Wow...it has been a long time!

Just writing to keep this blog going.  So much has changed since my last post.  We are now living in another part of Washington and Mike has a new job.  The kiddos are 9, 6, and 3 now.  We love it here, but definitely miss our family and friends from all of our years in the Spokane area.  Hoping to post updates throughout the year again, love looking back.  Hope others who may be following this are doing well!

Typical Boy

Rylan is so much fun to watch.  He loves cars and other toy vehicles.  He gravitates to them.  When playing alone, he will line all of them up in a row.  If I disorganize them, he will reline them up again.  So funny. 

We have been going to garage sales these past few days, and he scopes out the garage sale until he finds any cars and immediately start playing with them.  He also loves to make the noises too.

Elsie is such a silly girl too.  She has such a big personality, she keeps me laughing.  I can see her in some sort of drama or theater production, she loves the attention she gets when people are listening to her or watching her.

All three kiddos are so sweet to each other.  I have really enjoyed watching them be so loving to one another.  Rylan loves to give hugs to everyone, and snuggles all the time with each of us.  He is so funny when he gives kisses.  He will keep smacking his lips until they land on someone.

Rylan has a new eye tooth coming in, it is his bottom left one.

At the chiropractor the other day, I had Elsie and Rylan with me.  He asked me to show him one of the exercises I do each day to make sure I am doing it correctly.  After I started to get up from showing him, Elsie quickly got into the same position and did the exercises for him.  Then we were all surprised when Rylan did it too.  It was the one where you lift opposite leg and arm up and then back down.  Elsie did it correctly, and Rylan actually was in the right pose but only lifted his leg up and down.  When we first went to the chiropractor, Rylan was pretty upset watching him work on my back, but now he is used to it.  He does stand by me the whole time and hug onto my neck to protect me.

I feel so blessed that God gave me my kiddos, they are amazing. 

On a side note, my back is much better after almost two years of pain.  It is still not perfect, but the chiropractor has worked wonders on it.  I am so thankful.

Random

Rylan has an eye tooth and a molar coming in right now.  He also just developed eczema on the back of his leg and a bit next to his nose.  I decided to try coconut oil and it has definitely helped with the redness and scaliness.  Thank goodness!  I love facebook for this, so many friends and family will offer ideas and this was one of them. 

Rylan has been saying so much lately...he says "Come mere!" and gestures with his hand to get someone to come along with him.  Yesterday, he and Ruby were chasing each other around the table and he was calling her after him and saying this.  He also says "More! More!" and grasps with his hands while asking for more food.  He also says "Ball" when he sees a ball.  He is also saying "Ow!" when something hurts, "Uh!" when he wants up, and "Uh oh!".  He has this cute nervous laugh he does now, super fun to listen to!  So sweet!

It feels like Elsie has a few loose teeth on the bottom.  She is so excited!

We met up with my mom yesterday to exchange so items between here and the Plaza exit.  It was fun to chat.  I gave her some earrings that I got her for her birthday, and they matched her outfit exactly.  After visiting for a bit, the kiddos were still asleep, so I decided to drive back out to the Hole in the Ground area between St. John and Pine City.  So beautiful out there, totally unexpected.  I drove out at sunset the other day, but wanted to go back to see in daylight and get some pics.  Loved the beauty of it all.  Elsie and Rylan woke up and enjoyed looking at the beautiful fields of flowers.  Elsie commented on how it must have been hard to plant all of those flowers, and I told her that God placed them there. 

Once we got home, it was time to pick up Ruby at school.  It was a lazy afternoon, the girls spent hours at their friends house next door.  Thankful for this amazingly nice weather.

Rylan

Yesterday, Mike and I heard Rylan say, "Eye!" and point to Mike's eye.  We both looked at each other curiously, and then Mike started asking him to point to other features of our faces.  He was able to recognize eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.  I have stopped a few times to have him point to these features on my face and his, but only a few times.  I had no idea that he had them down so well already.  He also is saying "Oh man!", "No way!", "Mine!" and "More".  Fun to hear his vocabulary expanding.

 He also loves to say words like "shoe" and "sock" because he enjoys putting them on so much.  He gets super excited when we go out to get the girls from school or to go for a walk or car ride.  He will actually pull out his own shoes, have me put them on him, and then go get mine for me.

He was fighting me when it came to brushing teeth, he did not want me to do it.  Now he isn't too happy about it, but gladly lets me use a finger brush for his teeth.

He LOVES to flush the toilet, and watch the water swirl down the drain.  I think he may be getting close to time for starting potty training.

