Rileyism

This girl has gone from silly sayings and random thoughts to spurts of wisdom here and there. But the silly says and random thoughts to still come, and they are still as cute as ever.  A couple of weeks ago Summer and Jaden came over for a play date and Riley was telling Summer that when she grows up, she is going to be a mom.  Summer asked her if she was going to have a boy or a girl.  Riley replied, "Whatever God wants me to have."  I almost fell off the couch!  I am so glad that some of the discussions we have about God and His perfect will are sinking in! And so now I will wait for a comment to come from her lips at the most inopportune time causing embarrassment and regret on my part... because you know its bound to happen sooner rather than later.

Shogun!

What a treat! Shogun is my favorite restaurant, given the choice, this would always be the first on the list.  We took the kids for their first time last weekend.  SO MUCH FUN! Jude wasn't too sure about it just yet...

But Riley was ready to eat!

Jude caught a bite of egg in his mouth and both kids made amazing happy plates. We won't be frequenting this place as it can get pricey, but it's so fun to know the kids are just as adventurous in their eating as we are.  I look forward to many more culinary discoveries with this family!

Sleepovers

From time to time, we have "sleepovers".  Usually, this is just a girl thing for me and Riley on Thursday or Friday nights while Woody is working football games.  But Jude got to join us this time.  We took a bath at our normal time and then crawled in my bed to watch a movie as we were falling asleep, only kids don't fall asleep while watching TV...at least not ours.

Woody came home toward the end of Toy Story 2.  We turned off the TV and were ready for sleep.  Then two little voices said, "It's too dark in here.  We need to sleep in our own beds."  So everyone went to their own night-light lit room and enjoyed a mostly full night of rest.  But this picture of them was so cute- with the rare occasion of both of the sitting, quietly, not fighting- it had to be documented.

Random places and spaces

I often find Jude playing (or evidence of him playing) in the most random places.  Like on my shoe boxes, a perfect seat. This green frog (a pot holder in reality) was what he chose at Target for his special toy. He still won't let me use it in the kitchen, though I find it everywhere else. 

Cold?  Spend some time playing in the dryer, of course. There are great shelves in there that are perfect parking spots for your cars.

Jude loves frogs.  He is typically very nice to them and doesn't often hang them from their toes.

Batman, however, often hangs from his toes.  He obviously likes to hang this way as I find him there a lot.

And this Batman too.

She Said Yes!

Alex proposed to Calah! And she said yes!

We are ALL so excited to welcome her into our family.  Riley and Jude are beyond in love with her.  And they are especially excited that they get to be the "Flower gurl and wing bear". She plays with them and gives them toys!  She makes them each feel special and loved in their own way, exactly what a mommy loves to see.

I am personally so excited to have that sister I never had. Calah fits into our family like that empty puzzle piece that has been missing. I haven't seen Alex this happy, ever.  It makes my heart so full to see them together. I prayed that God would bring Alex that woman that was made for him.  After I prayed this one random day, I felt a complete peace that can only come from the Holy Spirit that told me that He has the one for him, to wait and know she is coming.  Two months later, Calah came to Arkansas from California to visit her family.  Her aunt Toni worked with Alex and set them up.You could say "the rest is history", but a very fun and sweet story they will share with their children. 

 I know she will make a stunning bride. And he will make a handsome groom. I am so thankful and grateful that I will be able to share that special day with them. The last time I was so excited for Forever to begin, I was the one getting married.

Chicago

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to go to Chicago for the annual baseball coaches convention.  We love this week that we get to enjoy once every couple of years! The location changes each year, but this is the second time we've ended up in Chi-town.  Mom and dad were so sweet to take care of the kids for three nights in a row. Riley and Jude had a blast and never missed us. :)

Enjoying a breakfast treat while looking at some snow.  Knowing they were happy and in great hands made the trip for us even better.

Deep dish pizza.  A must when visiting Chicago. Completely worth the 45 minute wait and 3000 calories.

Seriously, that is not photoshopped cheese, its the real gooey thing.  The guys spend the days in meetings, etc.  The girls get to do whatever we want!  This usually involved a slow moving morning, coffee, and lots of shopping, walking, and site-seeing.  Glenna, Kari, and I have been fellow coaches wives for 11 years now.  I love the time we get to spend together.  I find myself looking forward to this weekend at the most random times, proof that this is ointment for the soul.

More cheese.  Serious cheese. We all like to eat and these is always a highlight for our trips, wherever we may be going. This year we went to Bucca di Beppo.  I'm so mad at myself for not taking copious amounts of pictures because it was one of our top 3 places to ever have eaten on these trips.

We always get to stay in the same hotel as the convention, so of course it's always a nice hotel right in the middle of things.  This time, downtown Chicago.  Beautiful.  Great shopping, great restaurants.

We are looking forward to next year, Dallas!

White Rock Mountain

Over New Year's, we went to White Rock Mountain with Alex and Calah.  We got their first, the kids were pretty excited.

Fortunately, the guys are good at making hot fires. There is no heat or air in these WPA era cabins.  We love that they are so rustic. A great place to get away and have just family time...even if there is great cell phone/iPad reception... 

I love these rock walls and wooden floors and ceilings.

And we all fit so well in this little one bedroom cabin.  Lots of space for sleeping bodies...even if one of the little ones fell out of the bed. (Riley was fine after her fall)

The kitchen is very rustic too, but there is a microwave.  It was kind of creepy as well.  We couldn't put our finger on it, but just creepy for some reason.

The view when we arrived was nice, but the fog rolled in soon after we settled in. On the top of the mountain, we can see forever.  Or you can see 10 feet off the back porch when it's foggy.  Boo. I tried to get a picture from the back porch like the one below, but you couldn't even see the trees.  It didn't make for a great picture, but only evoked very solemn sad feelings.

We've never been here during the fall, or summer, but I imagine it would be beyond beautiful.

The cabin.  Isn't it cute?  We will be back for some more family fun.