I just love this little girl...

Well we have made it through our first week without Jason and other than missing him a ton we have had a good week and had lots of fun! I have gotten to see Riley interact with other kids more in the past few weeks and she is just such a sweet girl. Now I know I'm her mom so that leads to some amount of bias but it is awesome to get to see your child's personality start to show at such a young age and I have seen Riley be an emotional, tenderhearted little girl...she will be a good friend to many! Don't get me wrong...she has breakdowns and throws fits like any other kid, but with her little friends she lets them steal toys from her and gives them hugs and kisses...she's got a true soft side!

Now the weather sure has thrown us for a loop...I recall wearing a skirt and experiencing weather in the 70's just a few short days ago and tonight we have had snow for several hours...weird! No wonder everyone seems to stay sick around here with the huge swings in weather that we experience!

This past Tuesday the girls I used to work with at my previous job threw me a "Farewell" dinner...the first of several farewell events I'm sure we will have. There is a group of about 8-10 of us that all used to work at Pulaski Bank and about half of us no longer do but we manage to get together every couple months and have a GNO...Girl's Night Out! Tamey, or "mother hen" as I like to refer to her as, cooked a wonderful dinner and had everyone over to her house. She is also a great hostess and a loyal blog follower...thanks Tamey for a wonderful evening! It was great to see everyone and Riley got to attend as well and she had lots of fun!

The rest of the week was pretty laid back...work for me and school for Riley...the evenings we played, ate dinner, and had bath time. Here's a few pics of Riley playing in her Dora chair and giving some poses for the camera!

Here she is playing peek a boo!

Last night Riley had sort of a slumber party with her BFF Haylie! I took Riley over to Haylie's house fed, bathed, and ready for bed so that Haylie's dad could watch the girls while Sarah and I went and did a little shopping...about 45 minutes into our shopping trip Sarah received a text that said "You owe me..."...uh-oh...what were the girls up to? I don't think it was too bad at all but apparently they wanted to sleep in the same room and once he put them in their respective beds they cried each other to sleep...so cute! Sarah said Haylie woke up this morning looking for Riley...so the first "sleepover" went pretty well...at least the girls had fun!

This morning Riley and I ventured out to do some grocery shopping while our house was being shown and then spent the rest of the day and afternoon just hanging out and it was the perfect day for it because it was dreary, rainy, and cold...it was wonderful! Riley took a 2 1/2 hour nap and then she played so well this afternoon!

She is a climber...she had lots of fun climbing under the chairs and table in our kitchen and she learned real quick to watch her head so she didn't bump it when she tried to stand up!

Tonight we went to a Luau in the snow...how ironic! One of Jason's co-workes promoted to Major and had a party to celebrate. Here's my little party girl!

Riley and Haylie got to play together yet again and they were so cute...they have really become attached to one another and are so fun to watch...and here's the BFF's with their moms!

They don't share particularly well but that's where Riley's tender heartedness comes in handy because she doesn't get too upset if Haylie wants to play with one of her toys...unless it happens to be her cell phone...that's another story! Luckily when Haylie chose to play with Riley's cell phone Haylie's dad let Riley use his real one...is this scary or what? A 14 month old and a 16 month old walking and talking on cell phones!

Riley had to take a break in a baby bouncy seat to text a few friends during the party...And after several hugging and smooching sessions between Riley and Haylie they tried to give each other one more hug...but since they were both so sleepy and worn out they both wiped out mid hug on the kitchen floor and both ended up screaming...Sarah and I just grabbed the closest crying baby and ended up with each other's so we had to swap the girls because they each wanted their own mommy...it's tough being friends sometimes! We had a great time and both girls played so well and so hard...they were both zonked out in the car on the ride home!

Now that it has taken me over an hour to do this post because I am dealing with our poopy desktop since Jason took the laptop I am going to grab a brownie...or two...and watch a movie...gotta love cold snowy nights...I just wish I could wake up to sunny 70 degree weather tomorrow...you never now!

