Making our rounds and getting our fix!

On Friday we headed into San Antonio for the day to see family and friends and get our Alamo Cafe fix...I am proud to say that I don't think we have missed stopping in at Alamo Cafe on ANY of our visits home!

First Riley and I made a trip to Grammie's office to say hello...my mom has worked here for somewhere close to 30 years so I spent lots of time here growing up and now it was Riley's turn!Funny thing is that she headed straight for the electronics to show off her skills...I think she needs a job!

We had so much fun seeing everyone and Riley showed off and even gave them a short meltdown for their viewing pleasure...she followed her meltdown up with several rounds of hugs and kisses so that was nice of her!

After our visit to the office we headed to Alamo Cafe and were able to have lunch with my Aunt Kay...


and my Uncle Jan and Aunt Diane!



It was so great to see everyone...we wish we could have spent all day catching up!





After lunch we headed to the Hanlons to check out the remodeling of their home...Riley spent most of the time outside scouring the backyard...her little cheeks were so red but she had so much fun just checking things out!

We headed back to the lake that evening and Jill, one of my college roommates, came up from Houston to spend the weekend with us! We had so much fun catching up and hanging out and she was so great with Riley!

Riley played catch with Sadie and Sadie was so sweet and patient as Riley could only throw the ball about one foot away!

Jill and I enjoyed a few moments relaxing on the dock and drinking a glass of wine...
while Riley swam and played in the sand with JoePa...
After Riley was all cleaned up she was able to sneak in a little playtime with Jill to show her all her Play-Dough toys...

20 Months Old...

Twenty months...this little girl is growing up and changing so fast I wish I could make time stand still!

Here's what Riley is up to at 20 months:

• Sleeping - We have slowly gotten back into a more normal schedule from all of our traveling and guests and she's actually been pulling some 13 hour nights...gotta love that! However, with that has come nights of frequent waking up...not sure what the problem is but she always points out of her room wanting to leave so I have a feeling she is having a bad dream, seeing a shadow that scares her, or something of the sort. I have been rocking her in these instances because I just can't pass up a chance to cuddle with this little girl...usually when I put her back in her bed she starts crying again but I just have to leave the room blowing her tons of kisses and she quickly gets back to sleep...if I stay in her room and try and calm her down it just doesn't work! Her Daddy got up with her one early morning and couldn't bear the idea of walking out of the room with her crying so he ended up spending several hours in the playroom in the wee hours of the morning playing with her...hehe! I love to get my cuddle time in, but I can get past the heartache of her crying when I leave because I have learned the hard way that if I leave all will be well!



• Eating - This has by far been the most difficult month of feeding Riley...at some point she decided she didn't want to eat for almost a week straight...obviously she did eat but it was so hard to get anything down her...frustrating! I'm not sure what the problem was but my hunch was that it had to do with some teething pain because all she would eat was baby food or yogurt that I fed her and you know I got as much down her as I could because I was so paranoid. Throughout her period of rejecting most food she did continue to drink milk and probably more milk than normal and she had no fever or other irregular behavior...they say kids will eat when they're hungry, right? Even though the worst week is over she still is harder to feed than ever but she's eating nonetheless!



• Talking - We are starting to understand more and more of what Riley is saying and it's so fun to get to know her more and more each day...she has lots of personality and spunk and there's never a dull moment! She has recently started counting to three...and we're working on counting to ten! We are working on colors and ABC's and always singing songs and dancing! We started pretending to tells secrets in her ear and she LOVES it...she'll just giggle and then whisper in our ears!



• Being a sponge - How they pick up on things so quickly at this age just blows my mind! She is starting to hint to her knowledge of all things potty...a few weeks ago she actually pulled her pants down (not her diaper) before she had to do her business...she knows what happens in the potty and she actually sat on the big potty a few nights ago just to check it out! We are on the hunt for a potty soon but I'm not going to push it quite yet! She is learning to drink from a cup like a big girl and no longer sitting in her high chair at home. She doesn't like wearing a bib and eats dinner at her little play table...all of this change has made for more cleanup for mom and dad but she loves the independence and she really does rather well!



• INDEPENDENT - Oh my goodness is this girl independent...she comes by it honestly but geez it causes quite the drama! She wants to accomplish something on her own, but she can't = frustrating! Mom tries to help her but she wants no help = frustrating! Result = total meltdown! You can just see the frustration in her face and it's so hard but that's just part of growing up!



