One of the girls...

I just have to brag on my sweet husband. Not just because he has been very patient with me lately and trying to help and serve me as much as possible. But because I love him dearly. I love the way he loves our girls. I am so excited for them and so grateful for his heart and how he is raising them. Riley is big into dress up, fixing hair and having tea parties lately and Jarrett has perfect attendance to every tea party and picnic and is by far the best dressed and coiffed daddy! Somehow the camera got "lost" during some of the events listed above, but I at least got this great picture. It melts my heart and also makes me laugh. If memory serves (and it doesnt always) Riley kept asking for her "princess" cowboy hat back...Daddy kept it on a little too long!!!

Sharing buckets and tubs

Riley is 3 and Kelsey is 7 months. Sharing has begun. Not that either want to, but we are learning. Riley is generous, most of the time and Kelsey wants to play with anything near Riley, all of the time. Here are 2 of their sharing favorites:



Riley played with these little buckets when she was itty bitty and she and her daddy have the same posed picture. Its so cute. Now Riley likes to play "buckethead" with Kelsey... Kelsey doesnt mind most of the time...


Kesley wasnt really keen on playing during her bath until I started putting both of them in the tub. She goes nuts splashing and eating her washcloth and laughing at the funniest person in the world to her - her Riley.

Here is Kelsey getting ready for bathtime.



Notice who jumped into the bottom of the picture. How does he know?

The Big "3"

Well, it happened. Riley turned 3. I tried to slow it down by making Sunday action packed and long, but it happened anyway. 3 just sounds so much further away from baby. She will always be my baby, but we are loving her as our big girl too.
She was so worn out from Sunday that she slept late (past 7:30 is late for her). Daddy went and got her some chocolate milk and a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles - thanks Daddy for loading her up with tons of sugar and then leaving for work. We woke her up with said donut and milk and let her eat them at her play table. Not one drop, sprinkle or sugar granule went to waste. We let her open her "on your real birthday" presents - a Boz book, gigantic Dora coloring book and a toddler Candy Land game. We received lots of phone calls from family and I made sure the bank teller and the 3 workers at Walmart that we saw knew it was her big day. She loved it.

Ummmm birthday breakfast is yummy!


Sprinkles all over....and the sugar is flowing!


Top o' the mornin' Kelsey! Mom let me take
my first picture with her camera.

Riley's Birthday Party!

Riley's 3rd birthday party was Friday at our pool. Barely. The party was at 10 and it was pouring rain from 7-9. I wasn't worried, I knew God had a plan for her party. I was afraid Riley would be disappointed. News flash mom, she is 3. If I am excited about her party being in our trash can, she will be too. So I did what any good mom would do, I went to take my shower and wept like a baby for 5 minutes where no one could see or hear.
It all worked out and it was awesome. You know that overwhelming feeling of gratefulness when others honor and love on your kids. It is amazing. Even if half of her friends came just cause we have a great pool. We don't care what motives our, all the kids had fun and that is what mattered. Thanks to everyone who could make it!

Birthday tradition - down the slide with Daddy!



Celebrate me - its my party!!!!


The Floyds, Lovells and Shivers families



Riley's cupcake cake, equipped with icing that stains teeth!


Cue the music...Happy Birthday to Riley!!


Hey Taylor, is your tongue blue like mine (cause your lips are!)?

Training wheels, not pants!

Riley spent the week at Gammy and Papa's house while Jarrett and I were at Camp Fuego (outside of Shreveport). We went to pick her up and picked up a whole new child. She demonstrated her bike skills on the driveway. I almost cried. Not because I was so worried she would fall and get hurt (although it crossed my mind and 5 seconds later, she fell - thank goodness for helmets and training wheels!), but because she is just doing such big kid things....She was speeding up and down that driveway and didnt want Daddy's help at all. My in-laws have a driveway like my grandparents did. So when I see Riley riding up and down it, the greatest memories came to me.
Also, my little one is wearing "big girl panties". Tinkerbell, Dora and any of the Disney princesses are her favorites. That week I happened to devote almost all my free time to reading books on toddlers and potty training. We were going to bootcamp it so she would be hopefully trained before her birthday party. Wish I had been reading fun books. She was returned to us in big girl panties. No more pullups! I dont miss them.

And I'm off!


This is one for her rehearsal dinner slideshow!

Fourths and Firsts

Note the much shorter hair in all the pictures - see earlier post.
Fourth: Here is Riley and Kelsey in their red, white and blue getups to celebrate the 4th. The Floyds came over and after dinner we went swimming. Then off to the Morrises for some dessert and Mexican dominoes. It was seriously the first time in a long, long time that losing a board game didnt spoil my mood for the remainder of the night. This was probably because Riley was present. I barely lost anyway!


Firsts:
Kelsey is now eating babyfood and has a blast at every encounter. This is actually a pretty clean Kelsey midway thru the jar.


This is Kelsey's "What you talkin' about Willis" look...love it. I know you know what I am talking about.


Another first:
First thing in the morning Kelsey and Riley like to chill together in the big chair. Usually watching Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse. Kelsey is in love with Riley. And Riley is just so sweet and big sisterly with Kelsey. I love it. Everytime I catch them in one of their moments that makes me want to cry I wonder if thats how my sister and I were at this stage in life.

Snip...snip....

well, i am sure some of you will be relieved to hear i took the girls to get their hair cut (#2 for riley). kelsey is just shy of 6 months and already needs a trim. thank you for being kind and not leaving any comments about my cute little shaggies needing a cut in all the florida posts. it was getting bad. poor kelsey couldnt see half the time cause her bangs were soooo long and riley was well on her way to a mullet. kids hair grows so crazy and is wild in the morning. i do see it as a blessing that my girls were born with beautiful hair.

kelsey sat in my lap while michelle (anderson) started the trim. big sister is supervising at the base of the chair. you can see her cute curls are still there after her trim.


"i'm not sure what's going on, but i am such a happy girl i smile at anything!"


still cute, but doesn't like to sit still


"hey, you better take my picture too mister."