Just a girl and her momma!

We had a great weekend and a full house...until Sunday! Grammie and JoePa came in last Thursday night for a visit and we had a great time doing not much of anything other than spending time together. Come Sunday morning, however, Riley and I were the only ones left. My parents and Jason left about the same time...my parents flew back to Texas and Jason drove out to Alabama. Riley and I went to church, lunch, and ran some errands and when we came home the house was SOOOOOOO quiet. It was interesting because I think she even noticed the absence of everyone...she was very clingy and would get scared if she couldn't see me. It's kinda cute because she would be playing in her room and as soon as she realized I stepped away she would do this scared little run where her feet were moving like crazy but she didn't really know where to go...she would start to whimper and I would come running to assure her she was not alone. It feels like Jason just left and now he's gone again, but luckily we can call him whenever we want and it will just be a few weeks. Riley and I will have lots of fun together and we'll get to meet up with him in Atlanta in a few weeks!

Here's some of the fun we had while Grammie and JoePa were in town...

We started out with a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill and enjoyed some good spaghetti and meatballs...Riley scarfed hers down!

Friday Riley spent the day with Grammie and JoePa while Jason and I took care of several things on base and went to work! She showed them her new favorite toy...her Dora chair! She fits perfectly in it and it keeps her very occupied...sit down...stand up...sit down...stand up...fall over...start over, etc. She doesn't like to share and if anyone else tries to sit in it she will pull you out!

That evening we met up with Jason's family at PF Changs and had a blast! Riley had her eye on this young lad while we were in line to order and she just kept smiling at him...I think it got him some brownie points as it appeared that he was on a double date...what girl doesn't love a guy that is swooned by a baby girl? They ended up getting seated right beside us so the shy smiles continued through our meal!

Riley had fun seeing CJ and sharing some laughs with him as well!

Saturday we all just relaxed around the house and Jason and my dad did a little yardwork once the sun decided to make it's appearance. I snuck out in the afternoon to get my nails done and run some errands. Riley did lots of playing...she danced, talked on her cell phone, read books, sat in her chair, attacked some tissue paper...imporant things in the life of a one year old!

I had requested a "mom-cooked" meal for dinner so my mom fixed lemon caper chicken over angel hair pasta, french bread, green beans, and a salad comprised of pears, walnuts, feta cheese, and caesar dressing...it was SOOOOO good and there were lots of leftovers that I have been eating on the past few nights. Those of you that know me know that when Jason is gone cereal is my meal of choice but so far I have not resorted to that...I have chosen to savor my mom's wonderful cooking first! Thanks mom for the great meal...I miss your cooking!

After dinner JoePa gave Riley the ride of her life in her Dora chair...at first I think she got a little scared but she soon realized how fun it was and when he would stop she would politely say "tease" (please) for him to continue!

We had a great time and Riley and I were sad to say goodbye to everyone!

14 Months Old

Riley turned 14 months old today and she is such a cutie! Here's what Riley is up to at 14 months old!

• Sleeping - Well this past month has been a little off for my normal 12 hour sleeper! Between pneumonia and falling out of her crib we have had more disruptions during the night than normal, but all in all she's back in her groove and sleeping good again! Since we lowered her bed and removed the bumpers the biggest issue is the binkie falling on the floor but we have let her self soothe and get herself back to sleep as hard as that can be at times!



• Eating - She's still a great eater but is a little more opinionated about what she eats. Don't get me wrong she is in no way a picky eater, but this past months she has started to shake her head "No" if she doesn't want to eat something...simple enough!



• Walking - ALL THE TIME! She is officially a pro at walking and gets up and goes! She's so cute with her little waddle and she still has numerous wipeouts and faceplants but she just gets up and tries again...she doesn't seem to upset when she falls! I have cute video of this but Blogger seems to be taking FOREVER and I must get to bed so I will try and add that tomorrow!



