The Grier's

A Rite of Manhood

2012-02-15T11:53:00.001-07:00

TJ decided it was time to teach Riker how to be a man.
And the manliest of men need to shave.

He looks older, don’t you think?

Lovey Love Day

2012-02-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

I’m spending this Valentine’s Day with my favorite people.

My squishy little Livvy Bug

My little heartbreaker

And my handsome husband.

I must be the luckiest girl ever.

Risky Business

2012-02-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

If you stop by our house after 6pm on any given day, Riker is usually not wearing pants.
Mainly because his parents are just too lazy to put his pants back on after changing his diaper…
I mean, he’s going to be putting pajamas on in a few hours so why bother putting the pants back on.

Today was no different.
Riker had a diaper change around 6:30…pants were left off.
And since he was still wearing his church shirt, I just had to give him some sunglasses.

Pretty sure this picture will be shown at his wedding some day.
And I’m also pretty sure that Riker looks so much better sporting this look than Tom Cruise did.

2 Month Stats

2012-02-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

Olivia had her 2 month check up at the doctor’s today.

Weight: 10 lbs, 14 oz (49th percentile)
length: 22 inches (34th percentile)

She’s chunking up quite nicely!

And, for comparisons sake…
Olivia’s stats are birth:
weight: 7 lbs, 3 oz
height: 18.5 inches long

Two Months

2012-02-01T17:40:00.001-07:00

Olivia. Livvy. Livvy Boo. Livvy Bivvy. Livvy Love. Liv. liv-meister.

no matter what you call her, she’s the cutest little girl around!

Her doctor’s appointment is scheduled for Friday, so her cuurent stats are still unknown.

at two months old, Olivia is:

*eating every 3-3.5 hours
*drinking formula exclusively
*sleeping 8 hours straight at night
*smiling and cooing
*still the prettiest little baby ever!

35 Things: Update

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

remember my list of 35 things to do this year? I’m slowly whittling away at it. In case you care, here’s an update:

#5: Try one new recipe a week
*honey bbq meatloaf: gross…basically meat mush on a plate
*alfredo lasagna roll ups: yummy and easy!
*black bean & guac burritos: tasty tasty…we left out the lettuce, only because we didn’t have any
*homemade pizzas: simple and better than the rhodes rolls I usually use!
*green monster smoothies: my new obsession, we drink one every day now!

#8: read 30 books
I read three books this month…
*Crossed by ally condie
*A child called “it” by dave pelzer
*heaven is for real by todd burpo
I actually read a fourth book (The guernsey literary and potato peel pie society), but it was a reread for book club so I can’t count it

#9: complete an act of service each month
did it…felt the warm fuzzies.

#24: get a hair cut
mom trimmed my hair while she was visiting…totally counting it! However, at some point this year I’d actually like to cut my hair…I just have to convince TJ to let me!

#28: floss daily for 21 days
it’s been 25 days so far and I’m still going strong…my dentist will think I’m awesome.

I started feeling a little antsy, thinking I hadn’t done enough this month…but then I remembered that there are still 11 more months to go. so in that case, I think I’m off to a pretty good start this year!

did you write a list? how you doin’?

My Name Is Lisa and I’m A Choco-holic

2012-01-31T12:45:00.001-07:00

It’s true…
I love chocolate.
But not like the fancy, gourmet chocolates.
I like regular-people chocolate…
M&Ms and Kisses (both preferably with almonds!),
Snickers and Kit Kats and Butterfingers.
But if you love something, you will let it go…
or something like that.

One of my “35 Things” is a month of no sweets,
so I am officially declaring February my sweet-free month.
It’s probably the worst month ever to do this, since Valentine’s Day is all about the chocolate and candy.
But since I’m also trying to fit into “those jeans” again, this is the best month for me to take on this challenge.
And it will be a challenge.So I’m counting on all of

you to provide moral support.
Luckily for me, February is the shortest month
(even though leap year is making it a little longer this year).
Now if you will excuse me, today is my last day to enjoy my sweets
so I’m off to empty the candy bowl!

Bumbo Babies

2012-01-25T17:39:00.001-07:00

Here’s a picture of Riker sitting in his Bumbo at 10 weeks:

And here is Olivia sitting in the same Bumbo at 7 weeks:

definitely brother and sister!
Olivia hasn’t gotten as chunky as Riker…but give her time!
and she definitely has more hair than he did!

And just for kicks, here’s another picture of Riker sitting in the bumbo…

still a chunk.
still not wearing pants.
still adorable.

Life According To My Phone

2012-01-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

It’s cold outside and I’m too scared to leave my house with both kids, so we’ve been entertaining ourselves within the confines of our house.

We listen to music…

make cute faces…

snuggle…

make forts…

clean the house…

take lots of naps…

and grow up way too fast!

More smiles from Olivia

2012-01-25T14:46:00.002-07:00

Olivia's coos and smiles are my current favorite thing!

Smiles!

2012-01-13T13:49:00.001-07:00

Olivia started smiling this past weekend…
I think it’s because her grandparents were in town.
Being around family makes me smile too.

Miss olivia is also starting to chunk up a bit…
just check out that double chin!
adorbs!

“Two” Cute!

2012-01-13T12:41:00.001-07:00

Riker is 2 years old.
I know, I can’t believe it either.

He had his check up with the doctor today…
30 lbs, 11.2 oz (80th percentile)
2 ft, 11 in (67th percentile)
he’s just a solid little dude.

riker is a pretty great two year old.
he definitely has his “two year old” moments, but for the most part he is a pretty amazing kid!

Birthday Buddies

2012-01-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

Riker made his debut appearance the day after TJ’s birthday.

Which means these two boys will be celebrating their birthdays together every year.

Yesterday was TJ’s 28th birthday and today is Riker’s 2nd birthday.

Happy birthday to my two favorite boys!

Blessing Day!

2012-01-08T16:43:00.001-07:00

Olivia was blessed in church on Sunday January 8th.

TJ gave Olivia a beautiful blessing
and she didn’t make a peep through the whole thing!

My parents were able to come out for this special day
(and it was even more special since it was also their 30th anniversary!)

We sure are happy to have little Miss Olivia in our family!

And Riker too, of course!

Snow Fail

2012-01-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

Winter in Ohio is my least favorite.
It’s cold.
And windy.
And snowy.
And icy.
But thanks to an unseasonably warm winter, so far it is just chilly.
And windy.
It’s always windy in Ohio.

We’ve only had one snowfall so far, which was really just a light dusting.
TJ made sure to take Riker out to experience the snow before it all melted
(which it did the very next day)

Today it is 55* and sunny.
Definitely not the weather we have come to expect in Ohio in January.
But I will take sunshine and warmth over cloudy and bitterly cold any day!

Five Years

2012-01-06T06:42:00.001-07:00

Who knew that in just five years, we would go from THIS:

to THIS!?

We’ve been through a lot in the last five years.
undergraduate degrees, moving, pregnancies and babies, law school, and more!
Now we can’t wait to see what the next five years will bring!
happy anniversary to us!

One Month

2012-01-01T18:00:00.001-07:00

At one month, Olivia is:

eating every 2.5-3 hours
drinking breast milk and formula
sleeping most of the day
sleeping one long stretch at night, usually from 11pm-ish until 4am-ish
learning how to sleep in her own bed instead of in her bouncer
the prettiest little girl i’ve ever birthed!

35 Things To Do In 2012

2011-12-31T22:06:00.001-07:00

I never set New Year’s resolutions.
I’ve tried in the past and have always failed…
so why bother.
Last year, my darling friend Katie compiled a list of “Things To Do” in lieu of writing Resolutions.
I find this idea to be genius and am therefore copying her.

Some of my “things” are long term or recurring projects.
other “things” are short term, one time deals.
but everything on my list is totally do-able
and I WILL do everything on my list in 2012.

make eggs benedict
no sweets for one month
go on a hike
make and print 50 recipe cards
try one new recipe a week
write one blog post a day for a month
send 10 thank you cards for no real reason
read 30 books
complete an act of service every month
sew an article of clothing
fit into “those jeans” again
have family pictures taken
send out Christmas Cards
take a spinning class
Find a chocolate chip cookie recipe TJ actually likes
go on a picnic
go to the temple once a week for one month
Find a name to take to the temple
read the whole book of mormon
save up to buy something I want
create a grocery budget
never go to bed with a dirty kitchen for a month
Make my bed every day for a month
get a hair cut
one day a month with no internet
Throw a party
Try a new restaurant
floss daily for 21 days
Print pictures to finish Riker’s clock
hang a picture of Christ in home
donate old clothes to goodwill
Make homemade baby food
make something with my cricut
Create something to display in home
move to arizona

Happy 2012!

2011: A Look Back

2011-12-31T16:59:00.001-07:00

January: TJ turned 27 and Riker turned 1!

February: Annual Super Bowl Party

March: Warmer weather = lots of trips to the park

April: Neighborhood Easter egg hunt

May: The beginning of our summer in AZ

June: Riker was stung by not one but TWO bees!

