5k and a ponytail.

 here are two current highlights in my life.

  ran a little 5k with some friends yesterday.

in preparing to run i realized my hair is long enough for a little pony tail.

more to come on both those topics as well as our weekend and my heart and our life. be back tonight.

i missed you.

hope you have not been annoyed by my week off. i secretly get bummed when blogs i read regularly don't post for a few days, but i am back. probably goes without saying but i missed this place. this space to write. to share. to dream and where i so often surprise myself. but the time with my sister was priceless. to be present and intentional

there is nothing like a sister. truly nothing like it. if you have one...make sure she knows how much you love her and appreciate her in your life or if there has been a falling out...maybe think through if the possibility of reconciliation is in the cards. just a thought. *i am sure having a brother is special too.

moving on.

for five days i was with my sister. doing life right alongside each other with our two year old babies (who are not babies anymore by the way). they are three weeks apart and it is pretty fun. although sharing is not easy for either of them...it was life giving to be mom's together for a few days. we may live in different states, but my heart is to be right alongside her, despite the distance. i hope you know that. i hope you feel that. i hope we end up closer to one another one day. but until then...i am in it with you.

our little adventure. first we headed to DC and grabbed lunch in the park with my dear friend, libby.

travelling through the airport like a champ.

 

ava was the best she has ever been on a flight. maybe because it was just a good day or maybe because she becoming a little girl and understands that she needs to sit still and be quiet. whatever it was she did it. i had a moment of anxiety and fear when i realized her DVD player i thought i had charged the night before was dead. panic. quickly resolved when i gave her my wallet (which i usually do not let her play with) and she organized it into three ziploc bags...receipts, cards, and change and entertained her for at least an hour. joy.

happy to have landed safe in MI.

here is how we kept ourselves busy.

 

 

most necessary girl's night.

 

sista wants a dog. like so bad. probably not happening.

  

heading home. another dream flight with little aves.

 

she sat and watched dolphin tale during the entire flight. thankful it was a quick direct flight. it makes a proud when she behaves and listens and continues to grow into a precious little girl. we loved out visit. thanks for having us. now it's back to life in virginia. poor planning on our part as we arrived home monday at 10:30pm and justin turned around and left for new york at 6am on tuesday. looking forward to being together as a family tomorrow night.


***just got home from the doctor and without being all tmi on you...we are hoping to begin growing our family. like tomorrow. i will be sharing this journey right here on the blog. so stay tuned.***

now we are going to be the visitors

my little girl and i are headed on an adventure today. driving to DC, seeing a sweet friend quick, and then boarding a non-stop flight (i love the idea of only one plane) to MI to visit my sister, along with her husband and my nephew drake who ava cannot wait to see.  thankful for family who made this quick, impromptu, and most necessary little trip a reality. i will keep a steady stream of photos of our trip on a free iphone app called instagram. you can follow along. 

it's @libbyryder.

***

  mamalode has been mentioned a few times on the blog and they even gave away a free subscription back in december. i love this magazine, the people behind it, & what is represents. i am thrilled to be a part of the new spring issue: themed flow that is coming out this week. i shared our cancer story and the whirlwind of those first few days. check it out and subscribe today.

*it is gorgeous here. off we go. happy wednesday*

visitors. we love them.

we love having visitors. we seem to have them a lot. in a great way. last weekend my sister and brother in law were here and ava was able to play with her cousins. it was wadey's birthday, too. here are some pictures from the weekend.

the guys took the boys and ava bowling while allison and i hosted a CAbi show. ava ran down the bowling alley...not once...but twice and justin proceeded to fall on his back while trying to catch her. i wish it had been caught on video. told ya she likes to run from us. it is not a good thing.

went out on a double date saturday night. our new favorite place. it is where we went for valentines day but this time we ate in the bar in a perfect little booth with live acoustic music. um i. loved. it. full of good conversation and joy. i am thankful for my family. but it did not stay too serious when this was brought to our table. justin ordered a burger but they made a mistake so instead of one normal burger they brought him a mini burger. it was funny.

 

celebrating our little man on his 4th birthday. with a little debbie cake and all. we are fancy.

good. good. good. weekend.

then more visitors this past weekend. we loved it. especially ava because pam, leslie, and coleman do not mess around when it comes to loving our little aves. it was a joy to celebrate with them thursday night. thank you thank you thank you for celebrating the incredible news with us. we spent the weekend resting, helping with wedding details (leslie and coleman are getting married this fall. justin is marrying them. i am one of the maid of honors, and ava is the flower girl (precious), and talking about life and stuff that really matters.

ava waking up leslie before noon. sorry about that.

* coleman showed up friday morning after leslie sent him this video *

who could say no to that? 

how she says coleman in the beginning of the video is my most favorite part.

