One Happy Girl

Riley has been one happy girl since we got to Texas and she's been SO.MUCH.FUN!

JoePa can't wait for her to wake up in the morning and a few times he's actually had to wake her up...

Riley wanted JoePa to have breakfast with her and they were making silly faces!
He worked on showing her how to show that she's 2 years old...tomorrow is her birthday and I just can't believe it!

She's getting the hang of it!

Monday after I was done working we took a ride on the boat...Riley had been talking about the boat since we landed in Austin...she LOVES being outside and she LOVES the boat!

So excited!

Love this grin!

Happy Girl!

She always gets to drive the boat with JoePa and honk the horn!

After the stressful job of driving the boat she decided to chill and have some milk!

After the boat ride we roasted marshmallows in the fire pit and it was so much fun!

Riley was in awe of the fire but didn't mess with it at all...she helped blow the marshmallows out!

She chowed down and was hesitant to share with anyone!

She was one busy girl running around in between eating marshmallows!

Riley ended up completely squishing her marshmallow in her hand holding it so tight in fear of anyone trying to steal it..she wouldn't even share with Sadie!

She was desperately in need of a bath after the fire...one sticky girl but she had so much fun!

Yesterday us girls headed to San Antonio for the night...my mom had several things to do and I just worked a half day so Riley and I ran a few errands and she was so well behaved...we were in and out of the car and in and out of shopping carts and she was just happy for it all!

We then headed to the Hanlons house to see Mad Dog Mama (Patrice), Whitney, and Pat...Riley took a 3 hour nap while I worked in the afternoon and then it was time to play!

She had fun checking out all the Christmas decorations, especially this little bitty tree that Patrice made!

She LOVED playing with Kasey's old doll house...the funniest part was when she tried to sit on the furniture and get in the car...she didn't quite realize that she was WAY too big!

Whitney, Riley, and I went to Alamo Cafe for dinner...had to get our fix and it was so yummy!

When we got home Riley demanded that Pat sit down and drink some milk before he went off to bed...I tell ya...little girls sure can get men to obey. Pat was saying goodnight and trying to get a hug from Riley and she just smacked her hand on the floor and said "sit down"...she can be a little bossy!

After Pat went to bed we had a girls party to celebrate my mom's birthday which was last week!

Patrice made a FABULOUS chocolate cake and we all partook...Riley had a one track mind once she saw that cake and that was to be the first to get a piece!

Smooches from Grammie!

We all "cackled" as Patrice gave my mom her gift which included a beautiful platter that had a disclaimer on the bottom "Do not use to serve food. Will poison food." Awesome!

Me and my mom...Happy Birthday Mom!

Today was a super fun day for Riley! Whitney wanted to decorate cookies with Riley so she baked them last night and this morning was time for decorations!

Whitney and I

Check out Riley's face as she realized she was going to get to sprinkle the cookies!

She had so much fun and made a huge mess...some of the sprinkles containers had very big holes so the sprinkles came out in abundance!

She made sure to do quality control and check her work before she put it on the plate..anyone want a cookie?

So the red sprinkles got slightly out of control and this is what Riley looked like!

Notice all the sprinles on the cookie sheet...can you even see the cookies under the sprinkles?

That picture is priceless...trust me there is no blood involved...haha!

She had a blast and didn't even nap today with the sugar high from all the cookie decorating. We headed back to the lake at what would normally be her nap time thinking she would snooze on the way...not so much! She was non-stop talking, singing, clapping, and a few times she even screamed at the top of her lungs! She was so happy and after we made the trip back she went to the grocery store with Grammie and behaved so well.

I am still astonished at how happy she was and that we had no meltdowns today with the lack of a nap but she was just having too much fun! She was ready for bed early and went down without a peep.

She has to get a good night's sleep so she can celebrate her birthday tomorrow...we can't wait!

Christmas.Is.The.Best.

I just love Christmas...it's a shame that it comes and goes so quickly...all the more reason to do as much as we can to celebrate.

Friday night Jason's squadron had a kids Christmas party...games, crafts, Santa, and lots of fun stuff!

Riley played a few games...this one in particular because our friend Patti was helping with it and because the prize was a lollipop...she had to carry this ball on the spoon and she did pretty well...notice how intent her little face is!

Now for the lollipop!
Riley also got to decorate her own cookie...here she is spreading the icing!

One must always taste test! Funny thing is that she is into just licking the icing off and then she wanted to just put more icing on in order to lick it off...not too interested in the actual cookie!

