Just a Few More Favorite Moments

Maggie is changing and learning so much every.single.day. It's absolutely amazing to watch and listen to her in action. Here are just a few highlights from the last few weeks:

• She now sings her ABCs and for the most part knows all the letters, except when she gets to L-M-N-O-P. For these she just says "La-la-la-la-P!" 
• We are potty training again and she's definitely getting the hang of it a bit more, but we're still switching between diapers, Pull-ups, and panties (or in her case...no panties, just a shirt 9 times out of 10). She likes her "Froggy potty", but lately has been wanting to try out the big potty. She needs a little help getting up and then she holds herself up. It only took her one time of falling in and getting a wet bottom to learn that she has to keep both hands on the seat to support herself. Now every time I put her on, she repeats this mantra to herself, "Can't fall down. Can't fall down." 
• Her independent streak is growing stronger by the day! Now instead of "I do it" as her go-to phrase whenever we try to help her accomplish a task, she says "Let me try that." It's actually really cute to hear until it's like the 100th time that day and then it starts to lose some of it's appeal. But I'm proud of her for wanting to try to do things for herself.
• She's always  been a polite and empathetic little child. I believe she really has a compassionate and grateful heart naturally. Her latest remark whenever she wants to express her gratitude to you is "Thankyousomuch" (said in one breath)! I don't ever tire of hearing this phrase, that's for sure!
• Maggie is also very observant. She knows when Daddy comes in from a run that he's "sweaty" and when he comes to get her out of bed in the morning sometimes that he's had a shower. She can probably use her sense of smell to help her tell the difference since both times Daddy's hair is usually wet. 
• The little tyke is a huge follower of whatever Riley does. Every time he takes a sip of his drink at dinner, she'll follow suit. If he's making silly faces, she does it too. The other day (she also learned this from her brother) Chris and I started in singing the "God, Our Father" prayer before we ate dinner and she put up her hand and said, "Stop, just us! Just us!" 
• Maggie had her 2 year old check up a few weeks ago and did a fantastic job talking with Dr. Lindsey. She was a brave little girl for her shot and finger prick and didn't even cry a bit. She's tough! She weighed 24.8 lbs (25th percentile) and was 33.5 inches tall (25th-50th percentile). We are working on keeping her eczema and a few other skin issues (like sties) under control.   

Now Riley has had quite a few new experiences as well lately. Some of his memorable moments include:

• Riley took 8 sessions of swim lessons at the YMCA during the month of May. The first session was pretty challenging for him because it seemed like the other 4 kids were more comfortable in the water, especially with putting their heads under the water. With the promise of a trip to the park if he would try it on the 2nd session, Riley was able to find enough courage to dunk his head to eyebrow level and by the end of the 8 sessions, he was jumping in like a pro. Since this was just a Level 2 class, they mostly just worked on floating, blowing bubbles under the water, wearing a life vest and using their arms to scoop the water, climbing in and out of the pool safely, and how to kick their legs. I was pleased with his participation and he loved the last session being a free swim in the outdoor pool with his new buddies (Sam, Drew, and Nolan).
• For the first week of summer, we signed Riley up for a week of Tee-Ball Camp. It ran Monday-Friday for an hour a day in the mornings. While Coach Alex had a very relaxed style and didn't offer a lot of instruction to the group, Riley still had a great time learning how to run the bases, practice more with hitting off a tee, and what made me most proud was watching him encourage and cheer on other kids who were taking their turn to bat. Chris was able to help with most of the sessions (I helped on one of the days) and his favorite part was seeing Riley give him a thumbs up from out on the field when he caught the ball that was rolled on the ground towards him. 
• Riley has been talking a lot about what it's going to be like when he gets big and has a son. Just the other day he informed us that he was going to name his son Carl Reuben Riley Fisher. I love the way he makes the name Carl into two syllables. It's almost like Car-rull. And I think it's pretty special that he wants his son to share part of his name as well just like how he shares the name Christopher with his dad. 
• One of the favors that I got for the kids for their Dinosaur Train birthday party were some dinosaur tattoos. But Riley's version of the word is so much more enjoyable..."Mommy, can you put some tu-tus on my hand?" :)
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• We had Riley's 4 year old check up with Dr. Cook this month and Riley did an absolutely great job. He had to get 2 shots and a finger prick and though he cried out a little, he was extremely brave. We were able to celebrate with icecream at McDonald's right after the visit. Riley weighed 42.4 lbs (85th percentile) and was 45 inches tall (in the 98th percentile). We are working on getting him to not suck his fingers which is proving to be quite a tricky task! 
  
  
   For Riley's official birthday, he got pancakes with sprinkles baked in and got to reveal his "big" present which was a new bike! Check out this adorable photo above of him wearing the watch Chris let him have, his helmet, and his sunglasses. He now needs all 3 accessories on before he'll even consider getting on the bike! :) Then later that morning we went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time and needless to say, Riley had a blast!
  
  
   Here's photo of a ride that all 3 "kids" enjoyed together!
  
