Riley's 1st Birthday Party

Happy Birthday Riley!

Daddy's Retirement Party

Last night my mom and dad came into town expecting to attend Riley's birthday party the following day. Little did my dad know that everyone was in on his "Surprise" Retirement Party.

Around 5:30p last night I suggested that we go eat pizza at Lil' Cucci's Restaurant. They all agreed that would be a great place to eat considering it was a little late to be cooking. Or at least that is the excuse I gave. My dad bought into it and off we went to enjoy a nice dinner out. When we arrived the whole gang was there to greet daddy with a huge welcome. He had no idea that we were planning this in his honor. The food was delicious as always and daddy especially loved his cake. Casey's Cakes did a fantastic job making a replica of his truck.

Congratulations on your retirement! Sit back and kick up your feet awhile. After 24 1/2 Years of service....you deserve it!
I love you so much!

Snow Day

We finally got our first snow of the season. Campbell enjoyed every minute of it. Although, after going through three pairs of gloves, she decided that she had her fill of snow for the day. She rather look at it from inside the house. Apparently, she doesn't like her hands to be cold and wet. So, she came back inside and had hot chocolate and soup for lunch.

Riley was napping through our play time, but it actually worked out great because I was able to do some snow shoveling.

Unfortunately, Brent had to go into work today....as usual. That's the price you pay for working for the railroad. Or any transportation company for that matter.

You won't here me complaining...nope! I'm very pleased with my one good snow for the year!

Boot Camp

I've said that I have wanted to go through boot camp for several months now. Well, tomorrow is the big day. No, I'm not talking about military boot camp. It's a class conducted by Oasis Chiropractic Clinic that teaches how to live a healthier lifestyle. I'm more or less going to be detoxing for the next two weeks. It sounds rather odd, but I have heard so many good things about it. I'm not exactly thrilled about eating asparagus for the next two weeks for dinner, but I can handle anything for two weeks. I've carried two children in my womb for crying out loud!

I'll keep you posted.

No More Bottles

Riley copies everything that Campbell does. So, when I decided it was time for Riley to give up the bottle it was a piece of cake. She didn't even put up much of a fight. Now she is drinking water and milk out of a sippy cup like she has been doing it all of her life.

My baby girl is growing up so fast.

A New Year

We survived the Holidays and it was as magical as it could be....especially when my girls saw all the gifts under the tree. Well, at least Campbell. Riley was content playing with the ribbons and bows.

Looking back, I was trying to member all the "moments" that happened during 2007. It was a special year and I look forward to what "the new year" will bring to our family.

Here's a glimpse of 2007:

January - The birth of Riley.

February - Brent celebrated his 35th birthday.

March - We started potty training Campbell.

April - Campbell celebrated her 3rd birthday.

May - We took our first family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC. We can't wait to go back!

June - Our brand new refrigerator stopped working and it took the repair man three visits and two faulty parts later to fix the problem.


July - Riley got dedicated at our church.

August - We took Riley to her first baseball game.

September - I celebrated my 35th birthday.

October - Campbell FINALLY was potty trained by this month!!!

November - We traveled to Alabama to do our Merry Thanksgiving with my parents. (Thanksgiving and Christmas combined)

December - Participated in two cookie changes and attended five Christmas parties during this month.

Yule Log

Can you believe I made a Holiday Yule Log for our Christmas Eve Dinner? I've seen plenty of pictures of them and I told myself I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Well, I decided this was the year to give it a try. The cake itself came from a cake mix out of a box. However, the filling and frosting were made from scratch using all natural ingredients. I have to admit...I am so proud of myself! : )

So, does it look like a branch to you?

Christmas Lights

Last night, Nana and the four of us went to the Elk Home to look at Christmas lights. The Christmas music was blaring on the radio the whole way there. Campbell and I were singing to the top of our lungs. Riley was just looking at us the entire time and making noises. So, you could say that she was joining in with us!

They had over 50,000 lights on the grounds! It was absolutely beautiful! I was extremely impressed they focused on baby Jesus and encouraged the parents to talk about the birth of our King while looking at the scenery. How refreshing!

After taking in all the lights, we headed over to The Station for a cup of hot chocolate. The perfect ending to the perfect day!

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Campbell and I are starting a new tradition by making Gingerbread Men Cookies during the Holidays. She loves to be in the kitchen with me and trying new recipes just as much as I do. Our favorite part is sampling the food along the way. Especially the beaters from the electric hand mixer.

I wonder what we will whip up in the kitchen next week?

Just wait....Riley will be able to help us next year!

Christmas Dresses

This morning Nana and I took the girls to the Hotel Roanoke for some Christmas photo's in their matching dresses. I just loved this picture of the girls standing in front of a huge mirror. Isn't it adorable! What a good Christmas card this will make!

Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread House

Look what we made!

We all put on our jammies and went to town on decorating the gingerbread house. I just love Christmas!

Our Wedding Anniversary

Look what I got for my Wedding Anniversary present! A coffee maker! I can't wait to use it tomorrow morning.

We have been married for 6 years now with two beautiful children. I'm looking forward to many more happy memories together.

Brent and I are going out on a date and the girls are having a sleep over at Nana's house tonight. Yes....both of them! She is a brave woman!

