Happy Birthday Riley Claire!

Oh how time flies..Its hard to believe that 1 year ago today, I was in a delivery room waiting to meet you. I had waited much longer than the 9 months you were in my tummy. I had wanted you before you even existed. I knew that you were going to be amazing now matter what, little did I know that you would be more than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. You have a smile that makes everyone happy and anyone that meets you falls in love with your sweet personality. Your sisters think you are the best thing ever and carry you everywhere they go. They still fight over your attention and want you to themselves. Your daddy is so proud of you and you have him wrapped unintentionally around your little finger. You are your Mimi's world and you have helped ease the pain of your Pawpaw leaving us all too soon. He would have been so proud of you and was so very happy to know you were on your way into the world.

You have learned to wave bye-bye, give high-fives, blow kisses and "talk on the phone". You are eating anything that won't eat you first and you have a serious obsession with Blues Clues. ;-) You weigh 18lbs 10 oz and you are 29 1/2 in long. You love baby dolls and being outside.

I can't wait to see what the next year brings.. We love you Riley Claire.

Here are some pics from the birthday celebration!! ENJOY!!

Getting ready for the party.




Riley and her Aunt Jess


Watching the magician.

I want one...

And its the husbands fault. We went to Best Buy last night to look @ computers since mine is about 4 years old and really not as good as we need it to be. We started off looking @ laptops because he was really about the docking stations you can get and that way you can use your keyboard, mouse and monitor from your desktop but you can also take the laptop off the dock and use it anywhere. After talking to a sales rep there, we found out that might not be the way to go so of course we started looking at the all-in-ones.. (Those are my personal favs) OF COURSE, they did not have the one we wanted in stock, which was probably good since I would have wanted to scoop it up RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT! :-) I used to be the impulsive shopper but I have changed over the past couple of years and it is usually my husband these days that I have to drag away from whatever "toy" he is eyeing. lol..

Oh my..I have a serious case of envy for this bad boy! Praying I get over it before they have one in the store the next time I am in there! ;-)

2011 so far

Whew...2011 has had a sickly start!! In January, hubby, B, E and myself ALL had the stomach bug! Oh my, if you have had this nasty virus visit your home, you know how BAD it can be!! We passed it to each other over a 6 day stretch and I thought I was going to go out of my mind. Poor RC had her very 1st cold on top of it all. As you can imagine, we were some very pathetic folks. I think the weight loss between my hubby and I was 7lbs. I finally went to the Dr on a Tuesday, since I was the only one left with any symptoms. The Dr did an exam and noticed that my abdomen was VERY tender when she examined me. They then started bloodwork and xrays to find out my problem. Neither of those showed anything abnormal, so they scheduled me for an ultrasound, the very next day. I went to have my ultrasound and had to wait until the following day for the results... GALLSTONES.UGH! I then had to make an appt with a surgeon the following week and he said what I already knew. I have to have it removed! He said we could do it in a day or in a month depending on my pain tolerance. I decided that day that I would roll the dice and wait it out awhile. My pain is fine as long as no one is mashing on my stomach (which doesn't happen on the regular lol) and I need to wait for some time off work. He told me if the pain got worse to call and get it scheduled immediately or go to the ER. I have been pain free for the most part since that Dr visit (knocking on wood as I type). So we shall see how all that goes. Right now, I am just thankful for no nausea and no pain!!!!

2011 has also had a VERY snowy start! GRRRRRRR.. I honestly think I could go the rest of my life without seeing another snowflake! I am ready to move to the beach and get away from this weather! The kids have missed 5 days of school total, I think and had a couple of delayed openings due to this nasty white stuff some love so much! Christmas snow was OK, I got my fill then, now I am over it. It means lost work, being locked up in the house and messy driving conditions, I can do without all of those things.

We are gearing up for RC's very 1st birthday party. I have the guest list complete, cake thought of, but not ordered yet, decorations and outfit purchased and magician hired! I had to think of something to do in this unpredictable weather to keep kids entertained and I got the man's name from another mom that had used him for a birthday party for her son. I can't wait to see how the kids react! :-)

B has had a very active social calender this year so far, I think out of the past 6 weekends, she has been gone or had someone spend the night 4-5 of those weekends. Last weekend, she went to a movie @ the Monaco, dinner @ PF Changs and then to spend the night @ the Embassy for a friends bday party! We didn't do birthday parties like that when I was younger, It was neat to hear her come home with all the stories!

E got a part in her school Spring musical. She tried out for a speaking part but was given a singing part instead. I think she got nervous during auditions and had a harder time than we expected. She seemed a little upset when she found out the news but she was also happy to find out the next week that she got a singing part! :-)

(Sigh) It has been an eventful start to 2011. I hope there are more HEALTHY months and WARMER temps in our future!