• Dancing - Riley was born with moves and we don't know where it came from! The girl can shake her tailfeather and it is hilarious! As soon as she hears a song she will start clapping, shaking her hips, and spinning in circles! Soon there will be a clip of her dancing in the car which doesn't quite do justice for her true dance moves!

• Talking - Riley is not only signing please and thank you but she is saying them as well! She also says "DaDa", "MaMa", "doggie", "bye bye", "high five", and she sings lots of songs as well. We can tell for sure when she is singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star just by the change of tone in her voice but the words are still a little off...it's so fun to watch her learn!



• Teeth - Riley is now working on 8 teeth...4 on the top and 4 on the bottom...her smile changes with each new tooth and trust me it just seems to be getting cuter!



• Bath - The tantrums have sort of emerged again or perhaps she has just recently decided she doesn't like water poured over her head! Bath time is still Daddy's task and he does a great job of making lots of bubbles and putting lots of toys in there and she does pretty well except for the water being poured over her head! She also doesn't particulary like being on the changing table anymore and tries to roll over and kick her way off...that makes things exciting!



• Riley is blowing kisses, giving kisses, and giving hugs as well! I love receiving love from her...it's just the best! Here's a pic of Riley giving her Daddy kisses!



• Riley is now in a big girl carseat in both vehicles and she loves riding forward and we love it too! She gets to watch DVD's in the Tahoe now too and she loves that! Gotta love Veggie Tales!



• Climbing...well you all know about Riley's climbing skills as she was able to maneuver herself out of the crib but seriously this girl LOVES to climb...we even caught her trying to climb into her shopping cart push toy...that would not have worked out well for her! Gymnastics might be in her future!

We are falling more and more in love with this little girl and love to see her learn new things...there is nothing better than seeing a child understand something! One thing that has blown me away in this past month is how she has grasped the book "Pat The Bunny." That is a common childhood favorite and Riley knows what to do on every single page from smelling the flowers to putting her finger through the ring...it's so cool! We are hoping she's not getting sick again as she has gotten a nasty cough again and was running a low grade temp tonight...we're not used to a sick baby and hope her body fights this off quickly!

Here's a cute video of a recent game of Peek A Boo she and I shared...

Family Fun

Sunday was a catch-up day for us! We had been going going going since Friday evening and Riley had been up late two nights in a row so we had a sleepy girl on our hands! She took two naps on Sunday and got caught up on all of her beauty sleep...Jason and I even snuck in a nap as well...it was nice!

We had fun just playing with Riley all afternoon and we even tried pigtails again with success...for about 4 hours! Eventually Riley could not avoid the temptation of pulling her bows and rubberbands out!
Sunday evening we went over to some friends house to celebrate Haylie's baptism! We had great mexican food and even met a new friend, Noah, who was TONS of fun! It was so fun to watch the three of them play together and we learned that empty Pampers boxes are the BEST toy for these little guys! We had many box car races and they loved it...we only had two boxes so we had to keep rotating the kiddos but it was so fun!

Today was President's Day so Jason was off work and I worked a half day...Riley went to school for a little bit and Jason and I had a date...lunch and a movie! It was a lot of fun and afterwards we went and picked Riley up, went shopping at Toys 'R Us and grabbed dinner at Olive Garden...it was a great day!

Valentine's Part Two

Saturday morning we started with a trip to the car wash...Jason had tested out the Tahoe's off-roading skills the day before and it was MUDDY! Riley was so cute watching all of the cars go through and we had so much fun!

After the exciting car wash we headed off to meet up with all of our friends and Riley went to play with DiDi and Doc for the day! Jason and I were off to Oaklawn...the horse races in Hot Springs...with several other couples. We have been wanting to go ever since we have moved to Arkansas but just never have so we didn't want to pass up on this opportunity and it was SO much fun! We had no idea how to bet or what all of the terminology was but Jason learned quick and we actually did pretty well! We had lots of good food and ice cream and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the race track!