She managed to get her hands on another cookie with green icing and had a dark green mouth for a while!

And after another game she got to pick out a candy cane!

We had to leave after a bit because she wanted nothing to do with Santa and she was having meltdowns over the tiniest things...these past few days have been challenging with her independence and desire to do things her way...I see the terrible two's staring me in the face.

She even had to go to the corner while we were at the party but that's just life these days!

We had a lot of fun!

Saturday we took Hank and Kadie to the kennel...Riley was rather upset about leaving them which was a reaction I didn't quite expect...it was so sad! I calmed her down by telling her that they had to go to school and then I turned on the DVD player and we were set!

I had a baby shower to attend for my good friend Ashley so M came over to babysit and it was a success..Riley went down for a nap just before she arrived and slept almost 3 hours and they were having a blast playing when I got home...Riley was rather upset about having to take M back to her house...she's so upset when anyone leaves her these days, including the dogs!

She really has a sweet spirit and loves being around people!

Last night we had our Cookie Exchange and guess what?

All that mess in the kitchen paid off because our Gingerbread Cookies won "Best Tasting Cookie"...woohoo! We chatted and ate lots of cookies and took a ton home as well. Riley was in the cookies like a crazy girl and I could not control her...they were all within her reach and it's Christmas...a girl's gotta have some cookies, right?

I managed to fit all of our cookies in one of my bags and I'm proud to say they arrived in pretty good shape!

After the Cookie Exchange it was time to get home so I could finish packing and getting ready to leave...it wasn't as late of a night as I expected but there was a lot to do.

Amanda toted us and ALL of our luggage (two huge bags, pack 'n play, car seat, backpack, and computer bag) to the airport and our trip was so easy...had NO issues at the airport and they didn't weigh my bags...score! Our flight was probably the best I've ever had with Riley...she was so good. She literally just cuddled with me the entire time...she slept about an hour and the rest of the time would not unwrap her arms from my neck...I was loving it.

As we soared above the snow covered mountains and I held my baby girl in my arms it was a great time to reflect, think of the TRUE reason for this season, and just tell God how thankful I am for the blessings in my life.

Once we landed Grammie and JoePa were anxiously waiting for us and Riley got so excited when she saw them.

First things first we did what all Texans do...stopped for Mexican food!

Here is my little Texas girl chowing down on some queso!

I had enchiladas and a margarita...need I say more?

Once we got to the lake Riley had to check out all the lights JoePa put up!

They even have an Aggie football player!

Riley and JoePa

Then we went inside and saw the pretty tree...I have been so excited to get here and see the tree since we didn't put one up at our house...it looks great!

Grammie showing Riley all the ornaments!

We then went outside to see Sadie...did I mention it was sunny and 70 degrees when we landed in Austin? Gotta love it!

She and I took a little swing!

She also found her little chair from this summer and was having so much fun playing with it!

We're so glad to be here and to celebrate Christmas with our families!

Now we just need Jason to get here!

Christmas Baking

Riley and I were invited to a Cookie Exchange on Saturday and I decided tonight we would start baking. We made Gingerbread Cookies and they are quite yummy!

I thought Riley would enjoy helping me bake and she did. I allowed her to stand on a chair just this once so she could see what was going on!

She started out helping me pour the flour into the mixer and at first things were going well. Then she started acting all independent (who knows where she got that from) and insisting that she do it all with no help from mom. I was not having that so she threw a bit of a tantrum and laid her head on the counter in agony!
So I decided she could have her own bowl of flour to play with...it was obvious that her helping me was not going to work like I thought it would!

She loved playing with the flour and she even ate it as if it was good...yucko!

She then preceded to cover my kitchen floor in flour and I just let her have fun!

I was on the phone with Andrea who shares my love for order, organization, and independence...I was giving her a play by play and she simply said "I'll talk you through this!"

I did a good job of just letting Riley be...mess and all...and she had a blast and that's all that matters!

The clean up was pretty easy...just swiffered up all the flour!

After Riley went to bed it was time to roll out the dough and cut some cookies!

They turned out great and now the fun part...decorating!

If you're wondering what I had for dinner...you're looking at it...gingerbread cookie dough and gingerbread cookies...I just couldn't help it!

Busy Girls...

Well in case you're wondering how Riley and I pass the time while Jason is gone...we stay BUSY!

