Memorial Weekend in Iowa

Riley and I (April) spent Memorial weekend in Iowa with my parents while Wilder was in Chicago for handball (what else would it be). We had a great weekend with my parents. We spend Friday in Okoboji going to a couple of flee markets. Sunday was spent at home enjoying each other; that means that my parents were enjoying Riley. And Monday we went to the Memorial Day service at the cemetery before heading home. We also got to see Grandma Esther a few times. She was very excited to see us and it was great to see her as well. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Riley was facinated by the baby chickens

Visiting Great Grandma Wenell

Checking out Lake Okoboji with Grandma and Grandpa

After the Memorial Day Service

Generations

On our way home from the handball tournament we were able to stop in Madison to visit Wilder's grandma "Mimi". Here are pictures of us will all of our grandmothers.

Tourny Time

We spent the past weekend in Chicago for the National Team Handball tournament. MN Team Handball played its first ever game (and got destroyed) and won is first ever game. The team didn't finish in last place and I think they even had lots of fun and really enjoyed handball even more than before they came.


Wilder, Riley and I stayed with Wilder's sister Robin in Chicago. It was fun to get to see her and spend some time with her. Unfortunately we didn't get do spend much time in Chicago itself as the tournament was in a suburb but we did enjoy a Guatemalan breakfast.

Growing

Riley recently had her six month appointment. She is now 14 pounds and 26 inches long. She is also sitting on her own with very minimal tipping. She has had her first tooth come in (on the bottom). She loves to eat food and likes everything she'd had so far. I can't believe how much and how fast she changes and learns.

The video is a "trick" that Wilder has been practicing with Riley. She loves doing it. You can see the determination on her face. You can also see how proud she is, she knows that she is doing something special. My favorite part is when she is doing it around other people, after she has focused, she looks around at everyone to make sure they are all noticing what she is doing.

He is Risen!

Riley's first Easter has come and gone. She had her first Easter dress, found an Easter egg and had an Easter basket to put it in. She's had so many firsts already and there are many more to come but I think I'm looking forward to her seconds and thirds and so on more. For her seconds of things she'll be able to be involved. Next year she might care about open presents or finding Easter eggs. More importantly for her thirds (and so on) she'll start to understand what some of it means. I can't wait to explain to her that we celebrate Christmas because that's when Jesus was born and Easter is amazing because Jesus rose from the dead. It will be so great when she has her first understanding of what this means.

So, I'll stop ranting now so you can see pictures of Riley.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Christmas seems to sneak up on me most years and this year is no exception. I can’t believe that there is just a week left now. I find myself having too much to do this year before it arrives. Presents to buy, presents to wrap, a house to clean, goodies to make… I need to stop and take a step back and remember that all of this is not what Christmas is about. It is about the birth of Christ. I should be able to remember that this year of all years. With Riley being so small still she should be my constant reminder of God’s love for us and the way he was willing to send his son to us. It’s amazing to watch Riley this Christmas season and think about how Jesus did so many of the same things. To be able to look at her smile and know that our Savior had the same tiny, toothless, smiley face so many years ago. I hope that I will take the time to enjoy the true meaning for the season. (Thanks to my little girl for the reminders.)

Away in a Manger...

So the other night Riley Starred in her first play, as the Baby Jesus in Redeemer's Children's Musical. Mommy was Mary, and Daddy was Joseph. And while the crowd was absolutely enchanted with such a cute little baby Jesus, what they didn't see was little Riley entertaining herself while in the manger. She started sucking on the side of her hand, and slowly began to work towards working her entire fist into her mouth. We thought for sure she was going to choke. What a cute little girl.

One Month

Today Riley is a month old. That's hard to believe. In some ways it seems like she was born just a few days ago and in other ways it seems as though she has always been a part of our lives. People have been asking me how being a mother is and I'm never quite sure how to respond. I figured out why this is yesterday. Even though I've only been a mother for a month it seems like that is how life has always been. It's hard even to remember what life what like before parenthood.
Here's a few pictures from the last month: