, tacky heaven. It's no secret that I'm picky about what my kids wear. A Shirt with Dora or Cinderella on it? I would rather get my wisdom teeth pulled without any pain medication than let them go out in public with that on. A shirt with words on it like Princess or Sparkle and Shine, or any other stupid saying...yep, once again I would rather go through something painful than let my kids wear that. Justice is now our new battle. If you look really good in there you can find some things that aren't too bad. The key is not saying you like those things. If you see something you like you need to immediately say you like everything around it but not the actual thing you like. Then instantly she likes the one you didn't say you liked. Yall, I've got this down to a science.

Ryan and I said we don't know how we are going to survive the teenage years. We had a glimpse into our future last night and it wasn't pretty. It was filled with glitter, sparkles, sequins and painful, painful outfits.

Please, stop and say a prayer for us and our daughters fashion future. The battles are getting harder to fight. I'm going to have to pull out the big guns! And maybe a new smocked dress and extra large bow!

I know Ryan, I feel your pain too. We'll get through it together. Maybe just maybe will come out the other end with just a few traces of glitter and sparkles on us.

Cuddler

Is cuddler even a word? I'm assuming so since it didn't get the red squiggly line underneath it as I typed it. My sweet Tan Man is a cuddler. He loves to get right on top of you when he's sleeping. Normally the person he is snuggled up next to is Ryleigh. She's like me and doesn't like people touching her when she's asleep so he normally gets snuggled up to her once she's asleep.

The other night Ry spent the night with a friend and mom kept Tanner. She texted me this picture with the caption "He misses Ryleigh!" He looked so cute snuggled up to moms pillow. 

Last night I tucked them into separate beds because they were mad at each other and Tanner didn't want to sleep by a "stinky girl!" When I got back from running and went and checked on them this is how I found Tanner...snuggled up with his Elephant.

How sweet is that little boy?!

Babysitting

Friday night we babysat 2 of the cutest kids! Our friends Kris and Tina hadn't had a date night in quite awhile so I offered to keep their kids for them. Ryan and Tanner were originally going hunting but changed their mind when they found out this cute little boy was coming over. 

Ryan calls himself "The Baby Whisperer" He says he's never met a baby who didn't like him. Well Tina had been trying to get Fisher to eat baby food and he'll never eat it. That morning she had opened a jar of bananas and could only get him to eat one or two bites. Ryan told her to send some babyfood and of course Ryan got him to eat the whole thing!

I texted Tina those pictures and a picture of the empty jar. She wrote back, "Man, he is the baby whisperer!!"

We also kept the beautiful Madi but she's 2 and literally doesn't slow down...AT ALL!!!! So this was the only picture I could get of her! She is also a machine who doesn't go to sleep until like midnight! She kept me up way past my bedtime!! We had a lot of fun keeping them though. I think Tina was nervous about leaving them with me at first. Who are we kidding, we all know I'm not a baby person. She felt a lot better when she knew that the baby whisperer was going to be home as well! Lol!

Texting

One of my favorite things about Ryleigh getting a cell phone and also learning to read is the random text I get all the time. (I still think Ryan is crazy for getting her a phone, FYI)

Here are some of the text from the past few days...

She is taking Accelerated Reading test at school. That's what the 100 is about. So far she's made a 100 on everyone! I also love how when she misspelled am she corrected it in the next text.

I love how she wrote Copper wasn't home. She got home from school and Ryan had taken Cooper with him to Lowe's and she was really upset about it. 

She's getting so big! Ryan and I both have said how much we love getting text from her. She's gotten a lot better at it. She used to text the weirdest words and we would have no idea what she was saying. I love when she's sounding a word out and spells it the way it sounds instead of the way it's  spelled. 

Mohawk

Tanner is obsessed with Mohawks! He wants one so bad. You may remember that we tried one a few years ago on him and bless his heart his hair isn't cut out for it. It doesn't help that Ryan gets one every summer. I don't remember if I mentioned that Ryan went snow skiing this past week but he did and he brought Tan Man the best surprise....a mohawk hat! Tanner loved it! He wanted to wear it to school today so I let him. When my friend Christy saw him (her sons in Tan's class) she thought it was crazy hat day and they had forgotten! lol! Nope, not crazy hat day just crazy Tanner. 

 When he got to school I got the following 2 picture text from Mrs Carter with these texts:

Mrs. Carter: What state did Dad get Tanner's hat?

Me: West Virginia...is that what you meant? (I had no idea why she was asking me what state it was bought in instead of store) He's a mess! He was excited it was kinda cold and he could wear it today.

M.C: So cute! Everyone wants one like it! He told everyone that his dad got it on a trip. We are talking about the states so we wanted to know where it came from. They all want to try it on. I said no but you can feel it, lol!