***

scarves for sale. i was overwhelmed (in the best way) with orders last month. thank you for supporting this soon to be little side business. email me @ libbyryderblog@gmail.com for more info, lots of great colors available, and to place an order.

big news

let me begin with some clarification. i am NOT currently pregnant. however, after a clear pet scan yesterday which = no cancer and still in remission our doctor (whom we love) gave us the GO ahead to begin growing our family from three to four. we are beyond thrilled. we are thankful and in awe of what the Lord can do. what a body can do. it can heal. not all the time. we know this. but for me. for our story...it is one of healing. a gift i will remain thankful for everyday for rest of my life.

we will be sure to keep you in the loop in regards to a possible pregnancy and a baby.

until then we will bask in the glory of news we were given yesterday and rejoice in my healing.

i took this picture on instagram yesterday as were driving out of the parking garage at the hospital and because social media is a grand thing. with its faults. i experienced a steady stream of texts, calls, emails, fb messages, and encouragement all day in regards to the news we had just heard. we were thrilled to share with those of you that have walked through the past year and half with us or those of you that just "liked" my facebook status. thank you for that. there is something unique and humbling when people simply care. not because they should or because they have to but because they legitimately want to celebrate with us. that is a gift in our life. a huge body of believers and un-believers, friends and strangers and a far grander community of people around us than we may ever realize. thank you for celebrating alongside us. it makes all the difference.

a fun weekend ahead with friends. my favorite.

let's pick out some bridesmaids dresses...shall we leslie.?

my precious little girl. an update.

 during the monday snow day we started the day in our bed and ended it in our bed. 

it was a special day.

the last time i did this was in august. it is now march and it is time for another. this is to help me remember as i have already forgotten so much.

here are some highlights of ava at 26 months or 2 years and 2 months.

you can count to 20. you know all your letters. lowercase and uppercase. you know all your shapes and colors...even grey, cream, and navy.

you often say..."sorry about that." and "bless you." and "oh, we love each other."

you say ava for everything. "ava do it." help ava please." you often refer to everyone else as ava.

you say precious things like: "pick you up." oppose to pick me up.

you sleep with five stuffed animals and two blankets. you ask to be covered up every night when we lay you down. animals include: owl, monkey, ducky, happy feet (penguin), and this super soft pink and white dog. you LOVE your crib. unless you decided to climb out you are not going anywhere.

you usually nap 2-3 hours and go to bed around 8-8:30pm and sleep until at least 8am if not later. about once a week it is closer to 10 or so. you are an incredible sleeper. we did nothing to make this happen...you are just a good sleeper little one.

you love to help me cook and bake. you think muffins are cupcakes.

you can basically say any and every word. if we ask you to repeat any word you are able to do it.

you like to play outside, especially in the backy-yard.

you love all animals and finding the moon every night in the sky before bedtime.

you can "read" the book...polar bear polar bear and brown bear brown bear. along with goodnight moon.

you like to talk about the potty and even tell me when you are going pee or poop but you are not the least be interested in going on the potty. we are not forcing it.

you eat really well and are willing to try new things. but your staples are: pancakes, waffles, bagels, cereal, cheese, mac and cheese, chicken, bananas, strawberries, and veggies. but do a great job eating whatever we eat. you love guacamole from chipotle.

favorite special treats include: ice cream and dora fruit snacks. 

you are not the best listener all the time.

biggest issue: sharing, pushing, and running away from us.

you LOVE to read books.

sweet things you have said recently:  "mommy your nails look so pretty." and "oh, thank you so much mommy."

you love to watch movies and your favorite shows are elmo and mickey mouse club.

you occupy the time out stairs at least once a day.

when you are not behaving well...man you are trouble. but when you are good. it is so good. you have a gentle spirit and i was worried you be so busy and active that you would miss that. but you love hugs. kisses. friends and your babysitters.

real flexible. has a lot of different people watch her and she does great with new people.

when you use your manners without prompting i feel like i deserve a reward.

you like to play with your kitchen, blocks, play food, and you LOVE to dance.

you have a healthy obsession with every baby you see or hear..."baby crying?" you often say when you hear a baby in the store or in the nursery at church.

i am not the same since becoming your mom. i recently told your godparents that i would go through labor and delivery a million times over because of the intimacy your daddy and i felt as we prepared to welcome you into this world. (disclaimer...i would rather not parent a million kids but we had such a remarkable labor and delivery experience...that i can not think or talk about without getting emotional). i am also anxiously awaiting the news we will get on thursday that we can begin growing our family yet again. praying you will get to be a big sister. you will be the best.

but for now. it is just you. i am so proud of you ava. you are beginning to become a very loving and caring little girl. you love life. you move at one speed and it is fast. you are pretty busy and rarely sit still. but you are getting better at it when we watch a movie or cartoons in the morning. there are many more unprompted hugs and kisses given to mommy and daddy. you love to play and run around. you love older kids and i love to see the awe you have when it comes to playing with older kids. you have the best laugh. i am bias. always will be. but ava you are fun. you are pretty fun and have a personality that attracts people to you and you are only two. i will try and be patient as we see those attributes form and grow into the little women you will be one day. but for now you are no longer my baby. well you are still my baby but mostly you are becoming a little girl. with passion. spunk. energy. and a desire to engage and love people. all this and you are just 2. what a life you have ahead of you. i am humbled and honored to be your mom. thank you for making that a reality.