These past two weeks have gone by fast and we have been keeping a fast pace with our activities and a lot of that has to do with it being the Holidays and trying to get ready for a nearly 3 week trip away from home. I tend to stay up really late when Jason is gone and this time has been no different...in fact it might be worse...I have seen 1 am too many times and I'm getting worn out!

Sunday Riley and I went to church and then to lunch with Hannah and Ollie and we went home so Riley could nap before Brayden's birthday party!

This little guy turned 1 and we helped him celebrate!

Unfortunately we had to celebrate his cake without him because he did not want ANY part or piece of the cake!
Riley on the other hand had a big night!

She sang behind the microphone...

Slid down the slide...

Ate with the big kids...

Scarfed down some cake...

Took a ride in the exersaucer...

and played some guitar...whew what a fun party!

Monday night Riley hung out with John and Maddie while the girls headed to our OSC (Officer Spouse's Club) Board Xmas Party and Ornament Exchange. Our advisors served us a great meal and we had a good time!

Julia, Julia, and Reyna

Me, Amanda, and Emily in front of the cozy fire...haha...have you guys seen this before? It's a DVD that burns a fire on your TV...my friend Hannah's actually crackles and the fire burns down...super cool!

We had an ornament exchange and I have to say that I think I went home with the best gift...Elf on a Shelf...I have seen this so many places and wanted to get it...it wasn't an ornament obviously but I'm so glad someone brought it and I went home with it. It will be a great Christmas tradition for our family!

Tuesday night we had a girls night at Chipotle and Cold Stone with some friends and boy did that hit the spot!

Last night Riley and I just played and she got to bed early since we had been out late several nights before!

She had fun playing on her scooter!

Smiles!

More smiles!

I made Pesto Pasta for dinner and Riley scarfed it down...along with Garden Vegetable baby food and some pear. I still have problems getting finger food veggies down her so I opt for baby food and it does the trick...I'm not sure how she eats that stuff but she does and it works for me!

Quite a messy girl!

My 2 year old feeds herself baby food...like I said it works so we will stick with it!

Such a BIG girl!

Well I am just blown away that Riley will be two in just a few weeks. She's still my baby girl and always will be but she really is getting to be such a BIG girl these days!

She started transitioning to her new classroom at school this past week. They take a week to transition them slowly and she officially starts on Monday. She did great...she has two new great teachers and has taken to them really well although I know she will miss Alisa! One major leap has been potty training. Her new classroom has a full bathroom in it and they really work with them on using the potty. We have been working on it at home but I was shocked on Friday when I picked her up and her new teacher made the prediction that Riley might be potty trained in merely weeks...WHAT? She has been using the potty at school for ALL of her business and seems to be getting the hang of things...they do put them on it every hour though which is hard for me to stick to on the weekends.

I'm not sure if I buy into the idea of her being potty trained in a few weeks but we shall see. I think I realized that I'm the one that's not ready for this...public restrooms...frequent stops...accidents! So I couldn't embark on this new journey without all the necessary items...pullups since using the potty and maneuvering a diaper is slightly impossible...and antibacterial wipes because I cringe at the idea of Riley's little booty touching a public restroom! I know I will have to get over this but I'm just being honest here...so we made a stop at Target today for those two items and I guess we're ready to move forward and see what happens!

Riley and I both got presents this week...she got a kitchen...and I got to put it together! Looks like fun, huh?

Just kidding...my present was a new CAMERA!

I couldn't decide what I wanted...an SLR or not. I wanted great quality and more options than a point and shoot but I had to have something I would realistically carry in my purse...so I decided on the Nikon P90...it's a digital camera with an SLR mode so I can still play around with manual settings and such. I love it so far and still have lots to learn but I can tell a huge difference from my old camera!

Here's Riley attacking me with my new camera!

And here's a great shot I got of the golf course from our backyard...

So back to the kitchen...it was a nightmare to put together! Long story short I thought it might just be a few pieces to click together so I pulled it all out with Riley...it was more like a zillion pieces and she couldn't keep from walking all over the parts so I had to wait until after she was in bed!

4 hours, 60 screws, and two calloused hands later it was complete and it was all worth it when Riley saw the finished product the next morning!

She jumped right in like a chef and went to work...she played it with it so well that I didn't end up taking her to school until almost 10!

Last night we went over to Maddie's house for dinner and she got a new toy...check out Maddie's new ride!

Riley was quick to take it for a spin and she even tried this fancy move...until mom spoiled all the fun!

We played some current tunes and watched the girls dance away...

