Birthday Bash!

I still can't get over the fact that my baby is 5!!!  Here are a few pictures to show you how far he's come:

Riley was born April 29, 2004...We weren't expecting to meet him for two more months!

He weighed in at a whopping 2 lbs. 10 oz. and spent 4 weeks in the NICU.  Now I understand why God gave him the personality that he has...He had to be a fighter to make it!  He's been ornery since the day he was born, but we wouldn't want him to be any other way!

Five years later...

Riley was wondering when all of his friends were going to arrive for his Blue Angels Fighter Jet party.

Zachary and Mia are friends of Riley's from preschool.

Aiden and Riley were practicing for the g-forces for fighter pilot training!

Kendall wondering what the fuss is all about.

Tay Tay eating some yummy pizza from Al's!

Ford taking a break from all the excitement.

Garrett, Riley and Zachary

Nicky Noodle and Maddie Moo - Madison is one of Riley's dear friends from the 'hood.  They play so nicely together and we are thrilled that they will both be going to school at Providence together next year.

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Everyone telling me which part of the cake they want to eat...I was brave and made the cake for Riley's party...Thank goodness it turned out alright!

I still can't believe little man is 5!!!!

Checking out a present with the help of Aiden and Mia.

Look at that smile!  Happiest boy in the world!

Ford, Riley, Aiden and Mia checking out the Batmobile.

I don't know who was more excited, Riley or Garrett!

Slip Sliding Away...

Spring has sprung in Jacksonville!  The other day I got the slip and slide out and invited Riley's friend Madison over to play.  They had the best time together.

They thought it was funny to crash into each other!

Spring in Jax...

Ahh, springtime in Jacksonville.  It doesn't get much better than this...As we get closer to summer, the temperature starts to rise and the beach is the place to be!  Kendall is enjoying the beach (thank goodness since we go often).  Her favorite part is eating sand and trying to chew on the multitude of broken shells along the beach.  

We let her crawl around in the water and she seemed to enjoy it.

Riley loves playing in the tidal pools that form during low tide.

Sissy thinks she can just take any toys she wants from Bubby.  Thank goodness he's patient with her.

I would love to know what she's thinking.

I use this tunnel for my Toddler Gym program that I run at our church and figured it was time to let Kendall try it out at home.  She thought it was the coolest invention.  

Look At What I Can Do!

Here's the most recent video of Kendall trying out her new trick!  Enjoy!  You may want to turn down your volume because she's not very happy!  ;)

Spring Break 09

Riley requested that we head to the "mountain house" for spring break this year.  That is what he says when he wants to go to my parents home in North Carolina.  Unfortunately for him, they were going to be at their place in Kiawah, SC during that week so we spent the week there instead.  Better for me because it takes half the time to drive to Kiawah than to western NC.  Mom and Dad just redid their entire condo and it's so beautiful.  They did a fantastic job picking out new flooring, cabinets, counters, furniture, etc.  This was our first time seeing the place since it's been finished.  

Here are some pictures of our week with mom and dad (aka Nanny and Pappy).  Enjoy!

Every visit to Kiawah requires a trip (or 10) over the "alligator bridge" and then to the alligator hole by the golf course.  This time we got to see two gators by the golf course at the same time. 

Kendall enjoying her Nanny

For whatever reason, these two have created a special bond already.  She adores her Pappy and he's just as smitten with her.  Here she is kissing him - and he's LOVING it!

My dad has played this game with both of my kids and they love it.  It's called "Bump A Headie."

My parents bought Riley a new Dumpy because he busted the wheels off of his old one.  He pushes this truck all over the island.  This was taken on the golf course that my parents' place overlooks.  I was able to convince him to put his knees in Dumpy and ride him down the hill.  I have some great video of him wiping out at the bottom of the hill!

We took a trip to the playground to burn off some energy.

The tube slide is always a big hit.

Even Dumpy got in on the action!

Baby girl thinks she's a Big Girl

I made a strawberry smoothie for Riley - strawberry yogurt, strawberries, milk and a banana.  Kendall got to try it and she LOVED it.  She kept going back for more!

The Easter Bunny made a special trip to Kiawah for Easter.  Kendall found her first egg.

Then she found her basket.

Then she destroyed her basket!

Is it empty?