 When she texted about everyone wanting to feel it she sent this picture! I died laughing! Tanner was eating that attention up, I'm sure.

Me: That's hilarious! Sorry for the disruption of class. Leave it to the Stokley Family to do that, lol!

M.C: No disruption! We turned it into learning too! Loved it!

Oh how I'm going to miss ABC next year. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE them. Did I mention I LOVE them???

Thank you Mrs. Carter for loving my little boy! We appreciate you more than you know!

Ry's first visit from the tooth fairy!

Ryleigh has been so excited the past few weeks because she has had a loose tooth. She would literally sit in front of the mirror and wiggle it back and forth to get it to come out. She wasn't scared to let anyone and everyone try to pull it. That really surprised me but she wanted that tooth out! I guess it's a big deal in kindergarten to lose your teeth. This past Saturday morning she had me try to pull it and it wouldn't come out. Well that afternoon we were at some friends of ours house and she was showing Christy. Christy asked if she wanted her to pull it and Ry said yes. I told them it probably wasn't going to come out and then the next thing I know Christy has a tooth in her hand and there's blood coming out of Ry's mouth! All 3 of us started screaming! Like an excited scream. It was crazy!

 That night the tooth fairy visited her and brought her her favorite thing, cash! She woke Tanner up and showed him the card and money and he started crying because he didn't get anything.

 Also, Ryan was out of town snow skiing this weekend so Ry and I just knew he was going to be so mad about it. She texted him a picture from her phone and he wrote back that he was so happy for her! I know secretly he was so mad because that man hates to miss a thing.

A letter to myself at 15

I know this letter will be hard to believe but here goes.

The guy that you kinda thought you may like but weren't to sure...You know, the one who made fun of you in 7th grade for being so tall and for getting on the wrong bus, yea, that guy. You kinda fall in love with him and marry him. I know, shocker.  He proposes at your graduation party so you may want to make sure you dress really cute.

The friends you have now won't mean as much to you in 10 years. I know now you think they are the world but I swear in 10 years you won't even see over half of them. So when you are left out of something, it's not the end of the world.

Your family is pretty cool after all. I know you currently think they are crazy for getting together for every little thing but in 10 year that'll be your most favorite thing about them. Your cousins actually turn out to be your best friends. I wish you would realize that at 15.

Spend more time with your Dad. Don't take him for granted. Be sure to come home from New Orleans the Father's Day Weekend after you get married. It becomes one of your favorite memories.

I know you say you don't want any kids but you currently have 2. SHOCKER! You have them young which some people think is crazy but you love it. They are actually pretty cool kids. Your daughter is just like you which drives you crazy most days but she's also beautiful and hilarious all in one. Your son is probably the most handsome boy to ever walk the planet. Seriously.

The grass across the street that you just got done cutting with scissors for punishment for calling your dad a stupid idoit....yea, that grass becomes your land. You actually build a house on it and it becomes one of your best moves.

The bank that you went in the other day to open your first account...it was totally intimidating and scary and such a grown up thing to do. Well in 10 years you are the manager. Yep that's right, a manager of a bank. Who would have thought you would actually have a job like that. By the way you love it. Your employees rock!

One word...Facebook. You'll have a love/hate relationship with it.

Your cell phone that you think is the most high tech one that'll ever be possible to make becomes nonexistent, Apple invents a device called an iPhone. It pretty much changes the world.

Enjoy eating sugar by the pound. There's a little thing called metabolism that catches up with you. It makes you unable to eat an entire bag of reese's cups and still look the same in the morning. I know, it sucks.

Your mom still cooks dinner for you most nights. That's right, even as an adult you hate to cook. Thankfully she loves it and your husband doesn't mind.

Although now you would never think of sitting at home on a Friday night now, you will spend more Friday nights than you can count curdled up on the couch with your 3 favorite people. You'll realize those are some of your favorite moments.

You know how the thought of changing diapers makes you wanna throw up? Well, that doesn't change. Thankfully God gave you a pretty awesome husband that doesn't mind too much.

You become obsessed with having a clean house. I know that sounds crazy considering throughout your entire teenage years you may see your bedroom floor once. It's nice to walk around without tripping over stuff or spending a hour looking for something in that mess.

Your favorite book is about a wizard. I know, weird.

You have a fight with your best friend...a pretty big one and you think you'll never get over it. You do and you come out the other end a stronger person.

You are a leader in a youth group with the guy you married. You both love it. Probably because you get to act like your 16 again.

Don't give your parents such a hard time. It's not that hard to speak to your mom in the mornings. You'll realize this when your daughter does the same thing to you.

I know sometimes you can't wait to grow up, don't rush it. You're only 15 once. However, know though when your 25 your life is pretty amazing as well. You serve an awesome God, Have a great husband, 2 beautiful healthy kids and a close family you wouldn't trade for anything. Things work out pretty good for you.