Lots of laughs...

and Riley showed us her perfected yoga moves...the downward dog!

She actually was doing a front roll which she has never done by herself but she did it several times just fine!

Ashley and John helped her pet the "kee caa" Lester...

Tonight was Jason's squadron Christmas party and it was a lot of fun! I definitely wish Jason had been there especially because one of our raffle tickets was drawn but not for a prize...for a game! I had to get up in front of everyone with safety gear on (apron, goggles, and hard hat) along with boxing gloves and attempt to unwrap a present faster than my competitors...did I mention the present was taped ALL the way around so I had to use the heel on my shoe to rip it...needless to say I didn't win but still had a lot of fun. There were some great prizes given out...TV's, laptops, cameras, cash...a good night! Riley went and played with all of the other kiddos which means she watched movies and ate pizza and cookies...not too shabby!

Riley's Presents Galore!

So celebrate we did this past Saturday...our own mini Christmas and Birthday celebration with Riley! The night before and morning of were not quite as planned and we were all extremely sleep deprived...I'll elaborate in a bit...but we didn't let that stop us!

First things first...the reason for the season...we had to set up Riley's Little People nativity scene by her tree!

She had lots of fun putting her Noah's ark animals in the nativity as well...you know the two wise giraffe's...you've heard of them right?
Well the best way to share our little celebration is with the video we took so enjoy...I love her excitement when her eyes were still shut and Jason asks her if she's ready to open her eyes...love this girl!

As you can see we had a lot of fun...Riley's biggest dilemma was which toy to ride...the bike or the scooter!

Although she wasn't too interested in opening presents at one point when she got the hang of it she did have fun...she was a tad bit serious about it though...we'll have to work on that!

Daddy's little girl...
Riley and her Mama
And later on that day we made it outside to test out the bike and scooter as well

Family Pic...we went to dinner that evening with several of our friends...it seems that all the boys decided to leave on the same day...Jason left for a TDY and Paul and Bobby left for a deployment...so we celebrated with Mexican food...and we've had lots of girl time since then!

So...about our sleepless night prior to the party. Well we had an actual thunderstorm the Friday before and the weather forecast predicted strong winds...it does get windy here but we were in for a wind storm like nothing we have ever seen before. The winds started howling late Friday evening and they were so loud...gusting up to 50 mph. I kept hearing a strange noise by the side of our house but was too tired to nag Jason about it...until it kept waking Riley up too. It turns out the winds were literally moving our full trashcans on the side of our house and since they reside right outside Riley's window I'm sure it sounded pretty scary to her amongst the howling wind. She ended up waking up 3 times that night so the morning definitely came way too soon!

We woke up to beautifully sunny skies and looked out the window to find destruction.

Our gas grill was completely on its side...
A few fence boards were knocked out and the fence was leaning pretty badly...

and one of our trees was nearly uprooted...

The winds hadn't stopped though...they kept on ALL day. It was the most surreal thing because the winds alone were reminiscent of some close tornado calls from our days in Arkansas but it was just beautiful outside...apparently the winds in November and May are the worst because that is the change of seasons...here's some video just to give you an idea of how loud and crazy the wind was...

By Sunday afternoon the winds finally subsided and we have several neighbors with fences down and such. The tree in the pic above didn't make it...by the end of Saturday it was completely on the ground...so our fence and the tree are getting cleaned up Friday...I will really miss that tree.

When I was talking with our landlord about the damage I was expressing my sadness about losing the tree and he said "Well you've lived in California for a few months now you should sue somebody." Ha! I told him I would sue the wind and he said I probably wouldn't be the first...gotta love Cali!

Jason left Sunday and Riley and I are keeping busy...hanging out with friends, getting ready for Christmas, and we have lots of Christmas parties coming up before we head to the great state of Texas!

On a more serious note, some dear friends of ours that we were stationed with in Little Rock and who are now stationed in Guam lost their twin baby girls this past weekend and we are so heavy with sadness for them and what they are going through. Please keep Chuck and Stacy in your prayers. In honor of Emilyn and Hailey whose lives were cut way too short all I can ask is that you hug and kiss your kids extra today and don't miss any opportunity to love on your family.

Giving Thanks and Gearing up for Christmas...

We have had a busy but great week!

We had a blast going to Sacramento last Sunday evening to shop for Miss Riley and we ended the fun with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory...we HAD to have the Pumpkin Cheesecake and we HAD to eat if fast so Riley didn't eat it all!

