Sunday, February 28, 2010

A typical night around here usually consists of the following:

1. Rushing home and arriving about 5:15 after leaving work and picking up both girls.
2. Rushing to make dinner ready between 5:30 and 5:45- yup, that is right- I have about a 1/2 window before the natives start to eat their own!
3. Eating dinner, usually with Todd and Riley both talking to me about everything and Annie grumping and wanting to get out of her seat. Occasionally, if I make something she likes, she will eat it, but usually dinner consists of me trying to get her to eat and her saying nah, nah, nah.
4. After dinner, Todd brings both girls upstairs and suddenly they are all happy again because I usually hear screaming and laughing while I get a few minutes to myself to go on the computer.
5. About 6:15 I head upstairs and sometimes do some laundry, set out the girls clothes for the next day if I haven't already and start baths.
6. One or both get baths- this is a fun time because Annie is happy!
7. PJs on and head to the bonus room to watch Yo Gabba Gabba at 6:30. Watch and play, mostly play and then Annie gets ready for bed about 7.
8. She gets a book and rocked for about 2 minutes now, and then I lay her down and she goes to sleep.
9. Riley has her snack and gets to watch her movie until about 7:45, when she then uses the potty, brushes her teeth and goes to bed.
10. Todd reads her a book while I collapse into bed and either read or watch tv...

Here are a few pics from our night tonight:


Forgot about Roxie- she joins us in the family room on her couch. Sometimes she is annoying and tries to play with the girls but she smells and they don't like it :)

Annie watching Yo Gabba Gabba

Riley in her pj's and ready for bed




Saturday, February 27, 2010

Ducks

Annie had a day off of school last Friday so Ms Donna came to stay with her in the morning so I could work. I got home around noon and she was asleep, but she didn't stay that way for long! So, we played in the yard and went for a nice walk around the neighborhood, and then picked up Riley and went to feed the ducks at a nearby park. They weren't too hungry, but we did see a cool bird sweep into the little pond and grab a fish- it was pretty cool. Annie was so excited when we pulled up- she could see the ducks from her seat and she was screaming and laughing....very funny!

I had to hang onto the hood of Annie's coat so she didn't walk into the pond and she had a few little "episodes", but other than that, we had a fun time and it was nice to soak up some warm sunshine after a long time without it. We are really, really looking forward to spring!





Goofy Annie

On Monday, Riley had a b-ball makeup game from the snow day, but Annie and I stayed home because I had a horrible headache and she was pretty grumpy (usually is on a Monday- Mondays are tough around here), so we played a bit and then put on our pj's. The camera just happened to be up here, so I took some pictures of her since she likes to see them. These are pretty goofy:

Annie and Mama- making a silly face

And this is what she does now when you say smile- Take ONE

Take TWO

Take THREE

Friday, February 26, 2010

Fun outside




Last weekend was beautiful- warm and sunny and just perfect. We had no plans at all, except for Riley's game Saturday morning, so we spent pretty much the whole weekend outside and it was wonderful. Todd put together Annie's Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa and we played with it and went on walks and played with some neighborhood friends.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Birthday, part II

So, more pictures from Riley's party. We went to Hearts of Clay, a paint-your-own-pottery place and the girls had a fun time. We decided to just have the girls of my girlfriends from work (and Bryce, but he couldn't come), so it was sort of low-key and relaxed, which was nice. Riley painted a princess box and Annie did a bowl and they both came out really well.

Then they let Riley put her handprint on the birthday wall, which was cool, and we did a handprint plate with all of the other girls (even Annie's) thumbpreints! Cake was good, Riley got lots of presents and both girls were tired when we came home!

Grandma and Grandpa Buckley came back to the house and we all played for a bit, and then off to bed...in all, a very nice weekend.

Riley's new nightgown with Princess and the Frog

Her hand print







Annie's plate- actually came out much better than I thought it would!


Cookies!


The cake came out great! And it was yummy, too!




Morgan painting







Wednesday, February 24, 2010

More little tidbits on the girls

Don't have a whole lot of time- life and work super super crazy right now, but then again, when is it not????

Two quick things I want to get down, and then when I get a little more time, I will try to get the rest of Riley's party pics up....