July: My sister Summer got married!

August: Lisa turned 26

September: Riker’s first trip to the ER

October: Halloween party

November: Playing in the fall leaves daily

December: Olivia was born!

2011 was full of fun activities.
Choosing just one picture for each month was difficult…there were just so many memories!

2012 promises to be a year of change for our family.
a few things that I’m definitely looking forward to include:
TJ graduating from law school and our little family moving back to Az.

I can’t wait to see what else 2012 brings!

Toot Sweet

2011-12-29T19:46:00.001-07:00

Olivia is four weeks old today.
Four weeks!
I know, I can hardly believe it myself.
She continues to be the prettiest little girl ever…
even when she toots.
And since Olivia seems to be the gassiest baby ever,
we see her cute toot faces quite often.

if only we all looked this cute when we were tooting!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

Riker is still too young to wake up crazy early on Christmas morning.
However, after being up all night with a newborn, 7:30am feels way too early!
Riker woke up asking for cookies
(he was very distraught the night before when we left the cookies out for Santa…Riker really didn’t want to share his cookies!).
We finally convinced him that presents were better than cookies, so we headed downstairs to open our gifts.

Riker’s reaction to opening presents was perfect.
Each time he was handed a new gift, he would loudly exclaim “what is it!?” over and over.
And once the present was opened, he wanted to play with it right away and didn’t care that there were more gifts to open!

Thanks to our parents, TJ and I both received very generous gifts.

And we can’t forget about Miss Olivia.
She scored some sweet gifts too, even though she might not seem to care.

The rest of our day was spent lounging around in our new pajamas, playing with new toys, and eating the candy from Riker’s stocking while he napped.

We missed all our family, but enjoyed spending a quiet Christmas with our little family.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T15:32:00.001-07:00

Christmas Eve is my favorite.
I think I love Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day.
My family has a fiesta every Christmas Eve, complete with a pinata.
since TJ and I decided to stay in Columbus this year, I wanted to recreate some of my family’s traditions.
I bought all the groceries to make a delicious Mexican dinner…
and around noon on Christmas eve, I realized that I forgot to start cooking it.
Since it takes about 12 hours to cook, we needed a plan b.

And that’s how we ended up eating Christmas Eve dinner at Macaroni Grill.
I had no idea so many people ate out on Christmas Eve.

My mom decided to start a new tradition for Christmas Eve this year…
ugly Christmas sweaters.
We participated via Skype.

TJ’s is a ladies turtleneck sweater.
be jealous.
Unfortunately, none of our ugly sweaters won…
Mike’s sweater had a leg lamp on it, so you know he had to win.

When we were tired of wearing our ugly sweaters, it was time to open our pajamas from Mrs. Claus.
Riker was not so excited about his gift
(I guess pajamas aren’t that exciting to an almost two year old)
but he loved ripping the paper.

Robot pajamas for Riker…

and OSU pajamas for TJ and Lisa!

Olivia got pajamas too
(but her’s are from Grandma lewis…not Mrs. Claus)

Her jammies were a tad bit too big for her
but she looked adorable nonetheless!

Oh, and check our Riker’s sweet Rudolph slippers
(courtesy of Grandma Lewis!)
He thought he was so cool walking around in them!

Merry Christmas from the Griers!

Cookies For Santa

2011-12-24T20:39:00.002-07:00

Riker hasn’t fully grasped the concept of Christmas yet.
He knows what a Christmas tree is and will point out all the Christmas lights…
but ask him about Santa and he’ll give you a blank stare.
So in an effort to help Riker understand who Santa is, we decided to bake cookies to leave out on Christmas Eve.

Fun fact: the Grier’s do not own cookie cutters so we used a Halloween cup to cut out our Christmas cookies

Fun fact: Riker refused to pick up the cookie himself because it was “messy”…yet he didn’t care when his face was messy!

And where was Olivia during all this cookie baking?
Chillin’ on the couch.
Looking adorable.

Fun fact: when we put out a plate of cookies and glass of milk for Santa before bed tonight, Riker had a major meltdown…
he was not happy that he didn’t get to eat the cookies himself.
I don’t think he’s a fan of Santa.

Hooray for Visitors!

2011-12-20T19:03:00.001-07:00

My baby sister Jessica came to visit for a few days.
She wanted to come hang out with me…
and play with Riker…
and check out baby Olivia.

She definitely got some quality time with Olivia,
helping to snuggle and feed and change her stinky diapers.

The timing of Jessica’s visit was perfect.
Since Christmas is just a few days away, I desperately needed to do some shopping…
and since I’m terrified of even attempting to leave the house with both kids by myself, Jessica was my special little helper.

We made a stop in Macys to write letters to Santa.
Jessica’s letter was extra special…

Thanks for coming to visit, Caca!
We miss you already!

The Year We Stole Christmas

2011-12-20T18:41:00.001-07:00

There has been a serious lack of Christmas spirit in the Grier household this year.
No decorations. No holiday music. Nothing.
All of this changed, however, when our neighbors went to visit family for Christmas.
Our neighbors had all sorts of Christmas spirit.
Even though they weren’t planning to stay in Ohio for Christmas, their house was fully decorated.
They even had a TREE!

TJ drove these neighbors to the airport on Saturday…
and on Sunday, we stole their Christmas tree!

My baby sister Jessica was in town visiting
so I made her decorate our newly acquired tree.

In addition to our tree, we hung lights and ornaments in the window and a wreath on the door.
We are so festive, I know!

Riker is starting to grasp the concept of Christmas and gets excited when he sees Christmas trees, lights, and snowmen.
he is already anxious to open all the presents.
Hopefully we can keep them wrapped until Christmas day!

Warning: Picture Overload!

2011-12-11T13:51:00.001-07:00

A couple months ago, I won a free “mini session” with a photographer.
Of course, I had to use that mini session to get some newborn shots taken of Olivia!

I know, my kids are pretty much the cutest ever!
Now I just have to decide which ones to print and hang.

Lest You Think I Forgot About Child #1…

2011-12-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

Riker is still here and is still as cute as ever!
He has turned into quite the little ham, showing off for anyone who will give him the smallest amount of attention.

He basically spends him days ignoring Olivia.
Every now and then he will acknowledge her presence…
but he’d rather just play with him mom.

Using his camera (which doesn’t work…but he doesn’t care),
he will shout “say cheese” at anything he sees…
including his diaper and football!

When he saw me taking a couple pictures of baby Olivia,
he turned the camera in her direction and started clicking away!

Of course, seconds later he was attempting to see if he could somehow crawl underneath her chair
(which I quickly discouraged!).
I continue to be amazed at how big my baby boy is these days.
I swear, he was still itty bitty a week ago…
now, he’s a big boy.

One Week Old

2011-12-09T14:09:00.001-07:00

Miss Olivia had her first doctors appointment yesterday.
She didn’t love being naked
(because she’s a lady!)
but was content to cuddle with mom while wrapped in her blanket.

At one week, Olivia weighs 6 lbs 8 oz (11th percentile).
She isn’t back up to her birth weight yet, so we’ll visit the doctor again next week to check her weight again.
Olivia also measured 19.5” long (35th percentile)…
since this is a whole inch longer than the hospital measured at birth, I’m gonna guess that they were off.
No way she grew an inch in just a week!

Olivia also had her first bath yesterday.
The following pictures are self explanatory!

She definitely did not love being wet and naked!
But once she was dry, dressed, and snuggled she was much happier.
And her hair!
After it was towel dried, Olivia’s hair was the fluffiest hair I’ve ever seen!
She basically looked like the world’s cutest fuzz ball!

I can’t believe it’s already been a week!
also…
I can’t believe it’s only been a week!

Compare and Contrast

2011-12-08T10:02:00.001-07:00

Riker

Olivia

Riker

Olivia

definitely brother and sister.

Big Brother

2011-12-03T05:47:00.001-07:00

Riker is officially a big brother now.
And I mean big.
When he came to the hospital to visit Olivia and I, it seemed like he had grown into a giant over night.

It may have been all the extra hormones that were rushing through my body, but seeing Riker with Olivia had me in tears.
When we set him on the bed and showed Olivia to him for the first time, he poked her nose so gently and said “baby sister". he knew exactly who she was.

Riker was so completely sweet with Olivia. He held her carefully on his little lap and just looked at her face. Of course, after about 10 seconds he was bored with her and wanted to get down to push every single button in the room.

I’m pretty sure Riker will be an amazing big brother.
Olivia is so lucky.

A Baby Story

2011-12-02T19:33:00.001-07:00

Allow me to introduce you to
Olivia Madison Grier…

I know you are just dying to hear all about her, so let’s start from the beginning. Get comfy, because I’m planning to write down every little detail.

Thursday morning, december 1, after a restless/sleepless night, TJ and I woke up early and headed to Riverside Methodist Hospital.
Baby Day was finally here!