***PET scan tomorrow. praying for continued good health and the go ahead for expanding our family.***

little mister wright. (wright is the last name)

 

i have only thrown a few parties in my life, but my mom always did a great job with throwing parties and paying attention to the little details...so i think it's in my blood. i love it. the colors. the deals. the crafts. the food. the guests. the invites. the joy i get from finding the perfect stickers for .15 cents from big lots or when the grocery store decides to blow up the balloons for free. all that is fun but it has much more to do with the person. the reason you are even hosting a party. for us that reason was our dear friends laura and cliff who are welcoming their first little man into the world at the end of this month. they walked alongside us through our pregnancy with ava. when i threw up  15 times in one day during my first trimester to being at the hospital the day she arrived. cliff actually told the nurse..."i am supposed to be in the room i am the godfather." i have vivid memories of a nurse coming into the room while i was delivering ava and asking..."some guy is here and says he is the godfather and is supposed to be the room." i am not sure if i was annoyed or if i laughed. hopefully i laughed. cliff ended up coming in after she was born and writing her the most precious letter. i remember the call i got from laura when we we had just arrived at the hospital and in tears she told me..."i am sick and i can't be there today." that is a friend. someone who cares so deeply that her joy i was my joy and it has been so obvious since day one that they love ava in a deep and real way. so special because we are not related. but as you know...real relationships know no bounds. our relationship is special. it started with our husbands. justin and cliff met at rockbridge, a young life camp in 2004. justin and i met at the same place in 2005. for a couple years it was the three of us. then sweet little preppy laura came along and joined in. the gift about our friendship is that i genuinely love her. not because our husband's are best friends...but because it is real. we get each other. we are so different and i love that, yet so the same. thankful for her life. thankful we can share being mommy's together. i am so thankful for her wisdom and her life and the way she loves me, justin, and most importantly our little ava. the way to a parents heart is through loving their kids. thanks for loving ava as if she were your own.

this baby shower was even better because i was not alone. a few months back my friend elizabeth and i decided to co-host a shower for our sweet friend, laura. lets clarify. elizabeth and i have only really hung out a few times. but a connection was made...she blogs as well...so check her out at www.emyselfandi.com. i would read it if i were you and i do read it. so it works out. in an attempt to throw a very special party for our friend...we exchanged a ton of emails, texts, pictures, food ideas, great decor finds, and even a nice organized list of who was doing what. thanks e. we are both a little detailed orientated and it proved to keep us on the same page as we planned and talked over the past two months in hopes of having fun and most of all celebrating the wright family and the precious gift they eagerly await. added bonus...we became even better friends through this shower. i love that. she is a new mom herself...so its perfect. thankful for our new friendship.

so here we go. little mister wright and his bow tie themed celebration.

day of elizabeth showed up from out of town and we went at it...food, flowers, decor, balloons, etc.

name tags are a good touch if not everyone at the shower has met before. i got these cute little tags from staples. martha stewart line.

i saw the bow ties on coke bottles on pinterest...they were on glass bottles but i could not find glass diet coke bottles so i went with plastic. mama loves diet coke.

e hooked it up with these incredible cupcakes. ordered from a friend. so good.

we wanted to change it up and bit and do something we had never seen at a shower. so i emailed laura and asked for her to send me some of the things she and cliff had been praying about specifically for the little man. we then attached them to the cookie favors (e got the cookies too) so each guest could be praying for something specifically for little babe. we also spent some time in prayer during the shower. real special.

we had three little cute containers (from the dollar store) filled with laura's favorite candy.

e hooked it up again with this adorable. i loved it. so many comments. onesies with iron on bow ties (from an etsy shop). perfect for decor and then gift for the mom to be.

games. since most of the guests were from out of town and basically preferred to talk and catch up we did two small little games. each guest was given a bow tie with a safety pin to wear and had to not say the five forbidden words...if they heard someone say it they could take the bow tie. most bow ties won. (thanks stef and john for your help in making those adorable fabric bow ties). then a little scrambled word game.

precious picture. i love these girls. how big does ava look?

 

*the whole group. thanks for driving up to 3-4 hours for some of you to be here. that is friendship.*

is navy in style? what about stripes? laura you are glowing.

cliff & laura you are doing to be incredible parents. we are honored to walk alongside this new journey together. we are in this for life. lastly, thank you for being so in tune with the Lord in your life that you both heard...wait. to wait for a little baby as your best friends walked down another road. thankfully i am healthy and ready to get the hospital and help in anyway i can. but most of all to pray for you and encourage you...even at a little distance. it was a gift to celebrate this little man with some of our closest friends.

 ava patiently waiting for cliffy and lala the morning after the shower with bagels for breakfast.

(any questions or thoughts on the shower feel free to leave a little comment love

also elizabeth blogged about the shower today too...check it out HERE)

***

woke up to this. gorgeous i might add.