Month of the Military Child

Riley's school celebrated the Month of the Military Child with a fun parade!  

Ironically the parade happened on the brink of a government shutdown but thankfully that never happened.

Riley's class had made tye dye t-shirts for the parade and they were so cute!

Here's Riley's class from Room 9!

 Ms Shea with some of the kiddos!

Daddy's little fishing buddy

Anyone who knows Jason knows his love for fishing...it's definitely his dream for Riley to love fishing with her Daddy!

She has a fishing pole at my parents lakehouse but Jason got her a fishing pole for our house too and then he brought home some worms.

She was not so into the worms at first, but when he pretended to eat them she thought that was hilarious and was much more into checking them out!

 Before we knew it she was outside picking up the worms and loving life!

 Don't get too close there little girl!

Oh the memories she will have fishing with her Daddy!

Barbara comes to the West Coast!

Barbara came out for a girls weekend in early April and we lived it up for the few days she was here!  She left Atlanta bright and early on a Friday and I took the day off and picked her up at SFO for a girls day in the city!

We figured we better get some grub before the arduous task of shopping so we headed to the patio of Cheesecake Factory for a yummy lunch!

 Then we made our way through the streets of San Francisco and did some shopping..even though we now have a Forever 21 in Fairfield I still can't pass up the three story one in San Fran!

 Saturday Jason had to work in the morning so we took Riley to the park to fly her kite and play!  We happened to run into several friends while we were there and got her kite stuck in the tree...I say that's a successful visit to the park!

 After the park we went for lunch at In-N-Out!

 That afternoon Jason went golfing and Riley was a silly girl outside while we watched Daddy golf by!

 Sunday was a day I had been looking forward to ever since Barbara planned this trip...spa day in Napa!!!!  We found this awesome spa attached to a hotel and they had their own tasting room...even better!

Hannah joined me and Barbara for our fabulous day...her hubby had promised her a spa day after one of his long trips.  He had to trump us though because while we were enjoying our spa day he called while on another trip to say their plane broke in Europe and he was headed to Paris for the day..punk!

The spa was actually in a cave underground and it was FABULOUS!

 We had all picked which treatments we wanted...I had a massage, a body scrub, and a facial...and of course we all took advantage of the sauna and jacuzzi beforehand!

After we were all done we showered and then headed to the tasting room in this attire...haha!

 Then we "hammered" as my Dad would say and got all gussied up to meet up with some more friends for a great brunch!

 We went to Brix for their Sunday brunch which I had heard about but had not yet gotten to try...oh my goodness it was absolutely some of the best food ever.  We had the perfect table outside and it was just a picturesque day in the wine country with great food and great friends!

After brunch we headed to Freemark Abbey, the winery that Lance and Barbara are members at, and had some wine!

Nicki was out of control...not really...but this pic is funny!

 Barbara, Nicki, and Jennie

 Me, Hannah, and Paula

We headed home and Barbara then caught a shuttle back to SFO for a red eye back to Atlanta.  It was quick trip but it was so much fun!  Thanks Barbara for coming to visit! 

Jason and Riley had a fun daddy daughter day while we were being pampered and I came home to his first batch of smoked salmon for dinner...it was a great end to a great weekend!

It's the little things

 It's the little things that can sometimes be the funnest things!

Like having her friend Vanessa over one afternoon to play before they had dance class!

They were both princesses and were getting their dancing practice in!

 Then it was time to get dressed...and of course play with Macy, the "doggie and the leash"

 Or like flying a kite with her Daddy!

Jason bought a BEAUTIFUL princess kite to fly with Riley and she loved it!

 We usually have a pretty steady wind at our house but this day of course there was NO wind...but thanks to YouTube we figured out the trick to flying a kite with no wind and we were successful!

 Love how she's following her Daddy!

 

Then they had a better idea...she could ride on his shoulders and fly the kite!  Much more fun for her but not as successful at getting the kite in the air!  What a fun afternoon!

 

 And of course having a popsicle on the driveway with Mommy is one of our favorite things to do!

Sometimes the little things give us some of the greatest memories!

Off to Texas...

Riley and I headed to Texas for a quick weekend trip to attend my uncle's funeral. We headed out VERY early on a Friday morning...me and my little traveling buddy!

I have to stop and just comment at what a great traveler Riley is. She has flown A LOT in her short life and she does have her own Rapid Rewards number now! She knows the drill...as soon as we get to security she takes her shoes off, she rides in her carseat with wheels all through the airport, and she sits in her carseat during the whole flight! She either sleeps or watches movies..of course we have snacks and drinks along the way too! Oh...and most importantly she always double checks the safety brochure before we take off...safety first!

We landed in San Antonio just a few hours before the service...we went to the funeral home first to make sure the memorial DVD I had put together worked with their system and then we went to my parents apartment to grab a bite and change clothes and then it was time to head to the funeral.

Riley had already had a long day but she did great...she watched some Caillou with my mom before the service while the rest of us reminisced and looked over pictures of my uncle.
I had to get up with her in the middle of the service because she was talking and making commotion but I was able to eventually bring her back in.

