Fall fun with Keira and Aunt Jenny!!

Last weekend, Aunt Jenny and Keira made the trip from New Jersey all the way to my new house! I couldn't stop talking about them getting to our home and how Keira and I were going to make a big, giant mess!!!! (Which we totally did). I was so so happy they were here, I couldn't stop smiling.

Since it is almost Halloween, the zoo was putting on their annual Zoo Boo. Mommy and Aunt Jenny thought it would be a good idea for us to go since Keira and I never get to spend Halloween together. Keira was Nala and I was Abby Cadabby.

We had so much fun at Zoo Boo. We sat and listened to Mama Pajama and sang along to the songs we knew.

The next day before Aunt Jenny and Keira had to leave we went to a Rohe's Farm. I had never been there before but it was a pretty awesome farm. They had animals we could hold, pet and feed. We jumped in hay, dressed up as farmers, rode little tractors and got yummy treats from there.

It was a super fabulous weekend and I cannot wait until I get to spend more time with my cousin Keira (and Aunt Jenny too)!

Sunday = Fall Fun Day!

We have had quite a bit of craziness going on this month with moving. I realized a few days ago that it was already mid-October and we had not gone apple or pumpkin picking this season. So it was off to Beak and Skiff for apples and The Hollow for pumpkins today. Riley was excited and so were Jeremy and I!

So, this morning we got up and ate breakfast. Of course Riley chose apple jacks!

The we made our way to Beak and Skiff where Riley showed off her expert apple picking skills.

Riley LOVED munching on the apples while we picked.

After picking some delicious apples, buying some even more delicious apple pie and cider and looking around the Halloween Hut, we headed off to The Hollow to pick pumpkins.

Of course first we had to go through the corn maze where Riley not only insisted on being the line leader, but she also insisted on Jeremy holding her hand because "you're not wearing rain boots daddy and it's muddy." So cute!!

I'm not sure if it is just because it is late in the season or just a bad season for pumpkins, but the pumpkins in the field were slim pickings! So we chose some already picked pumpkins after visiting the petting zoo!!

Then for the first time, Riley requested to get her face painted. She has never had it painted before and usually says no to getting it done. Today she sat for a pretty flower on her face.

Before leaving The Hollow, Riley asked to jump around on the hay bales. She would climb up and then jump off into the hay. She LOVED it!!

Since apple and pumpkin picking is so incredibly exhausting, we need some fuel so it was off to Moe's for some yummy lunch.

Once we got home it was all about painting pumpkins. Riley insisted on painting all 3 of the small pumpkins...which of course was fine by us!

Babcha, Pop and Uncle Matt came over for dinner and dessert. Then it was bath time. One last show of The Berenstein Bears and off to bed!

What a fun day!! It's been awhile since we have had one of these days and I am so glad that we got to do all of the fun things we did today. I love my little family and days like these!

The Little House on Horseshoe Dr.

On Friday, 10/7/11 we moved into our new home. We have all adjusted just fine! The settling and organization of things is taking more time then I thought, but I have to remember that getting things done with a very active and nosy 3-year-old makes things a little more difficult. Here are a few pictures of the progress that we have made so far.

Riley loves sitting on our front porch blowing bubbles.

The dining room

The bathroom

The living room

Riley's room

We still have a few items to get out of our apartment, but for the most part we are moved in. Stay tuned for more pictures as the rooms become completed!

~ Home Sweet Home ~

It's official as of today 09/30/2011 Jeremy and I are official homeowners!!! It is the perfect house for us - not too big, not too small. It is 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, fenced in yard and finished basement. It's in an awesome school district to boot!! Jeremy and I feel happy, lucky and blessed to be the proud owners of this home.

If someone would have told me 13 years ago when Jeremy and I met that we would date, get married, have children and own a home I would have told them they were crazy!! We may not have done everything the most correct way, but eventually our hard work got us to where we wanted to be!

Buying a house - goal accomplished!!! Guess it's time to start working on a new goal.

Right on track!

This afternoon we went to see Dr. Rufa for Riley's 3-year well visit. What we found out is Riley is doing quite well (but we already knew that). Dr. Rufa read off some markers of what a 3-yearold should be doing:

1 - Can she identify at least one color? Ummm, quadruple check - Riley can tell you the colors of the rainbow and then some!