  
   Then later for supper we cooked one of Riley's favorite meals-ham and mac and cheese and they got to eat the orange cupcakes we blue frosting that we had made earlier.
  
  
  
   I love this picture of King Riley and Princess Maggie using some of the clothes from the dress-up trunk that Grandmama gave to Maggie for her birthday. There will be hours of imaginative play in store from this gift I do believe!
  
  
  
   Here's a fun photo with my little loves all dressed in their fancy "doggie" church clothes. Chris just couldn't resist these $10 pants from TJ Maxx and I couldn't turn down an opportunity to create somewhat coordinating outfits.
  
  
   For Maggie's birthday on June 2nd, we went to Baxter's Bunch (since her big present was a Frequent Flyer Card) so that she could bounce to her little heart's content. Chris was able to meet us during his lunch break from school and later we went out to Golden Corral as a family because we know we'd be able to find several things for our grazing toddler to snack on at a buffet. Of course, the highlights of the meal were the cotton candy and the chocolate-covered marshmallows.
  
  
  
   This is Riley on his first day of Tee-Ball camp last week. Please pay close attention to the SpiderMan gloves that he insisted on wearing as he got dressed. Luckily, we were able to convince him he didn't actually need them to play the game and he left them in the car. Gotta love that kid and his very unique sense of style!
  
  
   We celebrated Father's Day this past Sunday and the kids and I took these pictures and put them in a frame along with a craft that involved their hand and footprints that had a golf theme and said "Just 'Fore' You Dad!". I sure am blessed to have Chris as the father to these two precious cargo.  We love you, Daddy and always will!
  
  
  
  
  

All Aboard the Dinosaur Train for a Double Dino-Mite Prehistoric Party

On Saturday, May 24th we had our first combined birthday party celebration for Riley and Maggie. Since Riley is all into dinosaurs now and Maggie really does love trains, what better theme than to throw a Dinosaur Train party (from the popular PBS TV show). The menu was pretty easy with a carnivore fueling station of dinosaur chicken nuggets, meatballs, and mini corn dogs, an herbivore fueling station with a veggie tray and a 2 different fruit displays (the one in the back is supposed to be a dinosaur made out of honey dew with pineapple spikes on his back and the watermelon carving was an attempt to make a prehistoric creature of some kind), Bugles were our dinosaur "claws", Jersey Mike's helped us create the Dinosaur "Train" sub, and for our sweet tooth, we had dinosaur "bones" (pretzels with marshmallows on the end dipped in white chocolate), "fossil" cookies, and malted T-Rex eggs. But the star of the show was the volcano cake that Grandmama created for us! It was a delicious chocolate pound cake with raspberry filling, complete with coconut "grass". I had a lot of extra hands helping me prepare and get each item so it made the task so much easier.

I love looking back at the photos from each year and different birthday messages left in the kids' books. Uncle Funkle and Awesome Uncle Edward never disappoint with their candid humor and wit!

I only planned a few activities for the party. One was a Dinosaur Egg hunt that was really just an Easter Egg hunt renamed. And the other was two give each child a brown "rock" and a green "rock" and have them figure out a way to get to the prize inside. The brown rock made from coffee grounds, flour, sand, and water had to be broken apart and the green rock made with baking soda, food coloring, and water could be dissolved with vinegar. Both rocks contained small plastic dinosaurs. The kids seemed to enjoy it, but did end up with pretty dirty hands.

After we cleaned hands, we went in to eat, sing "Happy Birthday", and then open gifts. And boy did we have a lot to open! The kids were so blessed to have so many people loving on them!

We finished up the day with some more outside play and the girl "conductors" and boy "dinosaurs" went merrily on their way!

Many thanks to the Cason family for letting us have this free personalized birthday yard sign 1 day rental that they won in an auction. It was a little over the top, but the price was right! :)

Riley Roo--You have such a love for learning, fixing things, and imaginative play right now! Your sweet, kind heart brings a smile to my face every time I see you give your sister a kiss on the head or say, "Come on, Mags, let's go play!" I love that you still like to cuddle on the couch and ask me to hold your "whole body" and "rock, rock" you. I know you're growing up at a rapid rate and I cherish these little boy days more than you'll ever know. I'm super excited about being able to stay home with you another year or two and know that we'll have even more precious family memories to come. May you always know deep down in your heart how greatly you are loved by Dad and I and most importantly, by your Heavenly Father.

Maggie Moo--The way your eyes twinkle and those dimples appear makes me want to eat you up with a spoon! That's a southern expression for saying how much I adore your playful personality that is almost always full of joy! You definitely are becoming more independent and figuring out that you have your own voice and mind to think for yourself which is something I don't ever want to discourage. Just remember that while you think you may have it all figured out already, your parents still may be able to teach you a thing or two! :) Your empathetic little spirit that is always checking to make sure everyone is "okay" is a gift that others will always appreciate about you as well. My prayer is that you'll continue to grow in wisdom and knowledge and that your confidence will come from the Lord.

You two are a delight to me! It is a privilege to be your mom and to join you in this beautiful journey of life together! May this coming year bring us even closer together as a family!