Almost every time we visit Kiawah, Riley gets to play with his friend Connor.  Connor is the grandson of my dad's best friend who moved to Johns Island.  They live about a half hour away from Kiawah.  Connor's grandpa (Ed) and my dad both worked for Cat in York, Pa.  Ed ran the Sumter, SC plant and my dad ran the Morganton, NC plant when they closed the York plant.  For those of you who were at our wedding, the old convertible my dad escorted us in from the church was Ed's.  

Riley and Kendall hanging out on the chair.

She's started clapping.  It almost seems intentional, but I'm not sure she's old enough for that yet.

Wanting a closer look at the camera.  Can you see her lopsided grin?  She has two top teeth on her left side, but none on her right side yet.

Getting ready to crawl.  It won't be long now.  She's been sitting up all by herself in her crib and I've even found her standing on her knees with her hands on the railing.  I guess I best be getting busy baby proofing the house.  She was checking out the electrical socket in Riley's room the other day too!

Click here to watch Kendall inhale her first smoothie

Click here to watch out takes of Riley and Dumpy...You will laugh out loud!

Off To See The Mouse!

Riley had off school on the Friday before his spring break started so he convinced Daddy to take the day off too.  When we asked Riley what he wanted to do on that day, he was quick to mention that he really wanted to go to Disney.  We originally planned to go just for the day (the beauty of season passes!), but Andy decided to check out hotels on Priceline.  We found a room at the Marriott for a good rate, so we ended up staying over night and spent two days there.  

We spent our first day at Magic Kingdom.  The kids were sporting their new Mickey shirts that I made for them.  The first thing we did was stop and get Kendall a Minnie hat of her own.  The two of them wore them throughout the park and looked so cute together!

Dad and Riley waiting to take the boat ride over to Tom Sawyer Island.  Riley loved running around the island and checking out the canons on the fort.

We decided to take Kendall's stroller instead of our Sit and Stand so that Kendall could lie flat and sleep if necessary.  To ease some of Riley's exhaustion, we took turns in the stroller and carried Kendall in our Baby Bjorn.  She loves being close to us and often falls asleep in it.  Her favorite is to be facing out and seeing everything that's going on.

Kendall making eyes at her Daddy.

I wish I knew what she was thinking when I snapped this picture!  I love the expression!

Sporting her new Minnie Mouse ears!

A long day at Hollywood Studios.  Poor Riley got jipped on the Toy Story ride.  We went there first because it usually is hard to get a fast pass for it.  There was an hour wait, so we decided to bite the bullet and wait it out.  It was a frustrating wait...Numerous people cut in front of us in line - the newest trick is to say you're meeting up with your group who is way up the line.  Then some kid puked inside the building where you weave through like a mouse trying to find the cheese.  Then we get up to the front of the line, ready to pick up our 3D glasses, and they tell us that the ride is being shut down.  No fast pass, no compensation, just utter frustration.  The next fast pass wasn't until 7pm...For those of you familiar with fast passes at Disney, that means, you can't get another fast pass until that one expires.  Needless to say, Andy complained and we ended up with fast passes to the Tower of Terror and Star Wars instead.  Riley LOVED the Star Wars ride, but mom and dad both get sick while on it so he only got to do it once.  I was also able to finally convince him to ride the Tower of Terror with me (he was scared of the spider webs in the library where you see the video!)  The boy was hooked!  He couldn't wait to go on it again, and again, and again for a total of 5 times!  It's his new favorite ride.  Although, Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom rated pretty high as well.

Kendall was a happy girl the entire time we were there.  She is so flexible and just enjoyed herself and being outside in the beautiful weather. 

Our very own Sleeping Beauty!

How We Spend Our Afternoons in Florida

After baby girl's afternoon nap, we usually try to all go outside together for a walk...Penton included.  Riley calls this stroller our "golf cart."  Why, I don't know, but the kids love it.  Kendall will lean forward and gnaw on the bar in front of her!  Crazy girl!  

She loves being outside.  It can change her mood instantly.  So you can imagine that with all her teething (she's got a lop-sided grin right now - top two left teeth are in and still waiting on the top right) that we spend a lot of time outside.  When we get back to our house, we often stop at our swing set and play until it's time to make dinner.  The weather in Florida is wonderful this time of year and we're trying to enjoy it as much as we can before the Africa hot summer arrives!