Family Pictures

Two posts in one day - get crazy!

Riley family pictures 2009 are up on my sweet friend Erin's blog:

http://www.erinduggin.com/

She is not only a dear friend to me, but an amazingly talented photographer.

We had a great time with her a couple weeks ago in downtown St. Louis. She knows the best spots for fun pictures.

For those that are close to us, you know that 2009 has been a rough one for the Riley's. So in addition to being fun and resulting in beautiful pictures, this photoshoot was therapeutic and healing. Thank you to everyone who has walked with us, laughed with us, and cried with us the past several months. I think these photos are a great example of God's faithfulness.


Here are some of my favorites - and Erin posted even more so go check them out!



I love these girls.


I gasped when I saw this one.


This one is a definite framer.


Now I have to decide which one to use for our Christmas card!

The Rest of the Story

No, not an homage to Paul Harvey, but a continuance of my last post. Around 11:30 I received a call from the girls' school that JJ had a fever of 102 degrees. So I scrambled to hand off my projects at work (seriously, the WORST day this could happen), and went to pick her up. I went into the nurses office and she had just fallen asleep. And since she was so exhausted, she peed herself during those short 5 minutes of slumber. I realized this after I scooped her up and cuddled with her and the wetness seeped through my jacket. She didn't fall asleep on the way home, but that's okay because we snuggled on the couch for a little bit and then she took a nap in her crib. Yes, she is 2 1/2 and still in a crib. I'm not going to tell her that's crazy if you won't. I'm hanging onto the crib for as long as I can. She is contained and she doesn't know that she can get out. Though she can crawl in from the outside.....

Later on we go pick up M and I am still planning on Subway for dinner. So I drag my poor, sweet JJ into Subway. While they are making our sandwiches, she vomits all over me. On my shoulder, down my back, on my purse, and onto the floor. And the girl behind the counter hands me one of those pointless paper towels - the brown paper sack ones that have zero absorbancy. People look at me, but no one offers to help. They must not have children. Or they have never seen a kid puke. Or they were scared that it might be swine flu. Then other people are coming in to order but no one has come to clean up the puke on the floor. I try to use the "paper towel" to wipe it off the floor, but seeing as I am holding a two year old and covered in puke - it's a little difficult. And all this time M is picking out the 10 different kinds of chips that she wants to eat. It would have been easier to just make mac & cheese.

We got home, had baths, and then I put the girls to bed. I of course fell asleep in M's room and woke up around 10:30, still needing to read proofs for work. So I went to bed at 2. And JJ woke up at 2:15. M woke up at 4. Much coffee was needed the next day.

I was THAT mom.

I was going to blog about this last night, but I fell asleep on the couch watching TV, exhausted. I was worn out from a day that started with JJ having two pee accidents - on purpose, I think. Then after cleaning all of that up, M ran to me to tell that JJ was pooping on her "beautiful, fuzzy carpet". No lie. She was still in progress when I ran in there. Her teachers at preschool swear that she is accident free there all day and ready to be potty trained. So maybe she is just using her bodily fluids/solids as weapons against me. And did I mention that Jeff is out of town until Thursday? Joyful. So after the messes were cleaned up, JJ refused to put any clothes on. I know that other moms and dads out there are just saying "well, just force them on her!". Well, we here at the Riley house are trying our best at Love and Logic and that says to let her make her choices and suffer the consequences. Take away the power struggle. So, nakedness won and I put JJ in the car buck naked and that is how we paraded into school. Note: we had been advised to do this by her teachers, so I called them to let them know that it had finally happened. I was going to be THAT mom. I wish that JJ had been mortified, but she LOVED it. JJ is a naturalist, exhibitionist, probably a lot of other "ists" too. So when offered the option of a coat before we got out of the minivan, she refused. So in the pouring, freezing rain, I carried my naked 2 year old past the stares of all the other parents at preschool. Her wonderful teachers were expecting her and JJ proudly announced that she didn't have any clothes on, just in case no one had noticed. Miss Jenny and Miss Margie were proud of me too. I asked them when I called later that day if other parents had brought their kids to school like that and they told me that yes, with nothing but socks and shoes or maybe underwear, but never completely in the buff. Awesome. Glad I could be the first.

So hopefully today goes better. I showered and dried my hair last night so that no shenanigans would happen during that time. And tonight I'm totally buying two $5 footlongs from Subway for dinner. I will survive. This is the 2nd week out of November that Jeff's traveled and I know that it's making me stronger, but I really don't like it very much.

Shortly I'll be at work where I have several ASAP projects to go out to clients, but at least I won't be cleaning up any excrement. And I'll get to eat lunch by myself. A shout-out to all the stay-at-home moms who will not get that luxury today and they will clean up a number of messes today from toddlers and babies. I was in the trenches before for 3 1/2 years and I know that it's the hardest job EVER. But also the most rewarding. JJ's kisses this morning and M's sweet smiling face helped me get out of bed. Less than an hour before departure time. Let's hope for no accidents.

Have a great Wednesday!

Funny little things from our 4 1/2 year old.

Yesterday on the way home from church:

M: Pluto isn't a planet anymore, now it's just a star.

And later at home, breaking up a styrofoam cup and placing them all over the floor:

M: I'm making the solar system. Here is Earth. Here is Jupiter - and the little planets around it.

But at the store later that day:

M: Daddy, I was thinking about getting the paper.

Jeff: But you can't read yet.

M: (With Frustration) Awww Stink! (I wonder where she learned that phrase...)

Hot and Sweaty

Get your minds out of the gutter - I'm talking about my first experience with Bikram Yoga. I am really glad that I went. It was a nice reminder of how out of shape I am. I'm hoping that it will be just the boost I need to get back into a regular exercise routine. That and the fact that I had my yearly check-up with my doctor today and the number on the scale is A LOT different than it was 10 months ago at my last check-up. Hope everyone had a great Monday!

Deep Thoughts from a 4 year-old

My conversation with Miss M on the way home yesterday:

Miss M: When I grow up and I'm a mommy like you, will we still live together?

Me: I think you'll probably have your own house where you live with your babies.

Miss M: But will we live close to each other?

Me: I hope so.

And when I was in the bathroom later and she "invited" herself in because our bathroom door does not lock:

Miss M: (Noticing that my "mommy parts" are more mature than her parts)
I don't want that to ever happen to me.

Me: Well, you have a lot more years until you start to change.

Miss M: No, I don't want it to ever happen.

I don't blame you kid - it's scary to me sometimes too. Especially after two kids.

We are fish killers.

We discovered that the awful smell in our kitchen was not our garbage disposal, but our dead fish, Twilight. We had this one the longest - a whole year. So I was kind of attached. I'm still not sure if we should give her another "she's on vacation" story and get a new one (like we did the first 3 times - I mean c'mon, a week after her birthday and then a few weeks after that the 2nd time!? We didn't want to scar her for life). She was so lively and excited to see us. Anytime there was movement near her tank her little tail would swish side to side - she was hopeful for any flake of food that might land on her water. Her love of fish flakes might be what led to her demise. There was some confusion to the feeding schedule last week (don't worry Mom, I'm not mad at you) and the big T just couldn't say no. Will there be a T5? We haven't figured that one out yet. RIP, T4.