Spring Break 2014 and Easter Sunday

 On Thursday of Spring Break this year, we were able to meet up lots of family members for a day at the zoo. Edward, Amanda, Tripp, Liam, Melissa, Dylan, Brooke, Renee, Caroline, April, McCall, Amanda's mom (Wanda and her 2 granddaughters, Alexis and Laken) were all able to come and Wanda was able to hook us up with free admission and bracelets for the kids that allowed them to ride the train, the carousel, feed the giraffes and so much more!

 Maggie enjoyed feeding the giraffes as much as Riley did! She squealed with delight when it licked her hand.

 Uncle Edward (sporting his extra long beard) has a chat with the boys after lunch.

 We didn't actually see the real tiger (much to Riley's dismay...as he wore his special tiger shirt just for this occasion), but this statue always makes for a fun photo op.

 The kids love to draw with their "colors" as Maggie calls them. Riley is writing a lot now. He likes to draw charts, ladders, and spell words like Nan, Pap, and Dad. Maggie loves to draw circles!

 Over Spring Break, there was a little work that needed to be done outside. Luckily, Dad had his "little helper" right beside him the whole time as they repaired the stone barricade and put down some new mulch. Riley got so excited about helping that he had trouble finishing up his lunch. What a beautiful thing to want to spend time with his dad and feel important and needed!

The day before Easter our church hosted an Easter Fest for the kids. Riley and I went together and he got to go around to nine different stations and collect plastic eggs to put in his carton that tell the Resurrection Story. I can't wait for us to start incorporating this tradition in our family the 12 days before Easter. The stations also had different multi-sensory activities like making a Resurrection Roll with crescent rolls and marshmallows to eat at the last station, writing a note of praise to Jesus, having juice and bread to remember the Last Supper, planting a seed in a garden, putting toothpicks to symbolize thorns in a crown, dying an egg, painting a rock, and seeing Ms. Leslie dressed as an angel and lighting a candle. There were Scripture verses and a short narration to go along with each activity. I really thought the event was a wonderful way to remember the Easter story and to teach it to children. Of course, Riley was most excited about opening each egg to see what candy was inside, but hopefully some of the messages sunk in as well! :) 

 On Easter morning, I made the family some cinnamon buns shaped like crosses, "stones" (like the one rolled away from Christ's tomb), and of course, bunnies. The kids enjoyed the candy and prizes in their baskets and they got an extra treat a few days earlier when Nan and Pap mailed them an Easter package complete with books, more sweet treats, and the favorite by far...a copy of Disney's Frozen DVD!

 We couldn't quite get everyone looking and smiling at the camera at the same time, but it still makes for a memorable moment. Church was packed and we ended up having to sit in chairs along the back wall. The music and message were still amazing though. After the service we got to go to Mom and Dad's for a delicious meal of ham, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, pistachio salad, rolls, deviled eggs, green beans, and 3 different delicious desserts (carrot cake, berry pie, and cake with fruit topping). Melissa, Rodger, Dylan, Brooke, and Kelly were able to join in on the festivities as well. We hid lots of Easter eggs in the backyard, played a few rounds of "What's in Your Milk" (Kelly's favorite try to make you laugh game), got to listen to the kids play the "compuno" (as Riley calls Papa's electric piano), and I got to celebrate with Kelly by giving her a belated birthday gift.

One other event that we got to do during Spring Break was visit with some of my favorite girls--Sara, Carson, and Carrie. Carson's daughters (Camryn and Reagan) and Carrie's kids (Noah and Kaitlyn) were able to join us for a pancake and donuts dinner, Easter egg hunt, and lots of rolling down Mr. Dennis hill and playing on his swingset. Not quite the same Spring Break trips we had in college together, but still enjoyable! 

Before I end this post, I have to include a few funny sayings and random updates:

• After playing outside for a bit, Riley turned to me and said, "My eyes are hot. I got to cool off in the sun!"
• A few days after we were blowing "raspberries" on the kids' stomachs, Riley looked at Chris and told him, "I'm going to give you a strawberry-blueberry when I snort on your belly!" I LOVE it! 
• Maggie continues to talk in longer sentences and is learning to reason really well. Just today, I called to Riley (who was upstairs in his bed) that we were about to start a show and Maggie said, "No Ra-Ra sleep. Tired." 
• Maggie is also continuing her independent streak (which I doubt will end any time soon). She doesn't want any help walking up and down stairs. And she likes to go "slowly" up the stairs as she says and then "fast!" She doesn't like for you to buckle the strap to her car seat and insists, "No, I do it!" 
• Her love for music and songs is growing as well. She is now singing the "God our Father" mealtime blessing, "ABC Song", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Mockingbird" and my "Goodnight" song that I made up. 
• Riley is about to start swim lessons on Monday and to help get him ready we went and practiced in the pool at the YMCA yesterday. He was excited for days about it and pretty much carried his snorkel and mask with him everywhere he went. Unfortunately, the mask didn't seal well and when we ducked under the water to get our heads wet, he came up sputtering and full of water. Hopefully, this won't scar him too much and he'll be able to be brave for his swim lessons.