We checked in, signed lots of papers, and got prepped for surgery.
For those who do not know, Olivia was breech…just like her big brother. A repeat c-section was scheduled well in advance.
I answered a million questions about my health history, changed into the world’s most flattering gown, and was poked by several needles.
By 9:15am, it was time to head down to the operating room.

Honestly, this planned c-section was a million times more terrifying to me than Riker’s unplanned c-section.
With Riker, everything happened so fast I didn’t have time to be scared. This time, I was completely aware of everything that was happening and I had time to think…thinking is pretty dangerous when you are an emotional pregnant lady full of extra hormones.
My feelings covered the whole range, from excited to nervous, happy to scared. TJ said it was absolutely the opposite for him…
with Riker, he was a nervous wreck who was dry heaving outside the operating room and this time he was calm and cool the whole time.

TJ had to wait outside the Operating room until I was numb and the drapes were set. My anxiousness combined with the frigid temperatures of the Operating room had me shivering from head to toe. Luckily, I had two amazing nurses with me who covered me with warm blankets and held my hand to calm my nerves.
Around 9:30, it was time to receive my spinal tap. Just so you know, spinal taps are painful. Once the meds start flowing, its immediate relief…but all the setup takes several excruciatingly painful minutes. My nerves also started to get the better of me at this point and I was a tad bit hysterical. Again, I am so grateful to my wonderful nurses who stood by my side, letting me squeeze the heck out of their hands as I sobbed like a baby.
The lovely meds finally kicked in, I laid back on the table, and the doctors and nurses sprang into action prepping my belly. TJ was brought into the room, and the sight of him just made me cry even more…I’m telling you, I was pretty much a wreck.

The first cut was made at 9:40am…by 9:47am, they were getting ready to pull the baby out…and at 9:50am, Olivia’s screams filled the air.
My first question was “Is it a girl!?” There was still a little bit of uncertainty based on our unclear ultrasound, so I was eager to know if the drawers full of pink clothes at home would be put to good use or not. I was thrilled when Dr. Sayat brought her around to show me that she was indeed a perfect baby girl.

TJ followed the nurse as she went to clean Olivia up. Her legs stuck straight up, since that was the position she had grown accustomed to the last several months. Olivia did not love the coldness of the room, and she made sure everyone within earshot knew how unhappy she was. But soon she was cleaned and wrapped up as snug as a bug…a really, really, really cute bug.

TJ was thrilled that he was allowed to hold on to Olivia as they finished closing me up. He was already completely smitten with his teeny tiny baby girl. And my tears eventually calmed down enough for me to see her clearly…and it was easy to see that she was simply perfect.

We spent a few hours in recovery, waiting for the feeling to return to my lower half. A spinal tap might hurt like the dickens, but it definitely gets the job done. Unfortunately, it also caused me to feel extremely nauseous. I had to stay reclined back and perfectly still, because every time I would move I had to fight a wave of nausea.

Once I could bend my legs, we were moved into a postpartum room. Phone calls were made to family and friends, pictures were snapped and then quickly emailed, posted to facebook, and sent via text message. How we lived without all this technology is beyond me! We were so excited to have our baby girl with us, we wanted to share our news with everyone!

And, of course, TJ had the honor of changing Olivia’s tar-poop diaper. Having never changed a girl diaper before, he was a bit unsure of how and where and what to wipe…but with a little coaching and encouragement from me, he was successful. Of course, he also said that he will change all of Riker’s diapers from now on if he never has to do another one of Olivia’s…apparently he wasn’t a fan of all the nooks and crannies.

After such a long and stressful day, Olivia was content to sleep the rest of the day. She couldn’t even be bothered to wake up to eat most of the time. But TJ and I were happy to just snuggle with her…and take advantage of her sleepiness to catch up on some sleep ourselves.

I’ve worried about being a mom of two kids. I love Riker so intensely, I wasn’t sure if it was possible to love another baby the same way. But from the moment I heard that first cry, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. It is amazing how much I can love something so small. It is amazing how immediate that love is.

So there you have it, friends. The story of Olivia Madison Grier.
December 1, 2011
9:50am
7 lbs, 3 oz
18.5 inches long

And yes, I am well aware that her initials are OMG…and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t slightly on purpose. At least her name isn’t Penelope Isabelle Grier…or Dianna Olive Grier…or something with even worse initials.

Almost

2011-11-29T21:23:00.001-07:00

Baby Day is almost here.
It is really odd to know the exact date/time that our baby girl will be born.
Riker surprised us by showing up almost 3 weeks early…
but it seems like baby girl is sticking to our plan.
Of course, she still has another day to show up on her own terms!

TJ installed the car seat over the weekend.
Now, every time we get in the car Riker will look at it and announce
“baby sister come home soon!”
I don’t know if he fully understands what that means,
but it sure does make me happy every time I hear it!

turkey day 2011

2011-11-25T19:57:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was perfect.
Completely low-key and stress-free.
I’m all sorts of pregnant these days, and I did not want to deal with the stress of orchestrating a large turkey day feast like I did last year.
Fortunately, our fantastic friends stepped in and took care of every thing.
I made rolls (from a can) and stuffing (from a box)…so I totally contributed!
We literally ate until we thought we’d never be able to eat another bite again…
then went back for more a couple hours later!

\There is no way I can write a complete list of everything that I am thankful for, so I’ll just state the obvious.

my husband
my son
my soon-to-be-here baby girl
my family
my friends
my Church

an incompletele list…but definitely the things that matter most.

(oh, and I’m having a baby in 6 days…no biggie)

Foto Flashback

2011-11-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

Last night after bath time, I wrapped Riker up in his puppy dog towel.
He looked super duper cute, so I snapped a picture.

Of course, seeing that picture made me remember the first time Riker used his puppy dog towel:

Goodness…he used to be so itty bitty!
Riker has been looking so big to me lately.
I love watching him grow
but I’m excited for baby girl to get here so I can have something teeny tiny to hold again!
(just 3 more weeks!)

Hooray For Fall!

2011-11-06T17:35:00.001-07:00

Here in Ohio, there is a lovely season called fall…or autumn…whichever you prefer.

It is during this season that the leaves on the trees change from green to orange…or red…or yellow.

These colorful leaves eventually fall to the ground, where energetic toddlers make sure to stomp and jump and kick every single crunchy leaf.

And, if said energetic toddler is lucky enough to find a stick
the crunchy, colorful leaves will also be poked.

The giant tree outside our front door is almost completely bare
and the grassy area where we love to play is covered with crunchy, colorful leaves.

Riker asks, multiple times a day, to play in the leaves outside.
he will drag his feet through the piles and stomp with all his might to make sure he smashes every one.
We sure do love fall…
autumn…
whatever.

It’s Mo-vember

2011-11-01T07:13:00.001-07:00

Halloween: Part 2

2011-10-31T17:32:00.001-07:00

Our ward Halloween party was Friday night.
Which means all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Riker continued to ask for “candy! trick or treat!”
Halloween night could not come soon enough!

As soon as he was in his Muno costume, he was ready to head out the door.
Getting a decent picture of him was next to impossible, because he was so excited he could not stand still!

Of course, the sight of our Halloween bucket by the front door only fueled his desire to go get some candy of his own!

Once we were outside, this boy could not be stopped.
He marched up the the neighbor’s door, knocked repeatedly, and loudly said “trick or treat” as soon as they answered the door.

The concept of taking just one piece of candy was difficult.
He kept repeating “trick or treat” over and over again, expecting to get more and more candy.
Of course, once I pointed to the next door he would take off again.
”One more door! Trick or treat!”

We walked around our little neighborhood with a group of other kiddos.
He was so excited to go up to each door and would giggle/squeal/laugh hysterically between each door.
But all good things must come to an end…and since our neighborhood isn’t very big, Riker was very sad when I told him we were all done trick or treating.

But chocolate is the one thing that can cure any sadness.
So with the promise of a candy bar, Riker was suddenly okay with going back inside the house.
(little does he know that he will only be getting one candy bar…the rest will be stashed away for mom and baby sister!)

happy halloween!

Halloween: Part 1

2011-10-31T17:11:00.001-07:00

I wasn’t sure how into Halloween Riker would be this year.
But when he saw what costume I was creating for him, he was very excited to dress up!

Riker, of course, was Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba.
If you don’t know who that is, don’t worry…unless you have a toddler or take LSD, you have no reason to ever actually watch that show.

He was able to debut his costume at our ward’s Halloween Party.
The kiddos were able to go trick or treating to different doors in the building and Riker quickly grasped the concept.

Knock knock knock…trick or treat…CANDY!
After each door he would march to the next while saying “one more door!”
He was quite sad when there were no more doors to knock on.

Sadly, our little family did not coordinate our costumes at all this year.
I had grand plans to create Yo Gabba Gabba costumes for TJ and I as well…
but clearly that did not happen.
TJ decided he wanted to be an Obama Zombie
(Obama zombies must eat your brains because they don’t have brains of their own…)
and at the last minute I decided to be a Magic 8 ball.