1. Riley has now begun going to the first grade classroom 4 times a week for several hours at a time, at least according to her! Sometimes we get some interesting stories, but I think this is accurate, for the most part! So, we are wondering, is she really a kindergartener anymore...not really sure! Hoping to meet with both teachers at some point to figure out what all of this means. Also- the school participates in something called 100 Book Challenge...the students have to read lines in books each day, and the goal is to read 100 books over the course of the year. Well, we have not been recording lines, but total books instead. So, on every line, she reads a book...anyone want to guess how many books she has read, to date, this year???? 500....YES, 500 BOOKS already read, completely by herself, this year.....WOW!

2. Annie has a lovey! She has attached herself to Nestlee, a dog that is actually Riley's given to her by Grammy (my grandmother). She has taken Nestlee to bed every night for months now. Well, the other night I went out with the girls, so Todd put her to bed. When she got up in the morning, she had Nestlee and another little dog that came with Riley's vet kit. And since then, she has to sleep with both doggies...it is the cutest thing to see her walking around with one dog under each arm! I need to try to get a pic of it! Also, she has started to not want to sleep with her sleepsack (a kind of wearable blanket)- not sure why suddenly she does not want it- maybe she is hot at night? Probably better for her to make this change now, since it is a fleece one and we would need to give it up soon when (if) it finally starts warming up here....

That is it- longer than I liked, but good to get this stuff down.....later!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Riley's birthday party

I finally have the pictures off the camera from Riley's party. Not sure if I can get them all up in one post...but I will start at the beginning.

Since Riley's birthday is so close to Valentines Day, and we had to wait to do her party until Auntie Karen and Sophie left, we decided to do it on V-day and have a heart party, which made it easy for me to decorate!! She wanted a heart cake and I was lucky enough that Karen already had a pan, so we were ready to go.

We made a heart cake and heart cookies and they both came out great.

This is what Annie did while Riley and I did the cake. She was mad....and shortly after this, we took our eyes off her for seconds and she took a big bite of the heart cake. Luckily, I was able to save it!

Cakes before frosting:









Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Here is another installment of Annie at school!

Ready to go outside:
Washing her baby in the sink???
One of her favorite things to do- it is a little ramp with stairs on the other side....she can do the whole thing herself now!
Reading with some friends- the teacher there is her head teacher, Ms. Karina

Monday, February 15, 2010

Weekend!

We had a very nice weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Buckley, once they arrived! The got to the house about 7 pm on Saturday night- I kept Annie up until after 8pm and then she crashed! We spent the day together on Sunday and had Riley's party Sunday afternoon. It was fun- the girls all did great and Riley had a wonderful time, which is the most important! I have pictures, of course, so I just need some time to get them off the camera and up here- coming soon, I promise!

A much slower week for us this week- Monday is cheerleading, but then Riley is off for a week from piano, so that is it! Even hoping to get a girls night in this weekend!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Good

We survived the week, a little worse for wear, but all in one piece. Last night, it snowed! Big, fat, pretty snow flakes that amounted to almost 4 inches, I think. And this morning we were even able to make a snowman- well, I made a snowman...Riley watched and Annie ate snow! We played for a while and then came in soaked to the skin but happy!

The cake is made and ready to be frosted. The cookies are baked and ready to be iced...tomorrow is Riley's birthday party!! Yay!

Grandma and Grandpa are still stuck at the airport- they called and said the flight was delayed again, but should be leaving soon so we are just waiting on them to arrive.

I am off to enjoy nap time and read a book...life is good!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Busy, busy week

We have a crazy busy week this week- more so than usual.
Monday- Riley has cheerleading. Although, she didn't make it last night because she was complaining of a stomach ache, and then was a bit sick, so we decided to keep her home, and I am glad we did because she was sick again before bed, and up twice in the night. So, she also stayed home from school (and me from work) on Tuesday.

Tuesday- Riley and Annie both had chiropractic appts. Since Riley was home, so was I. She was better by the afternoon, so I took her into work with me, and she came to my class with me. She was a bit nervous about it, but she sat there and read her books and the students thought it was cute. She says I am a good teacher :) Then we left and ran to pick up Annie and then back to Sherman to see their intern.

Wednesday- Riley has piano lessons. Grams will pick her up at school, and take her to her lesson. Not such a bad day for me since I will only need to pick up Annie.

Thursday- Riley has a field trip to see Peter and the Wolf at the Cultural Center here in town, and then has a Valentines Day party. We need to finish her valentine cards (probably tomorrow- Wed), and she has to bring in grapes (note to self- buy some grapes!). Then Annie has her Art with Heart Show at the Student Center at the university where she goes to school. Luckily, I do not need to set up this time, but I do need to help breakdown, which means I somehow need to pick up the girls, get to the show and then attempt to clean while I have them with me...not sure how to do that unless Todd can get out of work early to help with them....