We were super sick the whole month of April, I am thrilled that everyone is back to their normal self.  Thank goodness, bring on May!

Finally back!!!!

I have been trying to get into this account for a year now :(  Finally was able to gain access again by trying tons of passwords, finally one worked! Yay!  Excited to be able to post again on here!

Holidays

Rylan started laughing a few days ago and has been practicing at lifting his head.  Love it when he laughs, so cute.  He actually was laughing a bit over the past month, but it was hard to tell if it was actually a laugh.  He loves it when we make funny faces at him or when I sing to him.  These are the moments that make him laugh the most. 

We played some family games yesterday, and it was a lot of fun.  We really enjoyed the Game of Life that Mike went out and bought, Ruby especially loved it!  Elsie was able to participate a bit, but it was later in the day and she was pretty tired. 

I have been singing "the 12 days of Christmas" to the girls each night, such a humbling moment each day when I get to rub their backs and sing to them as they calm for sleep.  Yesterday, Mike was holding Rylan as I did it and as I sang the lyrics he would pop Rylan's head around the corner of the door and act like Rylan was singing the lyrics.  So funny, had the girls laughing a bunch.  He is such a good daddy, and soooo funny!  They love his humor. 

Getting ready for Christmas Eve, when we go to visit my Dad and buy the last of the gifts for the girls.  This year has been pretty budgeted, so Mike and I decided to only buy for the girls and to forgo gifts for us.  We have been blessed by so many things though.  Our friends gave us an entertainment center with a larger tv and my mom gave the girls a swing set for the back yard.  Amazing gifts that were truly needed!  We also just feel blessed by the fact that our health is good as a family and that we have another member to share it with this year. 

My sister and her boyfriend are coming to spend the evening with us this year on Christmas, it will be so nice.  It has been nearly a decade (maybe longer) since we have been together on this day.  The girls are looking forward to it.  Ruby told her friend yesterday to come by to meet Katie, and said that she is a really nice person. 

Happy holidays to all my friends and family!  Hope it is filled with love and peace!

7 Months later...sorry no posts for so long!

Well...since my last post 7 months ago we have added our newest family member, Rylan Michael Suhling.  He is almost 3 months old now.  A big boy at about 15 lbs.  Amazing!  He is the sweetest, most easy-going, fun baby!  We all love him so much of course!  Yesterday he officially rolled over from back to belly, so exciting!

Ruby has started Kindergarten and Elsie is in her first year of preschool.  Ruby loves her awesome teacher Mrs. Elam and Elsie loves her teacher Mrs. Rachel.  It has been a crazy start to the school year, with the birth happening the week after.  I am sooooo horrible in the mornings, so we are always working on trying to get going faster and be on time.  I don't know if it will ever happen. 

Ruby had all satisfactories at her conference in November, with the exception of organization.  She needs to work on being more organized.  She did get two areas where she excels in, and those are working with others and cooperating with others.  She is a sweet girl in class, I am thankful. 

I continue to get tons of comments about how much of a crack up Elsie is while she is in class, she is very social and loves to talk and entertain.  She has a huge crush on a little boy named Isaac, it is super cute.  She loves to sit by him and also give him a kiss and hug before she leaves each class.  The last class, I guess Isaac was running his fingers through her hair and she was loving it!  I am so glad that he enjoys her as much as she enjoys him. 

Elsie was thrilled to have a playdate at his house the other day.  As we went through the line at the grocery store before heading over there, she was telling the clerk that we were going to visit Isaac on an island (because she knew he lived so far away).  So funny!  As we travelled there she was thrilled and kept looking out the window and talking about the scenery on the way to his house.  They had a blast together, so fun!  The funny thing is that Ruby just adores his older brother Ethan and has since they were in preschool together.  We always joke about how funny it would be if Rylan and their younger sister Isabel liked eachother too, they are about a year apart.

Yesterday we went to Mike's holiday concert at CHS and I brought coloring books and books for the girls.  They did really good except for one slight argument where we had to go out and discuss and then came back and they were awesome!  During the concert, Elsie just decided suddenly to stand up in front of the audience (huge) and dance like crazy.  She still stayed quiet, but smiled out to the audience and continued on until the music was over.  It reminded me of a little Shirley Temple.  I think I am going to try and get her involved with drama/theater, I think she would really excell and enjoy it!  Such a little ham!

I hope to write more now that we are settled into a routine.

Life is GOOD, I couldn't be happier.  The kiddos are healthy and so are we...so thankful.  Looking forward to all the fun months to come!