There were various activities for the kiddos to do at the party,
but Riker was completely content to play with the balloons.
He literally chased after balloons all night long.

Of course, after the party was over Riker kept asking for more trick or treating…
which leads me to my next post!

I almost started crying at the mall today

2011-10-25T16:09:00.001-07:00

I went to the mall in search of shoes…
I’m in desperate need of “cold weather shoes”, but have no idea what style of shoe I want to buy.
Do I want sneakers? Boots?
Different outfits call for different shoes, but I don’t want to buy multiple pairs of shoes.
Its a conundrum.

Anyway, I didn’t “almost cry” during my shoe quest.
I almost cried while watching my baby boy play in the play area.

Riker has mastered the slide.
He has figured out how to climb up the stairs, sit on his bottom, and push himself down the slide.
He can do this over and over again…without my help.

I almost cried because I realized that my baby boy is no longer a baby.
He’s a big boy now.

I’m not sure when exactly this happened.
Yes, I knew he was getting physically bigger.
But this newfound independence just kind of snuck up on me.

Watching him play at the mall today also reminded me that soon it won’t be just me and him.
for the past 22 months, Riker has been able to have my undivided attention.
He wants to play, I play with him.
He wants to be held, I hold him.

But in just 5 short weeks, I’m having another baby.
Which means my full attention will no longer belong to Riker.
He will have to share his mom with baby sister.
I have no idea how Riker will react to this…
and right now, he has absolutely no idea how much his world is going to change.

I left the mall without buying any shoes…
I took Riker home, made lunch (pb&j…fancy, I know), and spent the rest of the day enjoying my little buddy.
We colored pictures, we sang songs, we built lego towers, we played football.
I have 5 weeks left with just Riker…
and I’m determined to enjoy these weeks as much as possible.

In totally related news:
I’m 34 weeks pregnant.

Pint-Sized Picasso

2011-10-16T18:45:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I convinced TJ to make a trip to Ikea. The closest Ikea is in Cincinnati (2 hours away), so he wasn’t super thrilled…but he loves me so he did it anyway.

The main purpose of the trip was to purchase a couple dressers for the kid’s room.
Those dressers are still sitting in their boxes in Riker’s room, waiting for TJ to assemble them.

Of course, it is very difficult to go to Ikea and not make an unplanned purchase.
We ended up coming home with a Riker-sized table and chairs.
He pretty much loves it.

Riker has finally decided that he likes to color and is getting pretty good at squiggling all over the paper.
Of course, his absolute favorite thing to do is drag the chairs around, push the table back and forth, and climb on and off the chair a million times.
After one day of listening to those wooden legs drag across the hardwood floor, I finally got smart and glued felt squares to the bottom of each leg.

Riker is more likely to focus on coloring for a longer period of time if someone will color with him.
He will make a tiny mark on the paper, hand the crayon off to you and announce “your turn!”
Watching mom and dad color is much more fun than coloring himself, apparently.

Oh, and we all knew this was bound to happen.
I believe it took Riker less than 5 minutes to figure out that the crayons could color on the wood too.
Someday, I’d really like to paint the table and chairs…
and perhaps do chalkboard paint on the table top.
But maybe not until my pint-sized Picasso learns to not color on the table.

yay me!

2011-10-09T19:29:00.001-07:00

My friend Katie nominated me for the “Versatile Blogger” award…yay me!
This award doesn’t come with a trophy or cool prizes.
Basically, I tell 7 random facts about myself and then I tag 7 friends so they can tell 7 random things about themselves too!
Super fun, right?
Okay: random fact time.

1. I have the appetite of a 5 year old. Seriously, I could eat junk all day long and be perfectly happy (sick, but happy). and I don’t do fruits and veggies, unless they are covered in chocolate or ranch respectively.

2. I never make my bed, despite my mother’s best efforts to train me otherwise. I love the look and feel of a freshly made bed…I’m just too lazy to actually do it.

3. I always have been, and probably always will be, a nail biter. I keep my fingernails painted in an attempt to keep myself from biting my nails…but I find myself having to repaint my nails every couple of days.

4. i get motion sickness like nobody’s business. this is why i drive everywhere. even sitting in the front passenger sit is enough to make me feel ill for the rest of the day.

5. I took 9 years of piano lessons, yet i do not play the piano. basically, i sat at the piano for 30 minutes every day and told my mom how much i hated playing the piano. i wish i could play the piano…but i don’t.

6. when i was in 7th grade, i secretly watched my crush open his locker, memorized his locker combination, and wrote it on the bottom of my shoe. kind of creepy, right? no worries, i never actually did anything with that information…but just knowing that i could open his locker at any time was thrilling to my 12 year old self.

7. my desert island food is french fries. regardless of the time of day, i can always eat french fries. my absolute favorite fries are wendy’s (especially when dunked in a chocolate frosty!).

so there you have it, folks. seven completely random, pointless facts about lisa. and now, i shall tag the following seven people:

summer
natalie
jen
ginny
nikki
becca
emilee

the rules state that I only “nominate” 7 friends for this “award”…but really, every one should take a moment to write 7 random facts about themselves. It’s harder than it looks.

Amish Country

2011-10-05T18:09:00.001-07:00

Ever since we moved to Ohio, I’ve been bugging TJ about visiting Amish Country.
He finally agreed to go…and since this week is his fall break (meaning: no school) we finally went!

Our first stop was Heini’s Cheese Chalet.
With over 40 different types of cheeses to sample, TJ was in heaven.

Unfortunately for TJ, this is the only picture I took at the cheese shop.
We came home with a couple different blocks of our favorite cheeses.

After leaving Heini’s, it was time for lunch.
We headed out to Der Dutchman Restaurant and absolutely loved the view.

Fall in Ohio is definitely the best.
Crisp, cool weather…bright colored leaves…perfection.
As for the food at Der Dutchman: delish.
TJ had a sirloin burger (but since he had filled up on cheese at Heini’s, he only finished half).
Lisa had a gravy smothered pot roast sandwich with mashed potatoes (so yummy I wanted to lick the plate!).

Our next stop was Yoder’s Amish Farm.

Riker was tired of being cooped up, so he was excited to run around while we waited for our tour to begin.

Anytime Riker sees a tree, he says he wants to climb it.
I’m not sure why he does this, since he’s never actually climbed a tree.

Riker’s favorite part of the tour was definitely the barn.

Except for this donkey:

this guy was all up in Riker’s grill and would not leave the poor kid alone…
he finally left him alone once Riker started crying!

After a tour of a couple Amish homes (which was much longer than we anticipated…and much too boring to entertain Riker) we went on a horse and buggy ride.

It was a long, fun, busy day.
There were a couple other shops we had originally planned to visit, but this is what I saw two minutes after we left Yoder’s Farm:

Looks like someone had too much fun.
Overall, our trip to Amish Country was a success and we can cross it off our Ohio Bucket List!

Independence

2011-10-01T11:53:00.001-07:00

With the impending arrival of little miss in just nine more weeks,
I’ve been trying to teach Riker to be more independent.

He’s learning to spend more time playing by himself
and can even clean up his own toys
(with constant reminders to “pick another one up!” from me).

This newfound independence has led Riker to believe that he can, and should, do everything by himself.
A million times a day I hear “Giker do it!” (because he calls himself Giker…why can he say the end “r” but not the beginning?).
Some things, I will let him do on his own…
but other things, like making lunch and changing his diaper, still need to be done by mom!

Riker isn’t the only one who is becoming self-sufficient…
today, TJ made himself lunch!
I absolutely detest spaghetti (and anything else involving red sauce),
so whenever TJ has a hankering for some noodles he is on his own.

Of course, when he sat down on my cream colored rugs to enjoy his “spaghetti sandwiches” (which looked just as gross as they sound), I did have to remind him not to spill sauce on the rugs.
His solution: move the rugs.

Things might not get done the way I’d like them done, but at least they get done.
I think these boys will be just fine when baby sister shows up.

30 Weeks

2011-09-27T12:05:00.001-07:00

I am officially 30 weeks pregnant.
Which means baby girl is the size of a cabbage.
(which reminds me of the one time I asked TJ to run to the grocery store to buy a head of lettuce, and he came home with cabbage…silly TJ)
30 weeks also means there are only 10 weeks left until my due date.
Currently, baby girl is hanging out in the breech position (as she has been the entire pregnancy).
If you remember, Riker was also breech…which led to an emergency c-section.
TJ and I have decided to do another c-section for this delivery, which means baby girl can be here in 9 weeks
(doc said we can deliver a week early…as long as baby girl is growing big and strong).
I’m totally okay with delivering early.
Riker decided to show up 3 weeks early, which was awesome because I was SO done with being pregnant.
Of course, I was also completely unprepared for Riker’s arrival
(as in, didn’t even own one article of baby clothing!)
so I’m determined to be ready for whenever baby girl decides to arrive.
We are no where near being ready, but slowly yet surely things are coming together.
Exhibit A: clothing

Goodness, that’s a lot of pink!
Thanks to an amazing consignment sale last weekend, I have stocked up on plenty of teeny tiny pink things for baby girl to wear
(at least, from zero to six months…)
There are onesies and leggings, flowers and ruffles.
As I sat there folding all of the clothes, I would hold one up to Riker and say “Look how cute!”…
pretty soon, he was laughing and shouting “cute” and “pretty” every time I picked something new up.
I think he’ll be a pretty good big brother.
We might not be completely ready for baby sister to make her appearance,
but having all these teeny clothes makes me feel at least a little bit prepared!