Amy, Andrea, and Owen...he was such a good baby the whole time!

Matt and Leslie
Derek and Tara holding Owen...with their second on the way they are getting excited about little babies!
All the girls...
After a fun trip to Oaklawn we went to Jason's parents house to pick up Riley and sneak in a few quick games on the Wii...it was so fun!

We then met up with the Burns family for a Valentine's Dinner...it was only appropriate that Riley and Kaleb share this special day together! Riley even gave Kaleb a sweet hug, but we're not sure if he even noticed! While we waited the kiddos played with some booster seats...Riley LOVES climbing so these kept her entertained most of the time. Kaleb was interested but he wanted to be walking / jogging through the restaurant so he was off!

We had a great Valentine's and hope you did too!

Lots of updating...Valentine's Part One

Well we have been busy lately but having lots of fun! Riley has been SOOOOOOOOOO much fun lately and we are just soaking up all our time together. Jason leaves next weekend for Squadron Officer School for 5 weeks so Riley and I will be on our own again for a short while. We are lounging as I type and watching 24...one of our favorite things to do together!

Friday night we went to a couple's night at our church and had a great Italian dinner and enjoyed the entertainment of Tim Hawkins, a Christian comedian! He was HILARIOUS! We had so much fun with all of our friends and Riley played in the nursery and had fun too!

Derek and Tara

Brian and Ashley

Kyle and Amy

Ross and Heather

Josh and Andrea...and Reed too!

All the girls...

An exciting weekend...in several ways

Well I'll start out by telling you that Riley has a new bed...not exactly a new bed but one that she can't get out of...let me explain! Friday night while I was away preparing for Andrea's shower, Jason and Riley had come home and gone to bed and sometime in the middle of the night Riley fell / climbed out of her crib! Jason heard a thump followed by a screaming baby and was terrified when he found her lying on her back next to her crib. He quickly checked her out and within minutes she was talking and wanting to play...the bottom line is that she is completely fine but we are not about to let that happen again. She preceded to stay up for several hours wanting to play and then finally her and Jason got some rest. I did not even know about these events until later Saturday morning...I was shocked but so thankful she was ok! Last night she slept in her pack 'n play because we got home late and today Jason lowered her crib ALL the way to the toddler bed level...there is NO way she can get out now. She went to bed pretty easily tonight so we'll hope it stays that way!

After we got her bed all put together we brought her into her room to show her and wouldn't you know she tried to get in...let's remember we did all this because she wanted out! Actually she just wanted her favorite bunny lovey and she successfully freed him from captivity!

So onto the rest of this weekend's events...Saturday I spent the first half of the day with Andrea's shower festivities while Jason took Gabi to her basketball game and had lunch with his family at On The Border. Apparently during lunch Riley noticed that everyone was dipping their chips in salsa and she wanted to partake. Jason would pretend he was dipping a chip for her but that wasn't good enough. He decided to give her an empty bowl and let her "dip" her own chips and she did just that! I have to say I am so proud that my little girl loves chips and salsa as much as I do...a true Texas girl!

We all hung out during the afternoon and Riley took rides on the scooter with her Daddy and went on a walk with DiDi and me. She also watched CJ shoot hoops and she really wanted to play with the basketball. She would hold it and then take it to the ground as if she was trying to dribble! It was so cute!

Saturday night was went to a UALR basketball game compliments of my work and enjoyed the game from a suite with lots of good food! We took Frank and CJ along with several of CJ's friends and they had a blast too...particularly at half time when the cheerleaders performed! Ha! Riley had a blast too...she had a cat nap on the way and at first she didn't quite know what to think but she sat in the seat and took it all in...

Once she woke up she really enjoyed the music and she danced along with everyone! She also did LOTS of walking...in the past few days she has really mastered walking and she is off and I feel like I'm constantly chasing after her...fun, fun, fun! Here's a picture of us with Sue...my wonderful boss and friend!