A Peek Inside the Everyday

Here are just a few pics taken over the past month or so. Just a peek inside of the everyday in our home.

This was probably a Saturday morning. More often than not,
they end up right next to each on the couch.

I do believe that Daddy ran this bath. So fun!

Enjoying her High School Musical boom box.

Climbing on Daddy ... this happens alot.

Our enormous snowman built on the snowiest day ever
in these parts (at least in the past century).

Riley is Seven!

It just makes my heart hurt to write that. Seven. Wow.

We had a few celebrations for his birthday. First there was a family party. Because my side of the family has grown recently and our schedules are so very busy, we now celebrate birthdays and anniversaries in clusters. It just so happens that there are two other birthdays within a week of Riley's, so we had a big birthday bash, complete with birthday and unbirthday presents for everyone. Gigi (my mom) is really good about making everyone feel loved ... all twelve of us!

Ready to party!

I LOVE this picture. Riley was sick on Christmas day, so we missed out
on the grandeur enthusiasm he typically shows when opening presents.

On Riley's actual birthday, he wore a birthday button to school and a birthday hat and got to have cupcakes (store bought of course) for snack during school. However, I was informed that morning as we were walking out the door, that "so-and-so's mom brought juice boxes too." Ok ... fortunately I had just been to Walmart the day before and just so happened to have stocked up on juice boxes and had EXACTLY 19 of them. Phew.

I think he is making a number seven with his fingers.

Then, we had birthday cookies that night at Children's Choir complete with balloons, which were somehow used for music purposes. At this moment, I cannot recall how we managed that.

The last celebration of "birthday week," was spent at Medieval Times. It was pretty cool. I had never been. Riley really liked it, but Victoria LOVED it!! Who would have thought?! Riley and I were a bit tired. The show didn't start until 8:15 or so and we are not evening people. We are morning people. But the Pepsi helped. Yep, your only drinking options are tea or Pepsi. We ALL had Pepsi, even Victoria. I do believe she drank all hers. Oh well.




So Riley at age seven is alot like Riley at age four or five or six. He is exactly the same only taller and he eats more. He is still so tender hearted, full of joy, considerate of others and couldn't hurt a fly (this part makes it a bit hard to stand up to his younger sister).

He is also a really good student. He is naturally smart and doesn't even realize it ... alot like his Daddy. He doesn't put much effort into his school work and still brings home 100's on his papers. He does say that school is boring, so I am sure that he isn't being challenged enough. But he has a really great time (the social butterfly he is) and there is plenty of time to be challenged in school later. I mean this is only 1st grade.

He is a super goof ball and loves to try to make people laugh. He is into Phineas and Ferb, being a spy, inventing things, Legos (still), and making many things out of paper and the trash I have in the recycle bin (which I usually throw in the trash when he is at school the next day ... fortunately he hasn't missed any of it ... yet).

He is also into choosing what he wears to school everyday. I really wasn't prepared for this one. However, he must have a clean room the night before to be able to do this, which only happens about half the time. So at least he is wearing everything in his closet and not just his Phineas and Ferb shirts and Star Wars shirts.

At his check-up, he is in the 75% on height and 80% on weight. Still on the the growth road to being tall like Carey ... love that!

He enjoys our evening reading of his Bible and our daily devotional. He gets a bit bent out of shape if we don't do it every evening. Love that. I am noticing too that his prayers at night are more about what is going on in our lives than just the run-of-the-mill kid prayers. It is exiting to see him grow spiritually. We are just praying and waiting for him to start showing interest in accepting Christ. Oh happy day that will be!

Me and my guy.

Our Somewhat Merry Christmas

I can sum-up our Christmas with this one statement ... we got through it. Christmas was sandwiched between doctor's appointment, fevers, chills, medicine, more doctor's appointments, stomach bugs, etc. It started the Monday before Christmas and lasted until the Monday after New Year's. But, we were bound and determined to make the best of it and I think that we did.

Riley ready for his class play performance at school.

So this was what he wore to school on the last day before
the Christmas break. It was his idea to have a red nose.

Playing in the snow storm on Christmas Eve.
Between the blowing snow and having fevers,
I do believe the kids only lasted about 10 minutes.

Opening one present on Christmas Eve ... I am sure it was Legos.

Victoria is giving her new pajamas a hug 'cause she loves them so.
The kids always get a new pair of pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve.

Trying out her new skates on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning. For some reason, neither one of them are
wearing the new pajamas they got. Oh well.

Victoria got a new bike for Christmas.

Riley got Legos. Big surprise. He was still pretty excited!

Daddy putting together Victoria's new stand mixer for her kitchen.

So this robot arm that Riley got in his stocking was a HUGE hit
Christmas morning. Why we didn't get two is beyond me.

The headlamps were a favorite too.
Victoria wore hers most of the morning.

Riley putting on a smile. He was so sick. He spent most of the
morning sitting in his bean bag chair. Poor little guy.

Pops and Gigi always join us on Christmas morning to watch
all the present opening madness.

So, after all the opening had finished and the house was put back in order, I told Carey that I cold have us packed and ready to leave for Michigan in two hours. So we left Saginaw on Christmas day around 3PM. We arrived 24 very long hours later in Suttons Bay, Michigan. Exhausted, stinky and Riley had run about 103 fever most of the way up. Come to find out, he had pneumonia. And Carey came down with a sinus infection the very next day. Urgh. But again, we made the most of it.

Wrestling with Grandpa.

Riley is ready for battle.

Victoria is ready for sledding.

One of many, many, many trips down the hill.

The ski crew ... Carey, Riley, Victoria and Carey's cousins, Tyler and Corbin.

Victoria's first time on skis. She was pretty much a wet noodle on skis.
Carey had a hard time just trying to get her to stand up straight.
She lasted only about 30 minutes. Carey was exhausted.

Carey and Riley making their way down the mountain ...
well it was really just a big hill.

Still sick, but ready to have Christmas at Pops and Gigi's!

Definitely a Christmas to remember. Hopefully just the good memories ... Carey driving through the snow on Christmas Eve to get Chinese food (yummm), hugable pajamas, a White Christmas, fun new toys, skiing with cousins, sledding with Grandma, snowmobiling with Uncle Craig, and a lazy Sunday afternoon opening presents at Pops and Gigis. At least, that is what I choose to remember.