O-H-I-O

2011-09-19T06:34:00.002-07:00

Fall has definitely arrived here in Ohio.
The weather is crisp and cool, the leaves are starting to change colors, and football season is in full swing!

Riker has definitely developed his dad’s obsession with the game, which makes TJ one happy dad!

Since there is football on TV all day Saturday, Riker is constantly shouting “hootbul!”

Now TJ just needs Riker’s football skills to match up with his enthusiasm!

Exploring Columbus: Granville Orchard

2011-09-14T10:52:00.001-07:00

Our first fall in Ohio, I was working full time and TJ was in school full time so there was little time to fall activities.
Our second fall in Ohio, I was a new mom who lived and died by Riker’s nap schedule so I missed many activities that coincided with naps.
Since this is our last fall in Ohio, I don’t want to miss out on anything…beginning with apple picking!
We went with some friends to the Granville Orchard and came home with a bag full of Cortland and Gala apples.

(this is what it looks like when you say “cheese” with a mouthful of apple!)

(Riker is such a good sharer!)

Hooray for fun fall festivities!

Too Bad McDreamy Wasn’t On Call

2011-09-13T18:27:00.001-07:00

Last night, Riker made his first trip to the Emergency Room. Around 7:30pm, I was playing with Riker in the living room. I pulled him onto my lap so we could sing a song together and I immediately noticed that there was something wrong with his eyes. His right pupil was huge (I believe “dilated” is the correct term) and his left pupil appeared normal.

I wasn’t sure if I was seeing it correctly, so I grabbed a nearby flashlight to shine in his eyes. Sure enough, the left pupil constricted (as it normally should) but the right pupil stayed dilated. I quickly opened my laptop and did a little Google research…after seeing one too many websites talking about brain bleeding and neurological problems, I started to panic. TJ walked in the door a few minutes later and could tell by my face that something was wrong. I showed him Riker’s eyes and TJ immediately stood up and said it was time to go to the ER.

We were seen quickly in triage, where they affixed a sad little hospital bracelet to Riker’s poor little foot. Once we were admitted to a room to see a doctor, Riker was given a gown (which he kept asking us to take off).

TJ was pretty high strung and nervous as we waited for the doctor. I told him to turn the GOP debate on to help distract him (which didn’t exactly work since his favorite candidate *Perry* didn’t do very well in the debate).

Eventually, the doctor came in to check out Riker. After talking with him, it was determined that Riker was having a reaction to some insecticide that was sprayed earlier in the day (even though the warning label said it was safe to use with kids in the home!). We were told to take him home and monitor him through the night, and then follow up with our pediatrician the next day.
Of course, very little sleep actually took place last night. We put Riker in a pack-n-play in our room (since his bedroom was apparently a toxic warzone), and TJ was constantly getting up to make sure Riker was still breathing and responsive.
When Riker woke up the next morning, his eyes definitely looked better. The right pupil was still bigger than the left, but not as big as it had been. As the day went on, the right eye just kept looking better and better. A visit to the pediatrician this afternoon confirmed what the ER doctor had said. The pediatrician said his eyes look fine (and should both be equal by tomorrow) and that there should not be any lasting effects. It seems that just enough of the toxins got into his body to mess with his pupils, but not enough to have any major symptoms (most children that present with any signs of toxicity in their symptoms also have decreased vision, lethargic behavior, vomiting, etc).
Riker was a trooper through it all, but by the end of today he was definitely tired of people asking to look at his eyes!

Moral of the story: don’t use Raid. Ever.

Exploring Columbus: Battelle-Darby Creek Metro Park

2011-09-12T15:53:00.001-07:00

I don’t know what exactly a “Metro Park” is, but Columbus has a lot of them.
This weekend, we checked out Battelle-Darby Creek Metro Park.
And I decided that I am definitely going to miss all the GREEN here in Ohio!

In true TJ-fashion, he found a bug.
Actually, I think it was a caterpillar.
But he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to teach Riker how to poke bugs with sticks.

Riker’s hand is all sorts of blurry because he was frantically poking that poor caterpillar as fast as he could!
This “metro park” was definitely pretty and so fun to check out…
perhaps our next adventure will be another metro park!

Park of Roses: Take 2

2011-09-12T15:43:00.001-07:00

Remember my last post?
When we discovered the duck pond at the Park of Roses?
Well, we went back over the weekend with some bread to feed those cute ducks!

Riker adopted a “one for you, one for me” policy when it came to feeding the ducks.
And we didn’t stay as long as we had anticipated…
because, as it turns out, Lisa has an unnatural fear of the ducks.
They were just way too comfortable with humans and were coming much too close for comfort.
I was pretty sure that at any moment they were going to attack.
Next time, I’ll stay home and just send TJ and Riker.

Exploring Columbus: Park of Roses

2011-09-06T12:33:00.001-07:00

This is not our first time visiting this park…we’ve played on this playground a few times before.
Since TJ had the day off from school and the weather was GLORIOUS
(hello, we are all wearing jeans and sweaters!)
we headed back for another visit.

As always, the swings are Riker’s favorite!

But we did do some further exploring at this park…

And we found a pond!

Riker loved the ducks and TJ and I regretted not having any bread to feed them!

Riker loved the ducks SO much, we had to make sure he didn’t chase them into the water
(which he tried to do several times!)

And…
I’m now 27 weeks pregnant.

I can still wear several of my own jeans,
paint my own toes,
and run after Riker.
I can no longer get an uninterrupted night of sleep,
button my cardigans,
or sleep on my stomach.

Three Months

2011-09-05T11:42:00.001-07:00

That’s how much longer we have until baby girl makes her appearance.
Three months is not a lot of time.
Especially when I stop and think about how absolutely unprepared we are for her.
No clothes.
No stroller.
No bed.
No name.
No nothing.
But no worries…I have some plans to rectify my unpreparedness.

Clothes:
There are some great consignment sales coming up this month and I plan to stock up on plenty of clothes for little miss.
Also, I purchased a sewing machine so I can sew ruffles on the bum of EVERYTHING!

Stroller:
I know which double stroller I want
(because it’s the only one that will fit in our tiny trunk!), so I just keep watching for sales.

Bed:
Little Miss will be getting a pack-n-play, at least until Riker moves out of the crib and into a “big boy bed”…so I just need to decide which one to buy.

Name:
TJ has names that he really likes and I have names that I really like.
But none of our names match.
I do like some of the names that TJ has picked…
but none of them seem to be the right name for our little girl.
So I just keep repeating my favorite names over and over in an attempt to get TJ to just give in!

So I might not be totally prepared to have this baby right now…but I still have 3 whole months!

Scioto Mile Splash Pad

2011-09-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Columbus was ranked as one of the top 10 Fall Destination spots by National Geographic?
Well, it was.
I was kind of surprised to hear this…
but then again, we haven’t ventured out too much
(other than the zoo)
so we haven’t truly experienced everything Columbus has to offer.
So since this is our last year in Ohio, it is my goal to experience as much of what Columbus has to offer as possible.

Today, Riker and I ventured downtown with a friend to check out the new splash pad at the Scioto Mile.
Riker was in heaven.

I have a lot of pictures of Riker’s back because he was much too busy playing in the “wata” to pay attention to me.
But he would always stop and smile for Jen’s camera!

And of course, Riker didn’t want to be bugged during our lunch break.

That look right there?
He’s basically saying “get that thing out of my face, woman!”

We definitely loved this splash pad and we are definitely sad that we didn’t discover it earlier.
We plan to experience more and more of Columbus, so if you need a vacation this fall you can always come visit me!

Buddies

2011-08-29T12:21:00.003-07:00

TJ had a three week break between the time we left AZ until he started school.

During this time, TJ and Riker became best buddies.

Now that school has started, Riker asks for his dad all. day. long.

When I get Riker up in the morning, he first asks for juice and then asks for his dad...
clearly, his priorities are in line.

And even though it makes me a little sad when he chooses to hang out with his dad instead of with me,
it is really nice to have my hands free every now and then!

For example: yesterday I was baking some cinnamon rolls.
Normally, Riker would have been hanging on my legs and standing on my feet.
Instead, he was outside playing with his dad.

Hooray for buddies.