What am I going to wear?

Atlanta Aquarium

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, my parents, the Munsey Clan and I went to see the most fascinating creatures at the Atlanta Aquarium. Campbell loved it and can't wait to go back.

After re-visiting the Atlanta area, we have a greater appreciation of Roanoke and our slow pace of life.

Merry Thanksgiving

Tomorrow the four of us are leaving for Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We are just about packed and ready to go. I'm especially excited because this will be Riley's first Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one weekend. Considering it is hard for us to make the trip up for both Holidays, we just combine them into one big event. So, that is why it is called, "Merry Thanksgiving". It has a nice ring to it...don't you think?

This year is going to be special because my parents and the Munsey clan are planning on going to the Atlanta Aquarium on Black Friday. Afterwards, we will get to spend some time with some dear friends of ours. (David and Trish and their two kids.)

On Saturday, all of the Day/Munsey/Bryants will get our family portraits taken and on Sunday will plan on opening Christmas presents after lunch. We have a lot planned while we are in town, but it will be so much fun!

This is wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends!

Thankful

Brent and I are surrounded with loving family and friends. It especially became clear to me when Brent committed on going to the Emmaus Walk this weekend. I was so amazed with all the support that was given to him through emails, letters, and phone calls.

Brent was clueless on some of the "behind the scene" stuff that was going on around him. For starters, my pastor from church called and asked me to provide him with encouraging letters upon his arrival. Also, he went out of his way to provide Brent his favorite snacks....chips and dip with Caffeine Free Diet Dr. Pepper. Brent is going to be a happy man!

Thank you for your prayers, friendship and most importantly...love.

Brownies

Campbell helped me make brownies today after lunch for my weekly bible study that is meeting at my house tonight. She surprised me when she told me to set the oven on 3-5-0-F. Then I realized that she was reading the pictures on the back of the brownie box. Next, she preceded to tell me to put the pan into the oven.

While the brownies were baking, I went up stairs to do some chores. A little later on, she came up to tell me the timer was going off and that I needed to get the brownies out of the oven.

How did I ever survive this long without her?

After the brownies had cooled, Brent was home by this time. You always have to test your goods before giving them to your guest, so I nibbled on a corner piece. I thought it tasted rather odd. I asked Brent to try some as well, but he didn't really notice the difference. Then I realized that I had used Olive Oil instead of Vegetable Oil so it would seem a little more "health conscious".

Boy was I mistaken! They had the worst after taste of any dessert I had ever made. Needless to say, they ended up in the trash can! YUCK!

I am not a baker! I like to use a little bit of this and that in my recipes. You can't do that with desserts. Oh no...it is a formula.

I made a call to my sister for some help and she reminded me that I needed to substitute apple sauce in the place of the oil. Now you tell me....

I'll never make that mistake again.

So, at the last minute I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up some Boston Cream Cake for tonight. Campbell didn't seem to mind that her brownies were missing in action. She was just thrilled to be eating cake!

I think we can all learn from her. A little grace and mercy goes a long way!

Halloween

Campbell wanted to be a black kitty cat for Halloween. So, I did what any good mother would do. I dressed her up as a cat. She and her friends in the neighborhood had so much fun on Wednesday night while trick - or - treating.

A few of us moms huddled together because our girls are all the same age. We were amazed how much faster it went this year than last. We come to the conclusion that they were a little more confident and they would run from house to house screaming, "I want candy"!

Campbell couldn't wait to get home to see all the candy she received. It was so exciting. It made me want to be a kid again. Then again....she only wants the hard candy. Leaving me with all the chocolate!

I really wanted to get Riley in the photo's but she wasn't feeling very well. Later on we found out that she had an ear infection. Hopefully, we'll get some good Halloween pictures of her next year.

First of Many

Riley has her first tooth! It hasn't quite made a full appearance yet, but you can defititely feel it.

We had lunch at Diane's house after church. We all noticed that Riley was being a little fussy today. So, Diane asked if she was teething? Sure enough, we felt the tip of the tooth when we ran our fingers over her gums. So, that explains why my sweet little girl was a grump-a-lump.

MOPS and POPS

Each semester our MOPS group has a night where the moms and dads can come together for a night of fun. Childcare is provided, so it is a win - win situation for both parents and children.

This semester we decided to have a "Fall" theme where dress up was optional. Brent and I decided to borrow some clothes from his mom and her husband and go as bikers. Since we don't have a Harley Davidson Motorcycle, we decided to call ourselves the "minivan warriors".

All the parents had such a wonderful time and was able to be a kid all over again. We ate pizza, attempted to eat donuts off a sting without using our hands, stuffed as many marshmallows in our mouth as we possibly could, and played the DVD version of Family Feud.

When we got home, Nana had both girls in bed. It was a perfect night!

Nine Months Old

Can you believe that Riley is already nine months old?

I took her in for her well visit today and she weighed 17 pounds and 2 ounces. Her height is 27 3/4 inches long. Basically, she is in the 25-50 percentile at the moment. Her doctor said that she was doing great and he wanted to see her in three months at her 12 month visit.

Wait a minute.....12 months?? No way! My little girl growing up way too fast.

I'm in denial.