• A total girl - Riley can't get enough of purses, jewelry, and all things girly! We have a little ritual that we do in my bathroom when I'm getting ready. Riley comes in and says "spay" and I give her one little squirt of body spray on her belly and then she follows that with "chastheek" and I put some chapstick on her little lips and she smacks them together...it's so fun and she just loves it!

We just eat her up and love her more and more each day! What a blessing she is! We love you Riley!

Lovin' the Lake and Gettin' to Work...

Well we definitely have a little lake girl on our hands...she LOVES being here....we just wish Daddy was here with us!

Here's my lake diva...Our first morning we just vegged and Riley checked out the house and all the stairs that were available for her climbing pleasure! Thankfully Grammie bought a gate to put up so we didn't spend our entire trip climbing up and down the inside stairs!

Grammie and JoePa had lots of treats for Riley when we arrived...toys and clothes! Riley played with her sweet Play-Dough set that came complete with all kinds of cool toys to make shapes and all!

After our relaxing morning we took Riley to some of the jobs my dad is working on at the lake and put her to work!

Here she is with JoePa checking the perimeter of the job site to make sure things were up to par!

Here's Riley with JoePa, Jim, and Chuck...Jim and Chuck have worked with my dad for years and watched me grow up and come to the job sites...now it's Riley's turn!
We went to check out the new boat dock at the job site and let Riley test whether or not the banister lines were going to keep kiddos from trying to escape...negative...they must be lowered because she tried getting her foot out at the bottom...why do kids think of the most dangerous things to do?

Grammie, Riley, and me...

JoePa and Riley...

My sweaty red-cheeked little girl...

Just before we left one of the carpenters (on the roof in the red shirt) was running back and forth on the roof and Riley would run along with him on the grass...he would make silly faces and Riley would mimic everything he did...it was so cute to watch and it wore her little booty out...it was time to head back to the house for a nap!

After her nap it was time to get out on the lake...here she is thinking "What's the hold up? Get out here mommies!"

Checking out the dock...she has no fear so it is a constant challenge keeping her from trying to jump in...aaahhhh!

Time to put her suit on and hit the water...we quickly find out she can open the doors here by herself...have to watch out for this little girl!

She loves the water but her constant strive for independence can be frustrating...for her and me! She wants to be in the water but she doesn't want to be held...tough because obviously we can't just let her go!

She doesn't mind wearing her life jacket but in the water it flips her on her back just like it's supposed to and she doesn't like that...

We put her in the seat section of this float and she loved that...

Grammie got her a kick board since she learned to use one at swim lessons so she had fun playing with that and seeing Sadie in the water!
After swimming we went on a boat ride and she had so much fun helping JoePa drive...

She does not want to sit still on the boat but rather wants to be walking all over trying new places to sit!

We made it to Texas!!!

Thankfully we had a rather good trip to Texas...Riley had a few meltdowns toward the end of the first flight, while we had to wait on the plane for the next flight to board, and just before we left for the second flight. Her early morning had caught up with her and she was so sleepy but fighting it hard...thankfully she finally came to a slumber in my arms just before take off for our second flight and slept a little over an hour! Southwest teased me because when we were leaving Oakland they said there were 7 empty seats so I could take her carseat on...woohoo! Lo and behold not a minute or two after I got the wheels off the car seat, the car seat in the chair, and Riley strapped in there was someone without a seat and they came to take the car seat away from me...stink! Both of our flights were full and we sat next to mothers on each flight so they were both so sweet and very helpful! The iPhone movies and apps were helpful though not quite the distraction I had anticipated...they helped out in what could of been some rough moments but she didn't want to just watch Happy Feet like I thought she would.

We had some great scenery on our flights...

All of my Texas peeps know how dry and hot it has been this summer and the southern part of the state is in a full on drought and in desperate need of some rain. Lake LBJ, where my parents live, is part of a chain of lakes linked by dams that feed into one another...at the bottom of the chain is Lake Travis and it is SO low...here is a pic from the sky. If you notice between the water line and the tree line it is white looking and that's where the lake should be sitting at...docks are just laying on dry land...so sad!As I stepped outside at the Austin airport I literally felt like I was gasping for air...apparently I have lost my tolerance for the heat and humidity since we moved to Cali...it just takes your breath away...literally! Riley and I must have been good luck though because we had a good hard storm as soon as we got to the lake that afternoon...they needed it and I loved seeing dark clouds and rain since we haven't seen anything remotely of the sort in Cali!

