Riley's 1st Concert

We have been a Justin Roberts fan since we first saw his video for "Willy was a Whale" on what was then Noggin. Since that video (when Riley was a mere few weeks old) we have been hooked. As owners of 4 Justin Roberts albums I believe we are considered big fans. While there are other children entertainers (like Laurie Berkner and the Imagination Movers), Justin is just more entertaining, his songs are a little more about real (children's) lives and have an awesome beat. So back in December after stalking his website to see if his tour would ever come to the area, I found that he would be performing in Ithaca. How could I pass up on the opportunity to bring Riley to see her favorite children's performer?? I couldn't and so tickets were purchased.

Riley had so much fun. She danced and sang along to all the songs that she knew of his (all but 3). And on top of this, she got to meet him! He is so nice and kind in person. Here are some pics from her first (but definitely not last, as we're going to see him again in May) concert.

Justin's play list for this concert (in no particular order) was:

We Go Duck

Sleepoverland

Sign My Cast

Obsessed by Trucks

New Haircut

Pop Fly

She's a Yellow Reflector

I Chalk

Airplane of Food

Brontosaurus Got a Sweet Tooth

Yellow Bus

Willy was a Whale

Hey Hippopotamus

Great Big Sun

2 1/2...is it even possible??

I just can't believe it! Riley is 2 1/2 today. It is so hard to believe that she is halfway to 3 - where does the time go?????

Riley is pretty excited about being able to say that she is 2 1/2 now and is already thinking about her 3rd birthday party.

Today I asked her about some of her likes and dislikes. Riley informed me that she likes reading books, painting, doing pee pee in the potty and playing with her babies. She dislikes squirrels digging in the garbage, bears in caves, going poo poo in the potty and when we get boo boos.

Riley is becoming such a young lady more and more each day. We could not be more proud of all of her accomplishments up to this point.

We had a little "photo shoot" today to document the occasion. Here is a result of that.

Of course we had to celebrate with cupcakes!

Apparently all that cheesing and posing wore this little lady out!!

Here's to 6 more months as a 2-year-old!!

We had a case of the "love bug"

Our Valentine's Day morning started off like a typical morning - we got up and dressed, brushed our teeth and mommy made me pose for a picture in my awesome Valentine's Day outfit.

But then I got to school and something happened - I began to not feel so well. Next thing you know Miss Nikki took my temperature and it was 103 degrees. She called mommy and mommy had daddy come pick me up and stay with me until her group was over. Mommy came home after 10 and stayed with me and took care of me the rest of the day.


By the end of the day, I was feeling much better. Though I still had a slight fever, I ate some food, watched Ice Age 3, and mommy gave me all the magical kisses she had. Then daddy came home with some Valentine's Day treats, flowers and Toy Story 3 window decorations. It was just what this girl needed to feel better!!

I'm hoping that by tomorrow I will be feeling even better - but if not, it's ok because I will be spending the day with my daddy and that is just fine with me!!

C'Mon Ride the Train

And please, please, ride it (Riley)!!! Ever since last March - yep LAST March, Riley has been using the potty almost daily. We swore that by the time 2010 was over that we would be so over diapers in this house. Boy were we wrong!!

But now, now we are really on it. Riley has shown marked improvement with her potty going. She wears underwear pretty much every weekend and has gotten so much better with telling us when she has to go. We are at about 99% accident free when it comes to doing pee pee in the potty.

Going poop is a WHOLE different ballgame. She holds it in, fights sitting on the potty and tells us she is scared. She has begged and pleaded to go back into a diaper so that she could poop and we won't let her, which results in us throwing away at least 2 pairs of underwear a weekend. What will it take to get her to poop in the potty??? I mean she has before, she just won't now! We don't know what to do!!!! I know in time she will be able to do it, but for now it is more than frustrating to try and explain that nothing bad will happen if she poops on the potty.

