Christmas 2010

My perfect kids on our perfect Christmas with our perfect families. It just doesn't get any better than this!

Smiles make it all worth it....

I'm sorry!

I am embarrassed that I haven't updated this blog in over a month! I have been extremely busy and now I am back at work which will make it even harder. Plus, our computer is not the best and it now takes me forever to load pictures and add posts. Van is still growing and doing great! Riley is a great big sister and is doing great as well.

Van had some tummy trouble for a while but we switched his formula and (fingers crossed) it is working. He has slept through the night for 3 nights now and isn't having the horrible stomach pains he was having. Now that I am back at work it is a requirement that he sleeps through the night! He has gotten so big! He weighed 10 lbs 13 oz and was 22 inches long at his 2 month check up. I must say, I still worship this little guy! Just like Riley has Daddy wrapped around her sticky little finger......I have a feeling I will be the same with Van. He's just so precious. Every time I look at him I am am overjoyed. I am so lucky to have 2 of the best kids in the world! I am embarrassed to say I have a stupid nickname for him. It's "Bitty". I hope I come up with a better one down the road. Anyone that knows me knows I always have nicknames for people. Can't help it! I have called Van my "Bitty Boy" since he was born and it has sense shortened to just Bitty. I have no control over these things. I promise. My niece, Taylor, got stuck with the name "Bug" and no matter how hard I try she will always be Bug. What's done it done!
Riley (Baby) is turning into to such a grown up girl! She has fallen in love.....with Justin Beiber! This kid is obsessed! She talks about him constantly. It's too much, really. She's too young for that!! She does still love music and dancing. I am desperate to get her into dance classes but she has to be potty trained and I am begging her daily to get this potty thing under control so we can enroll in classes. She is halfway there but we still have some work ahead of us. I know she would love to be in dance! Baby has changed so much. She is very independent and wants to do everything herself. She gets that from me. She is also testing the waters as to how far she can push Mommy and Daddy. She is very challenging right now....that's putting it mildly. Thanks goodness she so stinkin' cute or it wouldn't fly in our house! At least it wouldn't with me....Daddy lets her get away with anything!

I will hopefully get some pictures loaded soon of Christmas and both kids. We need a new computer!!!

Riley, Van and Friends

Riley and Holden

Riley and Cole

Here are a few pictures of Riley and Van with some new friends. Holden is my friend Beth's little boy who is 2 1/2 and Cole is Tonya's baby who is 3 weeks older than Van. Hopefully all these kids will grow up to be great friends!

Van is almost 4 weeks old!

My little boy is almost 4 weeks old. I can't believe it! My life has been so crazy! I have to say that I am handling it much better than I thought I would. It's much easier with the 2nd baby. I am adjusting to taking care of him and don't feel like I am in a fog like I was last time. I am much more prepared! Of course, being prepared for a baby does not make taking care of two kids easy at all! I don't have time to do anything when I have both kids. Luckily, I have lots of help and only have both kids by myself a few days a week. But, on those days I am beat by the end of the day!

Van is such a joy that it makes it all worth it. I am so in love with him! He is such a good baby. He is a lot more vocal that Riley was at this age and he doesn't sleep nearly as much as most newborns but he is still a pretty good baby. He'll sit in his bouncy seat and just look around for the longest time. He's very curious and very serious. He only has one look and it's "serious". You can almost picture the wheels turning in his head trying to figure this all out. Van is doing pretty good at nighttime now. He wouldn't sleep without me holding him for the first few weeks but now I can put him in his crib and he'll talk himself to sleep. He doesn't really care for the binky which is good and bad. It will be nice to not have to deal with binkies but it sure is nice to "put a cork in it" when they are fussy.

Overall, we are pretty stinkin' happy here. Life is crazy busy and I sure don't get enough sleep but having two beautiful, healthy kids is about as good as it gets. Oh, and our furry kids, Brown and Cal, are great with Van..... just like I knew they would be!

Riley's 3rd Birthday

Riley had her 3rd birthday party on November 21st. We started the weekend off going to the zoo (which is her favorite place) and then had a party at our house Sunday evening. By the time her actual birthday rolled around she was a little confused as to when her birthday really was. However, she loved celebrating it for several days. She opened all her gifts by herself and had a great time playing with all her toys. I can't believe she is 3! She can't believe it either. She loves telling people how old she is. Riley has grown so much. She pretty much wants to do everything on her own now. She wants to dress herself, pick out her food and brush her own teeth. I love how grown up she's getting but sometimes it's a battle trying to get out the door. She wants to put her jacket on herself, open the door herself, get in the car seat by herself..... sometimes we don't have time for all that! Still, she is so much fun right now. No one could entertain us like she does!

Big Sister

Riley is pretty proud of her little brother. She was so happy when she first saw him and she has been fascinated by him since we got home. She couldn't see him in the hospital (except right after he was born) so she was very excited to finally get to touch him. She has been great with him and we couldn't have asked for her to adjust better than she is. She is fighting for attention a little, but overall, she loves her baby brother!