A few days before we left Facebook made a sweet reunion possible! One of my great friends from college, Jamie, had posted that she was spending a few days at Lake LBJ with her family so I quickly responded to see if we could meet up. She just had sweet baby Langston 8 weeks ago and she hadn't met Riley yet so she came over our first evening here to catch up and let me hold that sweet baby boy...it was so great to see her...thanks to Facebook!

Our little "No No" Girl...

I am still trying to catch up the blog on all of our visitors...slowly but surely I will get there...they're in chronological order for my sanity and so when I get my Blog Book done it all makes sense when we look back at all the memories we are making!

As you can see we had back to back visitor for over 10 days and it was GREAT! We had so much fun and did so many cool things...now are house is empty and we are pooped! Riley slept until 11:00 on Sunday after an early morning playtime from 4-7 so we missed church to try and get this little girl some sleep and back on some sort of schedule! She still took a two hour nap that afternoon and went to bed by 8 or so so hopefully she has caught up on some rest for she has been partying way too much for a little girl! We have an early morning tomorrow as Riley and I are headed to Lake LBJ for a week with Grammie and JoePa...Texas heat, awesome meals, lakeside lounging, beautiful sunsets, and visits with many special people...we wish Jason was coming with us but someone has to work!

In the midst of all of our company and adventures we have seen Riley begin to possess some habits that need breaking and have seem some glimpses of what the terrible 2's just might be like for us! Parenting is tough and we are just trying to figure out how to handle these "habits."

"NoNoNoNoNoNo.....Nnnnnnoooooooo" - So you hear everyone comment about how quick kids catch on to the word "No" and oh how true it is. Riley pretty much goes through phases where she answers EVERY single question or comment with a short cute "No"...even if you ask her if she's having fun or if she wants a piece of cake...we know she doesn't really mean no but just thinks it's fun to answer in that fashion. We pretty much ignore the "no" in these cases and move on...and laugh when she's not looking because it's so stinkin' funny! However, when she looks at me and says "No No No" with the shake of her finger it's a different situation and calls for some sort of reprimand or when she screams "Nooooooooooo" when we ask her to do something this again is not gonna fly! It's hard to say "No Riley we don't say No to Mommy"...how do you tell a toddler no to saying no...uuugghhhh! We are spending more moments in the corner...we'll see how that goes!

Inconsolable Temper Tantrums - I think the presence of these tantrums has risen this past week due to sleep deprivation but whatever the case may be we have seen more tantrums from Riley than normal. Riley knows exactly what she wants and when she doesn't get her way...MELTDOWN! I'm talking screaming, kicking, crying, blubbering mess...you pretty much have to ignore it and let her get it out...it can be frustrating! Saturday morning we had all planned on going to the airport to take Jason's family but Riley had gone to bed late and woken up way too early and she was just having one meltdown after another...one because she wanted "the mommies" (what she calls me now) and I was still in bed...one because she didn't want to get in her highchair...and several more for reasons I can't even recall. It was obvious she simply didn't know what she wanted and was very frustrated...and super tired. So I stayed home and put her down for a nap at 9:30 in the morning and she slept for 3 solid hours...poor little pooped girl! She's also had a few of these in the middle of the night again and we realized that even with the mattress all the way down she is still trying to get out when she's angry...Jason was putting her back to bed after one of these tantrums and she was just jumping on the mattress screaming and put her leg up on the top of the crib and he caught her before she fell out...we have no option to lower the mattress so we have just been letting her cry it out but standing outside her room with the door cracked until she calms down to make sure she doesn't try to escape and hurt herself! If you stay in her room and try and console her it will not work...leaving is the absolute hardest thing to do but she literally calms down in less than a minute when you do and lays right down!

Energetic, Funny, Smart, Loving, Addicting Little Girl - In the midst of these tantrums and the overwhelming amount of "Nos" that we hear Riley is just so much fun! She is so smart sometimes it's scary and she is just such a fun little girl! She is so loving with her frequent kisses, hugs, and pats on the back as well as her "i uv you's" yet she has some spunk as she is possessing some major independence these days. When she is trying to do something she does NOT want your help...she wants to try it and accomplish it all on her own...she might possibly have gotten that independence from her mom...hehe! In one of the videos below you can see the determination as she tries to put on CJ's shoes...she eventually gets it and it's so fun to see her figure out new things! We are so blessed God allowed us to be parents to this little girl and we pretty much eat her up and love on her as much as we possibly can!