2 - Can she ride a tricycle? That would be a check

3 - Is she potty trained? Since she was 2 1/2 - CHECK!

4 - Can she throw a ball overhand? Yep!

5 - Does she know the parts of her body? Definitely!!

6 - Can she jump with both feet? That would be a yes - just ask her daddy who is constantly telling her to stop jumping!!

Looks like our little pre-schooler is learning and growing just fine!

Stats for Miss Riley Paige are simple:

Height: 37.5 inches

Weight: 34lbs

Riley did so good at the appointment and followed all of Dr. Rufa's directions. She even requested to have her blood pressure checked!! Dr. Rufa let her play with the cuff when she was done checking. I told Riley a few days ago that she wouldn't need to get any shots at this visit. However, I realized this morning that they may offer the flu shot which I would obviously want Riley to get. I gently broke the news to her on the way to the doctors and she agreed to have it done.

When it was actually time to get it done she sat on my lap, squeezed her bear Baron and cried for literally 5.2 seconds!! Such a brave girl. This was the easiest appointment yet!

And as much as we adore Dr. Rufa we hope to not see her again until next year.

And just a quick pic of the brave pre-schooler!

Happy Grandparents Day!!

The definition of grandparent:

noun /ˈgran(d)ˌpe(ə)rənt/  /-ˌpar-/ 

grandparents, plural

A parent of one's father or mother; a grandmother or grandfather


Today is Grandparents Day (and since I was a terrible daughter/daughter-in-law who forgot to send cards), I figured a blog dedicated to Riley's wonderful grandparents is even better than a card!!

Riley is lucky to have four grandparents that love her more than words can say. She has an awesome relationship with all of them. What makes this whole situation better is that all of the grandparents like each other and have tons of respect for one another. Riley can't help but feel loved (and spoiled) whenever she is around either set of grandparents.

This poem pretty much sums up how we feel about Riley's grandparents.

Grandparents are special people
with wisdom and pride.
They are always offering love and kindness
and are always there to guide.
They often make you feel so confident
and strong.
Their arms are always open
no matter what you did wrong.
They try to help out in every way
that they can.
They love all their grandchildren the same
whether you're a child, woman or man.
They are always there to listen
and to lend a helping hand.
They show you respect
and they try to understand.
They give their love, devotion and so much more,
that's easy to see.
Grandparents, what perfect examples
of the kind of person that we should be.

- Stacy Smith


Riley will always be one lucky little girl that she has been able to have her Grandpa, Juh-Juh, Babcha and Pop in her life!!

Why look at you Miss Fancy Pants!

As the mother to a little girl, I knew a day would come when she would want to pierce her ears. That was one decision Jeremy and I agreed upon early on, that Riley would not get her ears pierced until she wanted to. So whether she asked at 2, 8, 12 or 20 she would get them when she wanted.

So many parents get their little girl's ears pierced when their still infants. I wanted it to be a decision Riley could make on her own and that we could make a big deal out of. Recently Riley asked about getting her ears pierced. Being the ever so matter-of fact mother that I am, I informed Riley of how they conduct an ear piercing. I told her the truth. I told her it would hurt for a minute, but then it would be fine. Riley retracted her wish for earrings.

A few weeks later (which happened to be a few days ago) Riley cried - yes real tears - that she didn't have her ears pierced like Dora in the Dora and the Explorer Girls series. This was on Tuesday. I told her then that if she still wanted them pierced on Friday, she could have it done. I then enlisted the help of my friend Marisa to be on standby and that she would come with me if Riley really wanted to get them done because I knew Jeremy couldn't handle it.

Today after school I asked her if she still wanted to go. She said yes! I was shocked. I called the Claire's to make sure there would be 2 people working. There was and so off we went!!!

She was so brave. She picked out the earring she wanted (with no help from myself or Marisa) - she chose a flower with different color stones for each petal. She was fine until they had the piercing guns to her ears...then you could see there was a bit of "oh no what did I get myself into" in her face. But 1, 2, 3 - it was done. There were tears, lollipops and a giant roll of Smarties that helped her forget about the pain. It was done. She stood in the store and stared in the mirror for a little while admiring her new jewels.

The walk through the mall to go home was great. Her head was held high and she walked with a new confidence. Riley grew up just a little more today...and believe it or not, I loved every minute of it. It was exactly how I thought it would be.