The week seemed to fly by with Thanksgiving and all...I had a girls night Monday with my Beth Moore girls...we just sat around a bunch of yummy food and gabbed the night away! Tuesday Riley and I went to a paint studio so she could work on some Christmas gifts and then we had a great dinner with friends.

Then it was time for the baking to begin...I was in charge of all of the desserts...my favorite!

On the menu was a Pumpkin Roll, Apple Streusel Tarts, and a Chocolate Pecan Pie!

The Pumpkin Roll didn't last long and was definitely the favorite!

The tarts and pie were great too and I have leftovers of each of those...although if we eat on them the way we did today they shouldn't last long!

Jason and Paul were the turkey cookers for the big day...Jason fried a turkey and Paul roasted a turkey...they were both AWESOME and we have lots of great leftovers!

While all the food and good times are some of my favorite things about the Holidays, it's always good to reflect on the meaning behind why we celebrate...in this case thankfulness!

I am just as guilty as the next person for getting caught up in the day to day swing of life that I often don't stand still long enough to really be thankful for the big and small things. This year I am thankful for so many things...thankful for the opportunity to be the mom of my sweet little girl, thankful that Jason was home with us and able to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, thankful for our amazing families although we missed them, thankful for great friends and the provision God has had for us even in our move this year, thankful for how blessed we are, and the list could go on and on.

I was also thankful that Riley offered to clean up the house while all the prep work was being done for our big Thanksgiving feast...what would we have done without her?

Riley was thankful for all the cool toys at Paul and Jenn's house, but sad that Cooper wasn't there to play with her!

She LOVES this zebra that Cooper has and gets quite crazy when she rides it!

We share this Thanksgiving with some great friends...the Camerons, the Habbestads, the Buckleys, and the Shalleys!

Amanda and Maddie

Jason and I geared up for the Aggie game...they played rather well even though we didn't win! After all the eating it was nice to get in comfy clothes and relax and watch some good football!

Jenn and I...she just found out she's having a baby girl...woohoo!

Jacob and Hayley...more Aggies!

Me and Riley...she is so hard to get a picture with sometimes...always on the move!

Riley gave a kiss to Cooper via a picture of him...she really did miss him and kept asking for him. Cooper is visiting his grandparents in Texas...yay for them, boo for us.

After the food and the football I sent Riley and Jason home to bed and it was time for the girls to go shopping! I have never done crazy Black Friday shopping and really had nothing in particular that I needed but we have good outlet malls here and many of the stores opened at midnight so I was excited to try it out! I am much better staying up late than getting up at the wee hours of the morning! Carter's and Osh-Kosh had their entire stores at 60% off so it was hard to not pass up some good deals! I was home by 1:30 so it wasn't too late and I had a lot of fun!

Even thought I got home at 1:30 I didn't actually get to sleep until around 3 because I was so wound up so getting up at 7 for work this morning was rough...thank goodness it just required rolling out of bed! I got off a little early and Jason and I took naps while Riley was still napping...we awoke to LOUD thunder and cracks of lightning...sounds we have not heard since we moved here and it was perfect napping weather!

Tonight we got our house all decorated for Christmas...minus a big tree because we aren't going to be here long enough to make it worth it. This is the first year we will be away from home for Christmas since we've been married and I am so excited about our plans but it's a little weird at the same time to not have a tree!

Riley has a tree in her room, however, and we had so much fun decorating it tonight!

She also has new super cute Christmas PJ's courtesy of the sales last night..haha...I'm a sucker for tutus!

We both had on our pj's...actually I'm going to be honest and let you know that I never even got out of my pj's all day...it was great! I also got new pj's courtesy of the sales last night and they are super comfy!

Riley really got the hang of putting the ornaments on her tree and would shout with glee after each one was dangling in the tree!

I would put the ornament hangers on each one and Riley put them on the tree all by herself!

Daddy helped too!

So serious...

The finished product...it's perfect for Miss Riley!

So now for a potty update...Riley got a pretty pink potty at our trip to Toys R Us on Sunday and it has been a hit! She's pottied in it numerous times and we just offer it to her every couple hours if we're at home...sometimes she says yes and sometimes she says no, but she has been pretty consistent about using it when she feels the need to. It's a start and she's so cute about it!

Tomorrow we will have our own little birthday and Christmas celebration and the presents are all ready to go...don't you think she'll love her new toys?

Don't tell her what she got...she'll find out soon and I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures to share!