Aspiring Photographer

2011-08-27T16:24:00.001-07:00

Riker is very well trained…
whenever he sees my camera, he automatically says cheese!
But lately, he wants to be the one taking the picture
so I will occasionally hand him the camera and let him try his hand at photography.
He mostly ends up taking pictures of his fingers, but occasionally he manages to capture me in all my glory.

Not too shabby for a 19 month old!

It’s the final countdown!

2011-08-24T08:28:00.001-07:00

According to the fancy-schmancy countdown clock that I’ve recently added to the blog,
there are only 260 more days until May 11, 2012.
Why do we care about May 11?
Oh, no biggie…
just some cute law student that I know will be GRADUATING!

This week is TJ’s first week of his LAST year of law school.
In just 9 short months, he will be graduating!
We don’t currently have a set plan for what will happen after graduation…
but TJ has a few different options and is working hard to make sure we will have a plan by the time May rolls around.
The next 9 months will be rough, as TJ has a full school schedule
plus several extra-curriculars and side projects.
But we’ve made it through 2 years already,
so one more should be no biggie!

It’s My Birfday!

2011-08-20T16:41:00.001-07:00

Well, not anymore.
My birthday was Friday.
(Today is actually my mom’s birthday…happy bday mamacita!)

I woke up to discover that the “birthday fairies” had decked out my front door and porch:

Riker thinks all the hearts on the door are “pitty”
and has to point to each one every time we walk outside.

It was definitely a fun surprise to wake up to!

The rest of the day was spent getting my free sub at Firehouse Subs (yummo!) and eating cake and ice cream with some lovely friends.

Oh, and the hubs surprised me with an amazing gift:
a hotel room for one night for me and all my girl friends to have a slumber party next week!
Even 26 year olds like slumber parties with friends!
Here’s to another year of being older and wiser.

Zoombezi Bay

2011-08-17T14:16:00.001-07:00

In order to survive the nasty, humid summers in Ohio,
all the cool kids go to Zoombezi Bay.
In an attempt to fit in with the cool crowd,
we ventured to the water park to see what all the fuss was about.

We quickly discovered that the water was freezing.
Like, ice cold.

Riker loved the slides.
He did not love the water waiting at the bottom of the slide.

So he would slide…shriek as soon as he touched the water…then climb back up the stairs to go down the stairs again!

After a couple hours of playing in the cold water,
Riker finally decided he’d had enough.

Aside from the cold water, Zoombezi Bay was definitely pretty awesome.
Had we been here all summer, we would have lived there.

Croquet Anyone?

2011-08-09T18:07:00.001-07:00

We have been dealing with some yucky weather lately.
Sure, it may only be 95 degrees…
but with 90% humidity, it feels like death outside.
Humidity is so much worse than AZ’s dry heat.
So when we finally have an evening that is cool and not death-like,
we want to spend as much time as possible enjoying that weather.
Tonight was one of those nights.
TJ rounded up a few other neighbors and they set up a game of croquet.

And while the menfolk played a few rounds of croquet,
Riker kept himself busy playing with the extra ball and mallet.

And may or may not have tried to steal balls that were being played with!

Riker thought he was bomb.com when TJ helped him actually hit the ball with a mallet!

The cutest boys EVER:

And of course, the cutest little boy I’ve ever given birth to:

Gosh my kid is adorable.
Hopefully we can have a few more cool evenings so we can spend more time playing outside!

Rainy Day

2011-08-07T14:17:00.001-07:00

Today is a rainy day.
While I was busy in the kitchen baking some cookies
(because that’s what you do on Sundays)
TJ took Riker outside for a few minutes to play in the rain.

I hope your Sunday is just as good as ours!

Happy Friday

2011-08-05T12:02:00.001-07:00

Seriously, my kid is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Ever since we learned that baby #2 is coming out pink, I’ve been trying to picture Riker in a dress with pigtails.
I might just need to dress Riker up one day
(as long as TJ doesn’t find out).

3 Little Lines

2011-08-02T14:22:00.001-07:00

Going in to our doctor’s appointment today, I was 99% certain that baby #2 was a boy.
If I was a gambler, I would have gone all in (or whatever it is that gamblers do).
When the doctor started pointing out things he was seeing on the baby, I continued to think in male pronouns.

Doc: Look, 2 hands!
Me: Oh good, he can catch a football!

Doc: Look, 2 feet!
Me: Oh good, he can run around with Riker!

Doc: Look, a cerebellum!
Me: Oh good, he will be so smart!

Doc: Look, 3 lines!
Me: What? I don’t know what that means…
Doc: It’s a girl!
Me: What!?

There was no clear evidence of boy parts, but the umbilical cord was between baby’s legs…
so there is a chance that baby could be a boy.
But doc gave me odds of 80/20 in favor of a girl,
and that’s good enough for me.
TJ and I couldn’t be happier,
and Riker still has no clue what is going on.
Now comes the hard part…choosing a name!

Voting Is Awesome!

2011-07-31T17:25:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, I finally get to find out the gender of my baby.
I know I’ve been calling him Cletus,
leading people to think that my baby is a boy…
but I really just say Cletus because I think it’s funny
(you know, because it rhymes with fetus).
Depending on what we find out on Tuesday, I might have to start calling Cletus something else.
But what do you think?
Is Cletus a boy?
Or a girl?
Take a second and vote on the side bar.
Just to humor me.
Even if you read this in google reader, click a few extra buttons to visit the blog.
Kthnxbye.

That One Time TJ Thought He Should Cut Riker’s Hair…

2011-07-24T17:45:00.001-07:00

Ever since my mom buzzed Riker’s hair at the beginning of the summer,
TJ has been dying to give Riker a mohawk.
Now that Riker’s hair has grown out a bit, TJ decided to give it a try.

Riker was not super excited about this…
but once he was given a cookie, he was much happier!

After the first few hairs started to fall,
TJ finally admitted “I have no idea what I am doing.”
And unfortunately for Riker’s hair, I also do not know how to cut hair…

Finally, TJ reached a point where he just decided it was best to stop cutting.
Which couldn’t have come at a better time, because Riker had hair and cookie goo all over his face and in his eyes.

If you just sort of glance at his hair,
it isn’t THAT bad.
But if you look at it for longer than 3 seconds, you will notice just how crooked and uneven it is.

Good thing he’s such a good looking kid,
with or without his mohawk!

19(ish) Weeks

2011-07-17T15:59:00.001-07:00

As of this past Tuesday,
I am 19 weeks pregnant.
Different websites compared Cletus (my fetus) to different items:
heirloom tomato, a Subway sub, and a softball.
I celebrated this week by eating a Subway sub.
I even took a picture of me holding the sub next to my growing belly.
This picture was less than flattering, so I decided not to share it.
However, I do want to do a better job documenting this pregnancy, since I took very few pictures of my pregnant self while carrying Riker.
So here’s my belly…at 19 weeks, 3 days pregnant.

And, for the sake of comparison, here is a picture of my 19 week belly while pregnant with Riker.

I’m telling myself that the stripes in the current picture make me look bigger than I actually am…

Finally! A Lake Trip!

2011-07-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

One of our absolute favorite summertime activities is going to the lake.
Unfortunately, Summer’s wedding consumed the majority of our summer…
so we had to wait for all that hoopla to be over before we could finally make it out to the lake.

Riker loved watching all the boats on the water,
and was excited to sit on a “boat” all by himself.

Riker and I spent most of our time hanging out in the shallow water.
And while I was diligent in keeping his little body covered in sunscreen, I was less than careful about applying my own.
Today, my skin in bright red and sore.
(but red skin is better than white skin, right?)

Oh, and don’t let this picture fool you.
It may look like Riker is laughing and playing with TJ in the water…
but in reality, he cried the entire time he was in that thing.
He only wanted to be in the water if someone was holding him tight.

Once his grandpa showed him how to throw rocks into the water,
he was the happiest kid at the lake!

And this is what the boys looked like 5 minutes after we pulled away from the lake:

like father, like son.

(oh, and have no fear…despite what these pictures show, Riker did have a life vest and he did wear it. but since the life vest resulted in massive amounts of tears, no pictures were taken of Riker actually wearing it.)

Wiggle Wiggle

2011-07-14T21:18:00.002-07:00

Riker has developed a love for Yo Gabba Gabba.

I personally find this show to be creepy...

but TJ loves it and watches it with Riker all the time.

Riker asks to watch "Baba" all day...and I will only turn it on when I want to see him do this dance!

Super Dewper

2011-07-14T21:17:00.001-07:00

This summer, I have struggled finding ways to entertain Riker.
After playing with me for so long, he no longer finds me entertaining.
So I was happy to find out from a friend about the Kids Club at the mall.
Every Thursday, they set up a stage in one of the courtyards at the mall
and they sing and dance and play music.
There is a groundhog (I think?) named Dewper that the kids all go gaga over
(except Riker…he still clings tight to me if Dewper comes too close to us).