It was a very nice service...standing room only, great pastor, great memories shared, and a life lovingly remembered. I also was able to see so many people that I hadn't seen in many years...bittersweet day.

After the service we all headed to Los Barrios to eat.

Here's a pic of my and my cousins...Kramer, me, Karson, Quincy, Riley, and Kassie

Quincy is Kassie's adorable baby girl and Riley loved meeting her and taking care of her...I wish these sweet girls could spend time together more often.

After dinner we rolled through Sonic for some ice cream and made the trek to the lake...it had been a long and emotional day and I was looking forward to relaxing at the lake for the rest of the weekend.


As soon as Riley woke up she was ready to get outside and play.



First things first...she had to fish..made her Daddy so proud!


Then she asked when we could ride in the boat!

JoePa said not until she cleaned the boat and the dock!

So she got to work!

Later that morning we went to pick strawberries and my sweet friend Nicki and her little guy Will met up with us. Nicki lives out here in Cali with us but she is from Austin and happened to be in TX while we were so we had to have her up to the lake!

Grammie and Riley...ready to pick!

Nicki and Will

Riley..the best taste tester!

Tuckered out from picking strawberries!

Nicki and I took the kids home for naps while my mom went shopping...she picked up a blow up pool for the kiddos to play in since the lake was still pretty chilly!

Will got to swim commando and they both had a blast!

Love this girl!

We did some swinging!

and some piano playing!

Then we took a nice evening boat ride and look who got to do a little driving!

My parents cooked a wonderful meal and Riley had fun doing some dancing on the porch after dinner!

Riley and Nicki

Wonder where she learned this pose from? I see some Grandma June (my dad's mom) in that pose too!

It was definitely a bittersweet weekend but such great family time.

Party Party Party

This particular Sunday Riley had quite the social obligations...TWO birthday parties! Funny thing is that her bounce house had just as many social obligations...we have loved getting to share the bounce house with all of Riley's friends for their parties and this was day was no exception!

First off was her best friend from school, Vanessa's, book birthday party! Everyone brought a book for a book exchange and it was so much fun!

Here are Riley and Vanessa in the princess dresses!

Here is one of Vanessa's friends reading Riley a book!
Between the parties we decided to just run some errands rather than try and head home...and Riley convinced us she wasn't tired!

Jason went to get his hair cut so us girls headed to Old Navy...and look who was not tired at all!

Don't you know I got many chuckles and comments from fellow shoppers as I enjoyed my time to shop while Riley snoozed. It was hard to imagine she was comfortable and keep her head from falling over but a mother knows how to make it work...if your child is sleeping and you are shopping you will do anything to keep it that way! :)

After our errands and Riley's snooze we headed to her friend Carter's party!

The kids bounced and had lots of fun!

Carter was a little shy when it was time to sing and do cake...poor guy...the other kids had no sympathy..they were ready for CAKE!

Happy Birthday Vanessa and Carter!

Grammie and JoePa Visit!

My parents had this trip planned for awhile but when my uncle passed away we weren't sure if they would be able to make it out.

It all worked out and it was great for my Dad to get away from everything he was having to deal with and get some time with Riley (and us I guess) to cheer him up...if this girl can't put a smile on your face than I don't know what will!

They got in late Thursday evening and we were trying to make it to PF Changs before they closed...when leaving the airport the highways can be a bit tricky and J took a wrong turn and before we knew it and before we could get out of it we were on the Bay Bridge and we were committed...oops! Normally an accidental trip to San Francisco would mean a great meal but it was nearly 9:00 and we didn't know what would be open so we just headed home and had a very late meal at Chili's...it was a fun adventure!

The weather couldn't have been more yucky the ENTIRE weekend but we made the best of it and just enjoyed our time together!

Riley got to go to a movie on Friday with Grammie and JoePa...they saw Gnomeo and Juliet and had a great time!

Friday night we took my parents to one of our local favorite finds...Vintage Cafe. It's in Suisun Valley just a short drive from our house and next to a few wineries. It's quaint and the food is delish!

We took a bottle of Oak Chardonnay that we had purchased from Mondavi and decided this was the night to uncork this great bottle and share it over dinner...it was some of the best wine I have ever had...worth every penny!

JoePa and his girl!

Me and the hubs...


Grammie and Riley

It was such a fun night and a scrumptious dinner!

When we got home guess who put on the "princess hair?"

Saturday morning we relaxed and decided to head to Bab's for breakfast...another one of our favorite finds! We had a great breakfast on a rainy day and then headed home to all take naps :)

Riley felt it very important to get her morning stretches in...my Dad had his bands to stretch his torn rotator cuff and she loved playing with it!

Check out these twinkies in their almost matching shirts!

After nap time we headed up to base to do some bowling!

It was so much fun...we had some healthy competition going on and Miss Riley was right in the middle of it!

Our girl is so inquisitive she was watching everyone bowl and she noticed how people crossed their leg back after letting the ball go and so she started doing it on every one of her turns...it was the cutest thing!

Getting some help from JoePa!

After bowling Grammie and JoePa babysat while Jason and I went on a date...woohoo!

It was a yucky, rainy, cold weekend but we had the best time.

We love when Grammie and JoePa get to come visit and play!