Good Days, Pouty Days, Happy Days, or Shouty Days, I'll always love you Rylee Kate

After a particularly frusterating couple weeks with Rylee, I called my mom in tears knowing she'd have the answers to my questions on raising my 3 year old. I thought she was supposed to get easier as she grew out of her terrible 2s but shes been harder and full of more tantrums then ever before. I had been feeling like I was falling short in so many ways as a mother. No matter how patient I was with her, she'd find another nerve to push. Looking at her, you think jeez how could that be?! She looks so sweet! Well she is...sometimes, and then other times she's an exact clone of me, hard headed, stubborn, emotional, and sensitive all at the same time! Which is a tricky package to figure out! Anyway after a good cry session to my mom and a little prayer asking for some help (not the first time :) I decided what we both needed was some good one on one time. So today Derek stayed home with Taya and me and Rylee went on a little date. We grabbed some stale bagels from the fridge and found our way to this cool little pond my friend told us about. The biggest ducks came running up to us and we couldnt throw the bread fast enough! It was so fun to laugh and run around with Rylee. Watching her be her fun happy self was just what I needed. Once the bread was gone we hopped in the car and drove to the gas station to pick out some treats. Its been a week sense I've had any candy so my little bag of sweedish fish tasted like heaven and Rylee of course picked out her favorite...twizzler nibs. We drove home and talked about the ducks, and Rylees favorite colors, and how she thought the ducks beaks looked "kinda wierd" as she put it, and we just enjoyed each other. Some day I hope she reads this and knows how much I love her. I hope she'll always know I'm doing my best to be a good mom and to help her grow into a strong confident woman someday. I hope she knows when I look at her, I beam, and I'm feeled with so much gratitude to the Lord that he's trusted me with her. I hope she knows how cute I think her crinkle nose smile is, and how I cant get enough of the funny smart little comments she makes on a daily basis. I hope she knows that I couldn't ever imagine my life without her. Good days, Pouty days, Happy days, or Shouty days, I'll always love you Rylee Kate!