Riker loves all the music and has been working on his dance moves.
He loves to copy the older kids and moves non-stop the whole time we are there.

Chick-fil-a sponsors the Kids Club, which means Riker gets a free kids meal after the show is over.

Kids Club members also get to ride the carousel for free,
which makes Riker happy and me nauseous
(pregnant or not, I don’t enjoy spinning in circles).
See that boy back there?
That’s Eli…
he’s Riker’s buddy.
Unless they are trying to share toys.
Then they don’t get along so well.
We’re working on it.

Wedding Bells Are Ringing!

2011-07-11T21:19:00.001-07:00

My little sister Summer was just married on July 9, 2011.
Last week was non-stop craziness as we finished all the last minute stuff for the wedding reception.

Thursday evening, they took their bridals.
Did you know that it is really hot in Arizona in July?
Well…it is.
And walking around in a tux and a wedding dress makes it even hotter.

While the photographer did her thing, I snapped pictures in the background.

Isn’t this wall so pretty?
Your wedding is the one time when you truly feel like a princess!

All day Friday, we devoted our attention to decorating the church for the reception.

Tableclothes were ironed,
chairs were wiped down,
and those paper lanterns were hung at least 3 different times.

But the end result was perfect,
so it was worth all the effort that was put into it.

And finally, the big day arrived.
They walked out of the temple as Mr. and Mrs. Jake Fullmer.

We didn’t take too many pictures outside of the temple
(since it was over 100* that day!).
The reception that evening was beautiful,
and we finished cleaning up and taking everything home just minutes before the monsoon started!

And, of course, we all spent Sunday sleeping…and sleeping…and sleeping some more!

Lately

2011-07-01T15:39:00.001-07:00

I’ve been horrible at blogging.
I apologize.
We’ve settled into a lazy routine here in AZ…
which means I’ve shirked in my photo-taking responsibilities.
Some things I have managed to capture on camera include:

Riker’s second bee sting.
Seriously!?
Bees seem to love Riker
(they probably think he’s made of honey, ‘cause he’s so stinking sweet!).
Riker is officially traumatized and will start whining if he sees any type of bug/bee/fly/stick-that-could-be-mistaken-for-a-bug.
Which is fine with me…I hate bugs too.

Naked time.
The heat has caused Riker to get some diaper rashes
so we have naked time every now and then to air out his bum.
Naked + legos = happiness

I am now 17 weeks pregnant.
This picture is technically 17 weeks and 3 days pregnant.
But at this point in my pregnancy with Riker, I was already rubber-banding my pants…
I am quite proud of the fact that I still need to wear a belt these days.

So there you have it…
you are now caught up on the life and times of the Grier’s.
Don’t you feel much more satisfied?

My husband can beat up your husband

2011-06-12T21:04:00.001-07:00

The day we arrived in AZ, we headed straight to Gecko Grill to get our fix.
Their green salsa is tasty.
And don’t get me started on their Chicken Mango Quesadilla.
When we pulled up to Geckos, we noticed a brand new gym had opened nearby.
Power MMA and Fitness
TJ has talked about taking mixed martial arts classes for a long, long time…
and he saw this as the perfect opportunity.

He is currently taking two different classes:
boxing and muay thai.

Riker and I went to check out a boxing class.
Luckily, they aren’t really hitting each other…yet.

This is where TJ does his muay thai class.
They kick each other…and other stuff.
I haven’t seen this class yet, so I really have no idea.

So watch out, C-bus.
When the Grier’s return, TJ will beat you up.

Good News/Bad News

2011-06-12T20:42:00.001-07:00

Good news: Riker isn’t allergic to bee stings.

Bad News: Riker was stung by a bee.
Right between his eyes.
Dumb bee.

When Life Gives You Lemons…

2011-06-07T08:56:00.001-07:00

My baby is officially a lemon.
I don’t mean “a lemon” like he/she is a dud.
I mean “a lemon” like he/she is the size of a lemon.

14 weeks is the first official week of the 2nd trimester.
Which is awesome.
Except for the fact that I still had to take a Zofran this morning.
Isn’t the sickness supposed to end when the 2nd tri begins?

In other related pregnancy news, I feel fat in my swimming suit.
I’ve entered the “is she fat or pregnant” stage,
which is easily hidden with loose tops.
But a spandex swimming suit makes it pretty difficult to hide the belly bulge that is developing.
I’d show you a picture,
but no one needs to see me in a swimming suit.
You can thank me later.

Summer Survival

2011-06-05T20:24:00.001-07:00

Summer in AZ is hot.
Duh.
Luckily, we have air conditioning and a swimming pool.
However, every kid in AZ needs to learn one skill in order to survive an AZ summer…
drinking from the hose.

I know I am not the only one who grew up drinking out of a hose.
So one night, when the sun had gone down and it was still hot, my mom handed Riker the hose.

He was pretty much a natural.
He didn’t need any instructions on what to do.
Water was flying everywhere…
and he was one happy boy.

Riker does NOT like when water splashes his face
but it wasn’t enough of a deterrent to make him put the hose down.
And it didn’t take much convincing from his dad to chase mom with the hose.
I forsee many water-filled afternoons this summer!

It’s A Bird…It’s A Plane…

2011-06-04T13:57:00.001-07:00

It’s Super Riker!

Actually, as you can see from the picture above, Riker’s superhero name is actually Captain Pooper.
Very appropriate.

Captain Pooper’s weapon of choice is generally drool…
he is able to create buckets of it on demand.
But sometimes a foam sword is more convenient.

Captain Pooper’s sidekick is Danger Dad.
They are a fearsome duo,
leaving messes behind them everywhere they go!
(and expecting Mighty Mommy to clean up after them!)

His power stance is enough to frighten away any bad guy…
and if that doesn’t work, he has a fierce bite!

Of course, when he isn’t out fighting crime…
he’s in the clubs, acting like a gangsta’.

Last Fling Before The Ring

2011-05-29T20:52:00.001-07:00

My sister Summer is getting married in July.
However, she’s living in Rexburg for the summer
so wedding planning in taking place via telephone and Skype.
Luckily, she was able to come home for a quick visit for our baby sister’s high school graduation.
We took advantage of her weekend home to throw her a bridal shower.

Hot pink and zebra.
These colors pretty much define Summer.
And how awesome is that pom pom background.
I made it myself.
I’m pretty impressive.

In an attempt to be more like my friend Jen,
I made water bottle labels.
Easier than I thought, and such a fun little touch!

My mom made the banner,
’cause she’s crafty like that.

The front entry table.

Calli, Summer, and Me!
Calli and I worked together to put the shower together.
With tons of help from Mom, of course!
I’m very excited for the wedding and am looking forward to finally meeting her fiancé!

Just Keep Swimming

2011-05-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

Last summer, Riker was completely content to sit in the pool.
Mainly because he couldn’t do much else.

I was hoping that this summer would be even more fun in the pool.
Last week, we put Riker in the swimming pool for the first time…
I put his swimsuit on,
lathered him in 70+ sunblock,
and covered his freshly buzzed head with a hat.

It started out pretty well.
The water was pretty chilly still,
but we started with just his feet in the water to get him used to it.

After that, TJ tried to swim around with him.
That did not go over so well…

He was NOT enjoying this experience at all.
I was worried that he would be traumatized.
That he would scream any time I tried to get him in the water.
Luckily, I had nothing to worry about.
We attempted to go swimming a few days later…
and he was much happier about it!

Of course, Riker also has the attention span of a…
well, of a 16 month old…
so after spending about 5 or 10 minutes in the pool,
he’s ready to get out and do something new.
But at least he’s willing to get in!

Buzzed

2011-05-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Riker's hair usually looks something like this:

Standing straight up.
Sticking out at all sorts of angles.
Pretty much a Cosmo Kramer look-alike.
Well, not anymore!
Summer time in AZ calls for a summer time hair cut!
Grandma pulled out her clippers and started buzzing away.

Riker has developed a tendency to be quite dramatic.
Based on the faces he was making during this hair cut,

you'd think we were torturing him.

For a brief moment, Riker had a mohawk.
TJ really wanted to keep it like this.
I really did not.
I won.

He looks older now.
And maybe a little bit like a cancer patient.
But he's still really really cute.
And his fuzzy head is fun to rub!

I Think We're Gonna Like It Here

2011-05-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

We landed in AZ yesterday afternoon.
Riker did pretty good on the flight...
although, he refused to fall asleep at until our plane pulled up to the gate at Sky Harbor.
We immediately drove to Gecko Grill.
It was a necessary stop.
When we arrived at my mom's house, Riker was excited to get to play outside with his cousins.

Blue, sunny skies.
Lots of room to run around and explore.
Riker is pretty much in heaven.

Riker has been non-stop since we got here.
He's been running in and out of the house,
up and down the halls,
in and out of every room.
Getting a picture of him has been difficult.
But I managed to get one of him sitting somewhat still,
wearing his brand new shirt:

In case you can't read between the drool,
his shirt says "Big Brother."
Because that's what he is.
That's right, I am 11 weeks pregnant.
Due December 6, 2011.
Tired, nauseous, and completely thrilled!

