Riley and Jada's updates...

Riley really enjoys pushing Jada in the stroller! It is soooo funny because we will be walking down a hallway and Riley will run into one wall then straighten out and head straight for the other wall. When I go to try and help him just by holding on to one handle, he pushes my hand away and says "No touch"! So I let him continually run into walls. Jada likes it too as long as I say 'boom' each time she is collides with the wall so that she knows everything is okay. This pictures was taken at the doctors office in the waiting room. It was the easiest entertainement EVER!!!


This was taken after I just got back from joining the YMCA after a FREE 6 week trial membership. I was reading all the paperwork and Jada was playing with the balloon and LOW AND BEHOLD Brett actually took a picture without me asking him to. It was a momentous event!!! Anyway, the YMCA is so awesome! Our family was awarding financial assistance which means we go for SUPER cheap and it includes child care while I work out and personal trainer advice. Their child care facility is sooo huge and nice that I feel it has helped Riley get over the stranger anxiety that plaqued our family for six months. He loves the Y and the big SUN sculptrue that sits infront of the entrance. Oh and he loves pushing the handicap button to open the doors for me and Jada. And he loves to push the elevator button and then run over the people coming out so he can push the buttons inside the elevator before I can stop him. How does he always find the alarm button?! He likes to make pit stops on the way to the play center to watch the old men playing raquetball and then the teenagers shooting hoops. And then when we go home, he likes to eat at "bus". Translation for "bus" is Chickfila. I have NO idea where that came from but he consistantly calls Chickfila "bus". Jada cries the ENTIRE time at the Y. I think the attendents hate it when I come but I don't know what to do. There is no other time during the day that I can go and we end up going during her nap time. She truly is a beast if she doesn't get to nap when she is ready!

Here is Jada's close up. I actually think she looks real pretty here. I don't usually say that about her out loud because everyone thinks their kids are cute but I really think this in one of the best pictures of her. I am so glad that she is becoming a happy baby finally! Jada is crawling nowadays and pulling herself up onto furniture and whatever else. She can't get down once she is up so she just whines for help until I can rescue her from her apprently incredibly stressful ordeal! She and Riley are playing together a little now that she can get around but he is becoming increasing jealous of her. He didn't care when she was the little blob that lies on the floor but now that she is getting around it makes him upset. When he gets caught digging her head into the floor, he gives me this look that is surprising so innocent that I really wonder if he knows what he is doing is bad or if he is just acting off instinct and can't understand why I am upset.


Our ward play group went to Zoo Atlanta last week and at the end they have this awesome playground that I have never been to (even though I have been to the Zoo about five times)! Riley only recently learned to jump with two feet (maybe about a month ago) so he really loved this thing. It is kind on like a trampoline, I don't really know how to describe it but I thought the pictures was cute.

So that is our family update....

Non contact sports-

Brett's bruise from playing racquetball!

Halloween

So now that Halloween is old news, I am ready to post my pictures. Figures that is how it would work out!
Riley and Jada were both monkeys because they are both monkeys- all over the place and into everything imaginable. Plus they were super cheap on Craigslist!
For Halloween we met up with some friends (and people I didn't know) and went to a local neighborhood where it is a requirement that you go ALL OUT for Halloween! They had shows, animated dummies that looked super real, chainsaws, tombstones, everything (even candy). It was real fun but so many people are there that I found myself more stressed out trying to stay out of others way that I would forget to look around.
Riley's favorite candy this Halloween- suckers! Jada's favorite- formula!

This was Jada before her nose got rubbed off.

This was AFTER trick or treating, since we forgot to take pictures of Riley beforehand. I know monkeys don't have whiskers but I started with the noses and it was sooooo cute that I just kept going and then I still thought it was cute so I didn't wipe it off. By the way, Brett's shirt is visible from space!

Riley is 2!

We didn't do much for Riley's second birthday, unlike his first. We started the morning off by going to a friend's house so Brett and I could get some exercise. Then we went straight to my dad's house to help him with his computer. Then we came home so he could take a FOUR hour nap and when he woke up I took him to Toys R US. They have a HUGE Thomas the Train set that Riley HAS to play when we are there. I don't know how he fell in love with trains so much but none the less, he did. We got a balloon and crown from Geoffrey and high tailed it home to get ready for the ward Trunk or Treat. Even still we were an hour late so we missed most of the activities.
And that was it. Next year will be a whole other story. I think by then he will understand more of what is going on.
Oh. I do have to mention that the weekend before his birthday my family had a family reunion and my sister threw a birthday party for Riley while we were there. He had gifts, cake, games, and all that fun stuff. He mostly just looked frightened from all the attention! I had to leave in the middle of it to feed Jada. I can't believe I forgot to bring a bottle to a family reunion- BIG MISTAKE!!!!!! I thought "well I will be around her the whole time, there is no need for a bottle" but in reality I would be in the middle of some fun game or a freakin birthday party and I would have to dismiss myself! But now I know.