In the meantime it is hysterical that since she is in underwear (sans pants because it's easier to get to the potty and just pull down underwear) every weekend, we have lots of random pics of her hanging around with just a shirt and some underwear on!

Pre-school starts in September...I hope she at least gets it by then!!!

Day 30 - Car you drive (and past cars too)

When I was 17 I got my first car - a 1991 Ford Escort hatchback...looking at this picture cracks me up because while this is not an actual picture of my car - my car looked almost exactly like this. The car was such a piece of crap - there was no air, it shook horribly if you went over 65mph and one time driving on the highway the hood actually popped open on me!!! All in all that car lasted me from my senior year in high school until after I graduated college. It took me back and forth to school for 3 1/2 years and all over New York State every summer visiting with friends and Jeremy. Of course I am glad that over the years I have been able to upgrade!


After college I bought for the first time ever my very own brand new car. No one helped me, no one co-signed, it was mine!!! I bought my Sentra back in 2003 and had it all the way up until 2009. I loved this car!! It was the car we drove home from our wedding in, it was the car we drove Riley home from the hospital in and it was the car that helped up move from Montgomery to Liverpool. Unfortunately the car had WELL over 100,000 miles 5 1/2 years later, so it was time to upgrade.


In the spring of 2009 Jeremy and I purchased another brand new car. We got a 2009 Hyundai Sonata . We are very happy with our purchase. I believe this is my very favorite car that I have owned (yes out of the whole 3 I have had). It is roomy, the trunk is huge - which was never a big deal to me until I had a kid, and overall it is a nice ride. This car has taken us all over the place including our first family vacation to OBX this past summer. We're hoping to keep this car for another few years. But the real secret is maybe in another year or 2 Jeremy can have it as his car and we can upgrade again!!! ;)

Day 29 - Hopes, dreams, plans for the next 365 days

Where do I begin??? I have a lot of plans for the next 365 days. These plans include but are not limited to:

1. Jeremy and I are currently in the process of paying off our credit card debt. While we're not in the red with our credit card companies it is such a burden to walk around carrying a large balance. We are currently in month 2 of the "Great Budget Crunch" of 2011 and while it is stressful, we are already past where we thought we would be in month 2 so, GO US!!!

2. With the "Great Budget Crunch" of 2011 going on we're hoping this will help us save for a house. I am truly hoping that by this time next year the Clarks will ditch apartment living and find a home with a yard (and maybe a picket fence too - hee hee).

3. Within the next 365 I am hoping that there will be a plan for baby #2 (please read that said PLAN - not baby within the next 365 days).

4. I also hope that Riley, Jeremy and I stay happy and healthy for the next 365 days!!

But since it says "dreams" too - I will dream for the next 365 days the following things:

1. We win the lotto
2. We get free daycare for 1 year

Hey - a girl can dream, can't she??

Day 28 - What is in my handbag/purse

I generally like to do my best to keep my purse organized - but sometimes that is a little impossible. I just purchased a new bag a week or so ago, so luckily for anyone reading this the list will be short as I have not had the bag long enough to dump half the crap that would normally be in there, in there!

So the items in my purse are as follows:

-2 prescriptions from my doctor's appointment a week ago (oopsie)
-My glasses case (which I never even use - but if I need it, it's there)
-My wallet (which could use a little organizing)
-A receipt from Dunkin Donuts (yup I cheated on the budget and treated myself to breakfast this morning)
-2 pens
-Chapstick
-And my very large bottle of Excedrin Migraine (I go nowhere without it)

And that my friends is what is in my purse - not too bad!!

Day 27 - My worst habit

Where do I begin because unfortunately I do believe I have a lot of bad habits. But I guess I would say my worst habit is picking my cuticles. I know, it's gross and disgusting and I have no idea why I do it...I just do. I sit in my therapy groups and do it, I sit in meetings and do it, I sit on the couch at home and do it. Jeremy is always yelling at me when I do it, but it doesn't make me stop. I don't know if I'll ever stop, but it's not hurting anyone...right????

