Growing up so fast...

Riley Jean (22 months)
Our little girl

Silly

So happy

So I guess it's time for a little update. I really need to be better about posting pictures (I have so many as you all know). I just don't take the time. There's always so many other things to get done. Our little girl is growing up so fast. It's so true that time flies. We've got quite the talker on our hands. Never a dull moment. Never a quiet car ride. Her commentary on EVERYTHING would make you laugh (at least it does us). It's been fun to watch her grow and see more of her personality come out everyday. She's quite a silly little girl. Her smile and laughter could brighten anyone's day. So now that it's taken me awhile to get this post up (I'm definitely not blogger savvy yet), I'll leave it for now and post more another time. Hopefully not 7 months from now, which seems to be my usual. :)

And she's off...

Riley's now our little walker. She loves to walk around the house. She'll walk from one room to the next, around the table and back again. My favorite is when she comes walking into the kitchen carrying toys. She's figured out how to "pull" her bus and animal train however instead of pulling them she totally lifts both off the ground. She'll go into her room and bring out books and toys from her basket. It still catches me off guard at times to see her walking by. At the end of this video if you listen carefully you can hear her "hi" and "mmmm" for Moose (or any cat for that matter). :)

Playmates

These two have become great friends! What a good cat we have. He tolerates Riley's love and adoration for him so well. She summons him by calling his name "Mmmmm" and patting her leg for him to "come here." She's ready to go and let Moose out of his room first thing in the morning. She signs "Eat" because she knows that he needs fed in the morning.

The joy she brings us...

Here it is...our first video posting. Riley was laughing so hard we just had to try and get it on camera (she really had us going too!). The beginning is the best. She had quite the belly laugh going. Once she realized mommy had the camera it was all over. The video is about a minute long. Our little girl continues to bring so much joy into our lives. Her laugh is contagious and irresistibly cute! She continues to amaze us on a daily basis. Hope this posting works! We'll see. If so, more to come!

A wonderful husband

Okay, so it's been way to long since I've last blogged. I really will get better at this. However, I thought I had to write just a note about my wonderful husband who I am completely spoiled by day in and day out. The day was very relaxing and I was blessed with this lovely Valentine's Day dinner that he prepared completely on his own. So, the appetizer I've got to give him credit for...crab puffs! I've never attempted crab puffs and though they turned out a little, let's say, non-puffy (ha, ha), we enjoyed them none the same!
It's definitely the thought that counts (don't worry...he got quite

kick out of this too). The rest of the dinner was amazing though.
We had pancetta wrapped scallops skewered with asparagus and cherry tomatoes! Yum, yum! The dessert...homemade mudslides.
I have to hand it to him...he did well! We should all brag about our hubbies once in awhile. I know mine deserves it!

Thanksgiving in KS

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in KS. We stayed at grandma and grandpa Ward's house and got to see aunt Teri/uncle Bruce and aunt Ashley/uncle Paul. Overall Riley did well with her second plane ride. We had terrific food and a great time being all together. It was great to relax, play games, watch movies (on grandpa's big screen!) and simply sit around and talk. Riley got to take her first bath in grandma's antique tub. She absolutely loved the shower head. Big smiles as she played with the water. I had fun being with my family for my birthday this year. It was fun to celebrate together. We threw a baby shower for Teri...can't wait for that little one to arrive! A few more months and we'll be meeting baby Briggs! Riley got to meet and play with Hannah Stelk who was born on the same day she was. It was really cute watching them together.
What a blessing the holidays are to us. We are so thankful for our family and friends!

How the time flies...

Well, we'll see who still checks our blog even though we haven't updated it for 7 months now! That's right, Riley is now 7 months old. We can hardly believe it. She's such a joy. Her smile melts your heart. She has a very sweet personality. She's doing lots of babbling and is quite the mover even though she isn't quite crawling. Her arm is completely healed without any residual effects. Praise the Lord!