Deja-Zoo!

2011-05-09T13:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, the weather in Ohio is AMAZING
(most of the time, it is not…but sometimes it is!).
Today was one of those days!

With no clouds, a bright sun, and 71* weather,
we pulled on our shorts, grabbed our sunglasses, and headed to the zoo!
I’m telling ya, our zoo pass was the greatest purchase we’ve ever made!

And now, each time we go to the zoo, Riker gets to ride on the carousel.
Totally worth a buck to see him smiling as it turns ‘round and ‘round!

And this boy loves playing with his dad.
Any time TJ walks near Riker, Riker will immediately start running away because he thinks TJ is ready to play with him!
They spend a lot of time chasing each other back and forth.

Sunny days are always the best kinds of days.
Too bad it’s supposed to rain tomorrow…AGAIN!
(BUT…only 8 more sleeps until we head to AZ, land of sunshine and Mexican food!)

Mother’s Day

2011-05-08T17:59:00.001-07:00

Once a year, we spend a day reflecting on Mothers.
I would like to honor my mother…
who loved me enough to make me a beautiful dress with puffy sleeves and fluff my bangs as high as they could possibly go.

That’s true love, my friends.
But seriously, despite the dated look of those dresses, imagine the time and talent behind each of those.
My mom has sewn a lot of dresses for us over the years, from church dresses to prom dresses to bridesmaid dresses.
That’s a lot of time and a lot of love.

And despite the fact that my bangs are sky-high,
and Jessica is rocking a mullet,
my mom took the time to do our hair.
She cut and she permed…
and eventually she started to color and highlight.
Did you know I once got in a fight defending my hair?
True story.
Boy: “Your hair is pretty…”
Me: “Thanks, my mom did it!”
Boy: “Ha, pretty ugly!”
So I kicked him.
No one mocks my mom’s hair-doing-skills and gets away with it!

Now that I’m a mom, I watch my son each day and hope that I’m raising him right.
Am I teaching him the right things?
Am I setting a good example?
Am I taking the time to laugh and play with him?
My mom set an amazing example for me.
She showed me how important the little acts of love are and how love can be shown in our every day actions.
A 15-month old can sometimes be a challenge, as we try to set boundaries and teach manners.
But I remember my mother’s example and I try to teach, and sometimes discipline, with love.

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”-Abe Lincoln

Artsy Fartsy

2011-05-02T14:25:00.001-07:00

Last week, everything in the Dollar Spot at Target was half off.
Half off a dollar is only 50 cents!
We bought a little truck and a bucket of chalk.

Saturday we were granted a reprieve from the non-stop rain,
so we headed outside to teach Riker how to color.

Turns out, he doesn’t really care.
Riker was much more interested in taking every piece out of the bucket.

TJ, on the other hand, felt the need to create.
So he started drawing on the wall.

It started raining again a few hours later, washing away TJ’s work of art.

Kool-Eggs

2011-04-23T12:37:00.001-07:00

TJ said we absolutely had to color Easter eggs with Riker this year.
Knowing Riker, I counted on there being two issues:

at least one cup would be spilled
he would inevitably stick his dye-stained fingers in his mouth

The first issue was solved by stripping my baby down to his diaper and going onto the back patio.

Thankfully, the rain let up for a few hours and the air was warm enough to do this.

The second issue was solved when I found this tutorial.
Rather than using vinegar and colored tablets, we used kool-aid.

Riker loved dropping eggs into each of the cups.
Yes, his finger tips are stained a variety of colors.
Yes, kool aid ended up splashing on his and me.

We ROYGBIV’d it with the colors,
using the advice given on the tutorial to get a better pink and purple.

Several times, Riker attempted to grab one of the cups…
but my reflexes were fast enough to prevent that from happening.

The colors turned out pretty amazing
(my favorites were the light pink and blue)
and they smelled nice and fruity!
Much cheaper than buying a kit and (in my opinion) a much better result!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-23T12:19:00.001-07:00

TJ and I were so excited to help Riker participate in his first ever Easter Egg Hunt.
I was concerned that he wouldn’t get the concept…
what I should have been worried about was this:

The Easter Egg Hunt started at 10am,
which happens to be Riker’s naptime.
He kept walking back to our door, banging on it in an attempt to get inside.
But as soon as the hunt started and he found his first egg,
his tears dried right up!

Riker was pretty amazing at finding the eggs.
We would walk around with him, and as soon as he would see one he would run to grab it.

Of course, he always had to shake the egg before dropping it in the basket.
This boy has already learned to check for candy!

It wasn’t long before Riker found his allotted 12 eggs.
He wanted to keep grabbing more, but we had to leave some for the other kids.

Riker did become very defensive of his eggs.
And because he was missing some of his nap time, he refused to smile.

This picture is probably my favorite of all time.
Beckham (6 months younger than Riker) just wanted to check out Riker’s loot…
and the look on Riker’s face tells you exactly how he felt about this!

All the kiddos who participated!

Hoppy Easter!

Vitamin D

2011-04-21T13:21:00.001-07:00

After several days of rain, the sun decided to make an appearance.

Riker ate that piece of grass.
And I let him.
I was too busy soaking up the fantastic sunshine to care.

I did stop him before he ate that flower.
For some reason, I thought it would be worse for him to eat the flower.

Riker is pretty confident when playing outside
(sometime too confident).
He loves to explore and run as fast as he can…
but he will always stop to look behind him, just to make sure I’m still there.
And I think that’s pretty cute.

Picnic

2011-04-13T12:36:00.001-07:00

Mother Nature was kind enough to grant us with a warm and sunny day, so we decided to spend as much time outside as possible!

We packed some food, grabbed some toys and a blanket, and met up with some friends for a picnic.

Riker loved walking through the grass and picking at the flowers (aka: weeds).
And he has a thing for cars and trucks, so anytime someone would drive by he would frantically wave at them!

With the sun shining directly on us, and a slight breeze, it was the perfect day to spend time outside with friends.

Play Time

2011-04-08T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today, while at the mall, I let Riker play in the play area.
This was his first time playing here…
and he was in heaven!

He ran from one side to the other,
making sure to touch every single toy in the place
(and attempted to kiss several).

He was able to play with his buddy Brody.
Even though Brody is 8 months older than Riker,
they still play together pretty well.
Brody would run around, and Riker would do his best to keep up!

I was always leery about these mall play areas
(the millions of germs and mean kids)
but none of the bigger kids bothered Riker and I slathered his hands with sanitizer as soon as we left.
So I think it will be okay to play here again!

The Cheese Face

2011-04-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

Riker has already begun to develop quite the personality.
Today, we are just focusing on the fun side of his personality
(someday, I will share with you the less than fun side of this personality…oh the tantrums!)
This is what TJ and I refer to as Riker’s cheese face:

Now, looking at that expression, you might think Riker is mad.
But really, he is quite happy.
To make the cheese face, simply scrunch up your nose, show your teeth, and breath in and out through your nose.
(Admit it, you are sitting there making the cheese face right now!)
This face can be used to show extreme pleasure, like when you get to play outside or take a bath.
It can also be used to make mom forget about your latest tantrum.
Works every time!

Today is a bad day

2011-03-30T12:37:00.001-07:00

Correction: Today is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
It is snowing…it’s supposed to be spring, but instead it is snowing.
In an attempt to forget about the flakes falling outside my window, I shall blog about happier days.

Last week, it was sunny (sorta) and warm (like 75 degrees!) so we went to explore a new park.

TJ, of course, decided to slide down the tallest slide…
his hips barely fit.

Riker’s absolute favorite part of the park was the tire swing.
He had a huge grin on his face the entire time.

And of course, the swings are always a hit.
Some day, when the sun decided to grace us with his presence again, we will return to the park.
If the snow doesn’t kill us first.

Oh, and on a semi-related sidenote:
The Grier’s will be back in sunny AZ this summer.
TJ has accepted an internship in Tempe, so we will be back in the land of the sun and Mexican food!
Our ETA is mid-May.
I’m very excited about this.

What do you mean you don’t have a fuzzy body pillow?

2011-03-26T09:03:00.001-07:00

My friend Britney gave me a fuzzy body pillow…
because, really, who doesn’t need a fuzzy body pillow?
Riker loves the fuzzy body pillow and has found many uses for it.

It can be used as a chariot…

It is perfect for chillaxin’

It is a worthy wrestling opponent

It provides a super soft landing for his aerobic tricks

And it is perfect for cuddling with mom!
(notice how uninterested Riker is in taking a picture with me…he’s too busy watching his dad play Call of Duty)

Flashback

2011-03-20T18:38:00.001-07:00

What a difference a year makes!
March 21, 2010
Riker’s blessing day

March 18, 2011
Riker learns how to drive the car

March 2012…
??

He’s growing too fast…
I need him to stop.