Day 26 - My Week in Great Detail*

*I am fully aware I am writing this blog a day late - so even though it is Thursday morning, I am writing it up until yesterday.

Here is my week in as much detail as I can remember:

Sunday - Superbowl Sunday!!! Had the in-laws over and ate yummy food all night and watched the Green Bay Packers win the Superbowl.

Monday - Got up, dropped Riley off at daycare, went to work, worked late, came home to eat leftovers from Sunday. Matt came over and all of us hung out and vegged for the night.

Tuesday - Got up, dropped Riley off at daycare, went to work, came home, had "whatever you want for dinner you can have" night, chatted with The Decker ladies on webcam, hung out for the rest of the night and went to bed.

Wednesday - Got up, dropped Riley off, went to work, ordered pizza for dinner, webcammed with Grandpa and Juh-Juh, had a TERRIBLE time getting Riley to bed, didn't get to bed until after 11!

Wow, after reading that I realized that my life during the workweek is really not too exciting!!!

Day 25 - My Guilty Pleasure

Too easy!!! My guilty pleasure is Reality TV! Now I don't watch a TON of reality TV but there are a few staple shows that I have to watch regardless of how old they are and how predictable some of them become. The following is a list of my reality TV must watch shows:

Day 24 - Where I live

Today and for the past 2+ years I have lived in Liverpool, NY. Liverpool is a suburb right outside the Syracuse city limits. Liverpool sits on Onondaga Lake which would be lovely if not for it being an extremely polluted lake. Either way I like where I live and here are my reasons for that:

1. Liverpool is home to Onondaga Lake Park which is an awesome park where you can walk, run, play on the playground, ride bikes, have a picnic and people watch!

2. It is a central location to all major highways - convenient for all visitors.

3. It's location is close to everything - shopping, downtown, restaurants, etc.

4. Our apartment is set back from the hustle and bustle of the village (OK except for that very annoying train).

5. This is where we've made our home.

While we're not entirely sure whether or not we are going to permanently settle here in Liverpool, it is in our top 3 places to live once we start house hunting. Liverpool, even if for now, is home.

Day 23 - A youtube Video

Riley loves to watch videos on youtube (age appropriate videos of course). She often asks to watch Justin Roberts videos so we do...Yellow Bus is one of my favorites!!

Day 22 - A Website

One website that I use to find out things about where Riley should be at or what I should be expecting next is babycenter.com . I find it helpful for tips, development charts and ways in which to help your child(ren) learn and grown!

Day 21 - A Recipe

A favorite recipe in our house is the Neely's Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken recipe. Riley loves to help me cook it by squeezing the lemons and crushing the garlic. It's an easy recipe and gets easier the more you make it. Yum!!

Day 20 - A Hobby of Mine

Well I would say that again after becoming a mommy your hobbies kind of go out the window and it becomes all about your child(ren). What I love to do with Riley is baking. Riley and I love making cookies, brownies, cupcakes and even pie together. I love baking in general, but it so fun now having Riley help (even if some eggs don't make it in the bowl)!!

Day 19 - A Talent

Ummm....

Not really sure about my talent, because I don't feel as though I have any REAL talents. I can't sing, I don't play any instruments, I am not a 5 star chef, bottome line - you would never see me on America's Got Talent because I have none!!

What I do believe I am good at (but certainly doesn't make me talented) is multitasking. I can do it like it's nobody's business and I can be extremely OCD about each task I am dealing with. Exciting, right???? Oh well! Maybe that should be a goal for next year - find a talent!!

Day 18 - My Wedding

Our wedding day was perfect! For 22 months we saved and planned and on April 20, 2007 all of our hard work and planning paid off. We had the most beautiful ceremony and an awesome reception. There is not one thing that I regret about our wedding and if I could do it all over again - I would!!