Conversations With Cute: Wedding

We'd been reading Eloise At The Wedding (Riley's favorite of the flower girl books I got from the library). In the story Eloise meets a bride who's getting married in the ballroom of the hotel she lives in. The bride is crying because her flower girl is sick. She says:

My flower girl is sick. How can I get married?

Riley came into my room one morning and looked at me sweetly and said:
Mommy, How can I get married?
(a little taken a back) Well...You meet your prince, he puts a ring on your finger, you buy a dress and have a wedding.
Yup! (pushes her doll stroller down the hall)
A few minutes later I realized she was quoting the book and felt silly.

A different day she brought me my butterfly kneeling pad from outside and said Here Mommy! For your weddin' day. Here ya go! For your weddin' day. Who knows what she thought I'd need that for...

Riley was in Daddy's arms yesterday and I reached up and gave her a squeeze. She grabbed my hand and said: What's that?. Mike answered that it was my ring.

Who gave me that ring, Riley? (fully expecting her to say Daddy)
The prince! (she obviously remembered our conversation from the other day)
That's right. What does that ring mean?
Silence
(prompting) We're going to have...
CAKE!!!
She's not wrong.

Today she noticed flowers on her shirt and exclaimed:
Look! I have weddin' flowers on my shirt!

Up, Up, and Away!

Up, up with a Riley!

All the cool kids travel by balloon

She made it

Comming down

Perfect landing

Watching the fun

All pictures by Lara Coughlin Photography

Conversations With Christmas Cute

Riley:(Sees an inflatable snowman out the car window) Hi! (S)nowman. (waving).
Mommy:(laughing)That's nice Riley
Riley: (as we're pulling into the driveway, still waving) Hi, hi (s)nowman. (her voice lowers slightly) Hi, Riley!
Mommy: (laughing harder)
Riley: Did you hear the (s)nowman say hi?
Mommy: Yes, what a friendly snowman.

Riley was being very two the other day. Finally I made her look at me and asked her to be a good listener.
Mommy: Riley, be a good girl. You know what? Santa only brings toys to the good girls who listen to their mommies. You want Santa to bring you toys, don't you?
Riley: Gonna be good, yeah. Santa bring toys, yeah.
Sometime later
Mommy: Riley that's not nice! Mommy doesn't like that. Santa doesn't like that. What does Santa like?
Riley: Reindeer!
Although she missed my point she wasn't wrong.

All That Is Unsaid

It seems my sense of humor has been reading a little dark and depressed lately. I am very happy to be settled in the new house and estatic to be planning my wedding. I am thrilled at the forward movement of my writing career regardless of the recent lost opportunity. I am quite pleased at the level of recovery I've reached at this point, although healing NEVER happens fast enough. Eight hours to put the rod in the spine and two years to "regain original level of functionality." I am over the moon at Riley's verbal communication and potty usage.

My house is full of scenes like this:

That's Isaac in the bug costume he made at Science Camp. As usual Riley is looking on in awe.

Or these:

Yup, that's Riley building with Isaac's Construx

It was a Saturday afternoon when this gleeful raiding of her brother's toys took place. Where was Isaac? You'd never guess.

You're seeing correctly, that's Isaac playing with Riley's toys by himself.

Hee, hee. Busted.

The joy and silliness often spills out into the backyard, when it's not too hot.

Close up on Isaac McSpeedy Pants.

Waving hi from her favorite place on earth. Swing!!

So, dear readers take my sarcasm in the spirit it was intended and know that for every frustrated rant I publish I live a hundred joyful moments that I keep just for me. Excuse me while I go tickle a toddler.

Have Toddler Will Travel? Step Three

Have you ever noticed that the way there always feels longer than the way home? This particular trip home, starting out earlier in the day and not squashing myself into the back seat added to that feeling. I can't be sure how Riley perceived the distance on the way home, but a freshly washed car seat and a nicely timed nap may have given her the same impression,



We stopped at a gas station where lumberjack Riley woke up hungry. With a full gas tank (thank you mom for doing all the driving!!) and empty bladders we perused the snacks. Armed with animal crackers and an apple juice with a Mickey Mouse head on it we hit the road again, It's interesting to note that Riley wasn't thrilled about the animal crackers until I explained holding up the little elastic strap "Look Riley, it's a purse." At that point she dropped the sippy she was holding, squealed with excitement, and put on the "cookie purse". Where does she get this super girlie side?



We sang songs and read books all the way home. Riley was so happy to see Daddy and brother she tried to bust through her car seat buckles.  You would have thought we were gone for months watching the joyous reunion.

Every time I think I'm better "enough" to travel back to my past life to see "my family" from before I had this one, I take a short trip like this and realize I'm not.  If a weekend away wrecks me there are no 2,000mile trips in  the near future. This is more crushing a blow because I'm so sick of being here. I'm tired of not going anywhere. Traveling was a big part of the before life and the world shrunk down to an occasional 20min drive from home. The universe is centered around my living room, for now...