New Orleans, Louisiana

Dear Riley,

We just took a whirlwind trip to South Louisiana. 800+ miles in 2 days is a lot of ground for a little girl like you to cover. You were so good! I am so proud of the little girl you have become.

Aunt Sara made the trip with us. Riley, you think Aunt Sara is the best thing since suckers. You love her!

Our first stop was Prejean’s in Lafayette, Louisiana. My favorite thing about Prejean’s was the Crawfish Enchiladas.

We arrived in New Orleans around 10 pm Friday night. You went crazy when you saw your cousin Braxton.

The next morning we were out and about discovering New Orleans.

 

New Orleans is a beautiful city, rich with history.

Souvenir shopping was our favorite. There were so many little shops to peruse.

It’s almost Mardi Gras, so there were tons of beads for sale. You had to have this “Nemo” necklace as soon as you laid eyes on it.

Is it me or do I look like my Mom here?

Recently, your Daddy taught you to talk like a robot. It’s really cute. So, this guy was an eye catcher for you and Braxton: he had painted himself silver and had some little mouth device that he could blow in and sound like a robot. He was a huge hit!

Aunt Ma never takes a bad picture.

To Sara – Doesn’t this face sum up our inside joke? Hope you know what I’m talking about!

I guess you know by now we didn’t go to New Orleans just because. We went because Aunt Ma got married!

It was a sweet ceremony for an even sweeter couple.

I can’t wait to go back to New Orleans and really explore the city! Thanks for being such a sweet baby. I was the proudest Mama in NOLA!

Love, Mama

Ballerina

Riley,

I made you a tu-tu almost two years ago. You definitely didn’t like it then.

You would sit with your hands in the air like the picture above. Look how little you were! You still had on a onesie. Tear!

I think these two pictures were the only two times you wore the tu-tu.

Fast forward over a year, and Mamaw bought you a ballerina Barbie doll for Christmas. You really like her. So yesterday I showed you the tu-tu I had made you. You loved!

And you begrudgingly took it off to sleep, but as soon as your feet hit the ground this morning, you wanted your tu-tu back on!

I’m going to make you a few more since they are really simple.

Love you!

Mama

Love My Girl!

We’ve had the best day, Riley. Aunt Ma, Paw-Paw, and Tio came over for a little while around lunch time. You had so much fun playing with Tio. He is very good with you.

When they left, we cleaned house – all 3 of us. You don’t pull your weight though. We took several breaks to dance. You wore a tu-tu I made you around the house all day and said you were a ballerina.

After your nap, we watched cartoons.

You had macaroni and cheese with squash for supper and then you and I took a bath. You love to take a bath with me. I have some kind of foot exfoliant for the bathtub and wanted to try that out on you – you didn’t like it.

Now as we wait for bedtime, I’m just staring at you in disbelief that you are so smart, so beautiful, and mine.

I love you so much.

Love, Mama

The Moon

I was privileged to stare at the Moon from Brownsboro all the way to Tyler tonight. It was beautiful.

Some thoughts I had…

Amazingly hypnotic
Entrancing
Incredible
Magnificent
Peaceful
Spectacular
Spiritual
Wondrous

It was truly amazing. I’ve never seen the Moon so beautiful. I felt so peaceful and small staring at it.

Not sure what kind of camera one would need to properly photograph the Moon, but this is my feeble effort tonight.

In no way does my photo do the Moon any justice. It’s not a completely clear night tonight, so thick clouds would waft across the Moon, creating a haunting sight. Every-so-often I would get a perfect few seconds to view the Moon in all its glory.  If it wasn’t so cold I could lie on my back all night staring at the Moon.

The Moon made the drive I was dreading more than worth it.

I love this little laugh…

Riley Claire–Two years, four months Newsletter

Happy two years and four months Riley! I love you more this month than last month and more today than yesterday. Now, about yourself…

You are a handful! Especially in parking lots when my hands are full of grocery bags and your little hand. It seems like you know when the most inopportune time is to act a fool. And by fool I mean laying down in the middle of a parking lot. I’ve gotten to the point to where I just stand there and let you lie until you get ready to cooperate again. You must get this from your Daddy because I would never throw a fit at a grocery store. Just ask Paw-Paw.

I’ve told you before, but you really love your little cousin, Braxton. You two really are two peas in a pod. You follow each other around and fight over the same toy. Constantly. You give each other the biggest, sweetest hugs. And he tries to smooch on you.

Caught him in the act: trying to lay one on you. You were too busy on your telephone to even notice.

You have started putting several words together and talking in sentences. For example, “Dada, you a bad boy!” “I want to eat, eat!” “You want to take a bath?” “Nemo, did you find your Daddy?” (<—This one is a great story your Daddy needs to tell you about. ) “Braxton, you want to go timeout?” “Braxton, you want a spank?” Can you tell who the boss is between you and Braxton?

Riley, you kind of have a problem with gagging. It’s not really a weak stomach because you never actually throw up, but you seriously gag at a really bad odor. Dirty dogs, Braxton’s dirty diapers, eggs, you gag at them all.

You are very emphatic when you say yes. You sing sweet songs. You brush your teeth really well, and by well I mean you usually get all the nasty stuff out. You love Aunt Ma and going places with her. You want your own things: suckers, pens, forks, books. “I do it!” is a common phrase around our house right now.

You are a sweetheart. I could not have wished for a better little girl. I sometimes wonder why God blessed me with such an amazing spirit as you. I am so lucky to be your Mom. I can’t wait to wear a shirt that says “Riley’s Mom” on the back.

Love you so, so much.

Love, Mama

What to make 2011

In order to clean out my bookmarks, the following is a list of things I want to make this year:

1. Ruffle pillow for Riley’s room.

2. T-shirt pillow.

3. This wall art or this wall art, both using toilet paper rolls.

4. Crayon and notepad holder for Riley.

5. Magazine holder for my kitchen.

6. Bottle caps pot holder.

7. Styrofoam ball for living room decoration.

8. Lunch sack.

9. Book page wreath.

10. Toolbelt for Braxton.

11. Alphabet cards for Riley.

12. Quilted dish mat.

13. Lunch box notes for Riley.

All I need to do is print these notes off and save them for Riley.

14. Fun wreath.

15. Fabric pumpkins.

16. Felt rug – zebra to match Riley’s room.

17. A cobblestone road quilt.

18. Bows!

19. Hexagon afghan.

20. Red, white, and blue garland.

21. Handmade coasters.

22. All this baby stuff.

23. Safety pin bracelet.

24. Montesorri-style crayon holder.

This will hopefully be the first thing I make! I love this so much!

25. Burp cloth.

26. This crocheted rug.

or maybe this braided rug.

27. Sock snowmen.

28. Sock wreath.

Hopefully subject to updates!