Friday- Riley has no school- teacher work day. I am planning to stay home with her in the morning, make her cookies and cake for her birthday party this weekend, and then bring her with me to work. Gramps is going to pick her up at noon and keep her for the rest of the day, and then somehow we need to get Riley back home that afternoon.

We still need to get Riley her birthday present, so I am assuming we will do that on Saturday, and then Saturday afternoon Grandma and Grandpa arrive and Sunday is the party.....

Think I got it all....and, oh yeah, sometime in there I also need to work :)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Snow, redux

We had snow, again, last week. It started on Friday afternoon- in fact, as I picked up Riley from school about 4:30 pm, they were already calling parents to come and get their kids. Seriously- it had been snowing maybe 30 minutes at that point...

Anyway, it was snow/sleet/ice and not pretty at all. We were stuck in the house all day Saturday (we ventured out for a few minutes to play, but it was cold and we couldn't really do too much with the ice), so by Sunday, the girls and I were ready to go to Grams and Gramps house for some more sledding. After the last "snowfall", they bought some sleds, so they were ready for us!

We left Todd in the house to clean the carpets and off we went. We had lots of fun, ate lunch, Annie took a nap and we headed home. And, unbelievably, the next day, we all three had a two-hour delay....there was NOTHING on the roads...such is life in South Carolina where there are no plows and the world stops when they hear the word "snow"..

Enjoy some pics:




Sunday, February 7, 2010

Auntie Karen and Sophie came for a visit

We had a very nice visit with Auntie Karen and Sophie over the last few days. They arrived on Wednesday and we went to dinner, where all girls behaved themselves and we sang Happy Birthday to Riley, which greatly embarrassed her! Both litte girls behaved themselves, and Annie ate her weight in poppy seed rolls! Seriously, she chowed them!


On Thursday we hung out at Grams house all day, and I went to work for a bit in the afternoon. Annie actually napped (and on the floor to boot), so it was a successful day!


Friday we visited the Children's Museum again, and it was great fun. The girls had a great time, and then we went to the mall and took some pictures of them all, which also went pretty well. Annie wasn't too happy at sititing still and pretty much wandered around while we tried to get her to at least stay still. She did a bit better than at Christmas, so I think we got some good pictures.


And then yesterday we went to Mimi and Papa's house to celebrate Riley and Kaitlyn's birthdays and had a nice time. The day ended with Sophie having a bit of a breakdown and Annie slugging her in the face for playing with her toys....and then it was time to go home!! :)


Here are some random photos from the few days together.



















Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Riley is SIX!!!!!!!!!!


My baby is SIX! How did that happen? Seriously, I feel like a broken record sometimes because I say it every year, but I really do not know what happened to the last six years!

Riley is truly the daughter I dreamed of during the long struggle to get pregnant and all through the 9 months of waiting to hold her in my arms.

Let me brag for a minute!

- She is beautiful, with the thickest curliest hair of anyone I know. Since she is letting me wash it now, I have let her grow it, and when wet, it reaches almost to her bottom. She gets so many comments on her hair- constantly...I hope it stays that way. She has gorgeous eyes with long, dark eyelashes. She has a beautiful smile and smiles a lot!

- She is brilliant. Seriously, this child is just amazing...she is leaps above the rest of her classmates. She is already reading at a 2nd (and now probably even higher) grade level. She is the only one in her class to go into the 1st grade class during reading time. She received a special mention in her school newsletter (and the only kindergartner) this week for scoring so high on her MAP tests. And it is not only reading- yesterday Todd and I discovered that they are learning graphing in Math class.....wow!

- She is caring and kind. She is an awesome big sister- just the best. She makes Annie laugh better than anyone else. She hugs and kisses her so often that it makes Annie mad, but Riley keeps hugging and kissing. She shares all of her toys with her- even her Barbies. It is the cutest thing to watch them play Barbies together. And she loves to read to Annie, too.

- She is well behaved. The girls at work just roll their eyes, but Riley has NEVER had a time-out in school. NEVER. Of course, she has had them at home, but never in school. She has received stickers on EVERY.SINGLE.CALENDAR. day this year at school.

Now, I know she is not perfect, and there are plenty of blogs I can write about the things that Riley does not do so well....but today she is six years old and it is a day to celebrate her....and so I will!!!