Here's some videos we took last Friday night...way after this little girl should have been in bed but we had been hanging out in San Francisco and after a short nap on the way home she was deliriously tired and goofy...I just love this little girl and crack up watching these videos.

This first one is pure silliness...Riley is not too happy about not being able to take her milk on the couch but is suddenly distracted when she realized she's on camera...she shows you how she knows who Gaby and CJ are...poor CJ had some stinky feet after walking the streets of San Fran so that is why we are teasing him...boys are supposed to have stinky feet, right? At some point Riley randomly grabs her toes to smell then...not sure where that came from but she is full of random these days...she also goes to sleep and then puts her daddy to sleep...

This shows Riley's independence and determination as she processes how to put on CJ's shoes...

This last one is Riley's counting skills...a few weeks ago I realized we had not taught her how to answer the question "How old are you?"...so I set out to get that taken care of. To my surprise when I told her she was one she quickly followed with "twoooo....theeeee"...she knew how to count to three and I had no clue! Since then she has decided there is absolutely no need for the number one...when Riley counts she starts with two and ends with three and that's all that anyone needs to know! Since she could care less about the number one when you ask her how old she is she says "twoooo"...whatever...it's cute and she'll get the whole counting thing down soon enough! Here's her example of counting two and three with a little excitement...she follows that with showing off her camera and saying "miilllee" which means "smile" but sounds more like "meooww"!

Well here's to hoping I don't have a tantrum throwing NoNo girl on the flight tomorrow...we downloaded Happy Feet and some other movies to my iPhone as well as come cool apps where she can finger paint and color...I'll soon have a report and how our travels go!

San Fran with the fam...

On Friday we decided to head to "the city" for the day...Frank was the only one who had ever been to San Francisco so it was fun so share the first glimpse of the skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge with them! We decided to stop at the Presidio Yacht Club where we previously left on our sailing trip to get some pics with the beautiful bridge...

The LoRusso Clan...

Our Little Family...


After checking out the view we headed down to the water and everyone started skipping rocks...Riley actually threw them in the water but she had a blast!

Trying to copy her Aunt Gaby...

After our rock-skipping adventure we loaded back up in the car and crossed the Golden Gate. We drove around the Presidio, drove down Lombard Street, and finally landed at Fisherman's Wharf!

We started with dinner at our favorite, Scoma's...yum yum!

After dinner we walked along all the piers and headed to Pier 39 to see the sea lions...Riley loved being thrown in the air by CJ and her Daddy!

Beautiful sunset...

The kids had fun watching the sea lions play, swim, and make lots of noise!

After dinner we strolled back to the car and stumbled upon "Bush Man" who is an icon in San Francisco...he hides between these two pieces of bushes and as people are passing he jumps out and scares them. He scared a group just a few feet in front of us and we heard all kinds of screaming and laughter and then realized what had just happened. After that we just stood and watched as he kept scaring people...it was hilarious!

Girls head to Napa...Boys find fish!

Thursday we decided to part ways and let the boys be boys and the girls be girls!

The girls headed to Napa, but not before Riley tried on Gaby's shoes first!

We decided to spend the afternoon at a family owned winery called V. Sattui which has a fabulous deli, beautiful grounds to eat at, and some great wine too!

All the girls...

It was just so pretty to sit outside and eat among this scenery...such a great day to enjoy it too!

There was one area with arbors of grape vines growing above where each the grapes were labeled by the type of wine they produced and we just picked grapes and compared the flavors...some were extremely tart and some were extremely sweet!

For lunch we headed to the huge deli inside and picked out some sandwiches, an olive and mozzarella salad, and some other snacks to enjoy for our picnic!

After our lunch we checked out the wine cellars and toured a small museum featuring very old wine presses and pictures...it was quite interesting!

Finally Desiree and I decided to share a wine tasting and it was so much fun! We were teasing Gaby about having to drive home, but luckily that was not an issue! Gaby and Riley entertained each other while we shared 5 types of wines from the V. Sattui winery...we ended up taking home a bottle of their Moscato which was FABULOUS...think carbonated Peach Bellini in a bottle...yum!

Riley did so well during our trip to Napa...she survived on a very short nap! On the way home we stopped at a great bakery called Sweetie Pie's on the way home for some treats and Riley survived that but by the time we got home we had one tired little girl...

While us girls were out having fun in Napa the boys had a guided fishing trip and caught TONS of fish and had so much fun!

After our day of fun adventures we decided to lay low for the evening, order pizza, and watch Mall Cop with the kids...it was actually pretty funny!