I love you Riley!

I wish he knew how to fake smile! We are working on it!

Diaper Dash

This is a very embarrassing story, actually, but I think I will share it anyway. Brett and I went to the YMCA and they were having some sort of party and train rides. They had an event called the Diaper Dash but I quickly dismissed it because Jada is not even crawling yet. Some how Riley had gotten away from me and I started looking frantically for him. I turned around and there was Brett and Riley standing at the start line of the Diaper Dash. I quickly grabbed my camera just in time to catch Riley SMOKING the competition. I mean, he smoked them by about five minutes! That's because they were all crawlers or barely walking, doing the Frankenstein walk! I couldn't believe Brett entered him into a competition where everyone else was a baby! MEN!!!!

This is the man congratulating us on our incredibly stiff and challenging victory. We actually won a baby proofing consultation where they come to our house and help us make our house a little bit more safe for the babies. Heck, I don't want them to come though. What would they say about a baby sleeping in a closet? That would probably be against their rules!

On the free train ride. Riley really didn't enjoy it too much, as you can tell. He would rather chase down babies leaving a breeze so strong it knocks over the competition (since they can hardly stand, you know!!!!)!

Riley and the conductor.

Five kids!

A few weeks ago, I volunteered to drive to Alabama and watch my sister's kids while her and her husband went away for the weekend. Kid count...five!! But it was awesomely fun!! Her kids are mostly older so they took care of themself and gave someone for Riley to play with. And they LOVED Jada! Oh, and my dog Shadow was there too and they LOVE Shadow! Brett was there too but no one really cared about him (ha ha just kidding).
I only was able to manage getting out of the house twice because it is ALOT harder and significantly more time consuming with five kids. The two outings were on going to the park on Saturday and to church on Sunday. Church was very interesting and much better than I thought it would be. Jaeden and Merigan just colored the whole Sacrament meeting which entertained Riley. Rhiannon enjoyed playing in the aisle and I just let her (hey, they aren't my kids)! Jada almost made it through Sacrament but I had to leave the last five minutes (and Rhiannon trailed right behind me). Rhiannon is three days older than Riley but they couldn't be more different. She actually likes me!!!

Well here are some photos...This was a HUGE slide that Riley was scared to death to go down.

Little Diva Merigan and Jaeden in the background.

Jaeden and Riley playing together. It looks sweet but Jaeden was REALLY annoyed with Riley cause he kept distroying what she was trying to build. She is not the first kid to complain of Riley doing that.

Here is cute Rhiannon, Jaeden, and Riley having a choclate lovers snack.

I thought it was a good idea to throw all the kids in one bath but maybe not...

Has it been that long?

I know everyone has been anxiously waiting for me to make a posting and I am sorry to keep ya'll waiting so long! LOL. Let me explain where I have been the last month... Facebook! I became obsessed with Facebook because I was preparing for my high school reunion. I was searching for people and trying to update myself as to what others have been up to. I was soooo nervous about the reunion and I wanted to have some information to help with conversation pieces.

What a waste!

There was two parts to the reunion. The first was my high school's homecoming football game and the second was an after party at a club. I couldn't make it to the football game because Brett had class til 9pm. I didn't want to deal with trying to find a sitter for the game but I did have a sitter for the after party, Angie Douglas (who also lent me clothes, shoes, and jewerly). So I went to the party and there were only about five people were there and they weren't people I was interested in reconnecting with. So Brett and I just stood around. Finally someone came that I was interested in talking to and while talking with her two more people came that I wanted to talk with and so on. In total, I only reconnected with six friends, certainly not worth all the time and stress I spent preparing for the reunion. I left at 1am and was glad I went but disappointed with the lack of friends that came to the reunion.

I recruited myself to be on the planning committee for the 15 year reunion. I would like to do something during the mid day so that kids can come and we can have a BBQ and just a real casual good time. Then in the evening go somewhere else, I am not sure where but certainly not a club where you have to scream into each others ears to hear one another.