Movers & Shakers

I'm so excited because I've enrolled Riley in a class at the community center. This is the only class that is for 2-3 year olds that is like a dance class because she LOVES to dance. They talk about shapes, colors, movement and run around, play instruments, throw bean bags, etc. She is very good at listening to the teacher and following directions, except when immediately following running around they have all the kids sit down for a story. That lasted all of about 2 minutes and then Riley gets up and starts quietly jogging around in the back of the class. I go chase after her and make her sit down and listen to the teacher--try to show some respect--and this time she holds still for about 60 seconds before running around. She's fairly quiet but distracting, but I gave up. The class is entitled Movers and Shakers and chasing down Riley usually draws more attention than than it is worth. She listened really well except for during story time and I was pretty proud of her. Determined to teach her how to behave I praised her for listening when she did and talked to her about not listening to the teacher during story time and how we should listen next time. blah, blah, blah.
Later that night her aunts came over and asked about her class and in a sad voice she replied "I didn't listen to the teacher read a story." Gosh I didn't realize how much I scolded her or that she actually was listening to me. We had to coax out of her how much fun she had 'running around' (her favorite way to describe any fun time). Her 2nd class went great--no stories in movers and shakers until the 3rd class, which was this morning and during story time Riley jogged around again and totally blew off story-time. So much for making an impression with the previous lecture. What can I do?
Regardless of what I should do, I sit back, amused, wanting to take a picture to capture the moment, but not wanting to appear to encourage the insubordination of my offspring. So we went to Ginny and Bri's house afterwards where Riley really got her groove on.


As I type, I hear Emma starting to cry over the baby monitor. When we put her in her crib 30 minutes ago she was asleep but Riley was still awake at 10pm at night! We hoped Riley would go right to sleep or at least be quiet so Emma could sleep, but I guess not. Better go help Michael with the girls . . .
Now (the next morning) I check my computer to see the unfinished blog post about Riley's unending energy, well I guess I'll wrap up this post significantly more exhausted and less amused.

blog worthy

I have witnessed many blog worthy moments but captured only a few with my camera. I got caught in a post-holiday blogging lull, being busy with chores brought on by the new year (back to work, Mike back to school, new budget and sticking to it, filling out the FAFSA...), but Emma doesn't want to go to sleep so I'm snuggling with her and taking a break(from what? I'm not sure, maybe a break from sleeping?) to document the funny and silly moments that fill my life.
They say that kids say the darndest things--it's true. Here are some of of the latest by Riley:

"you old, mommy? you old?"

"you got the bug, mommy? does daddy want to eat it?"

"I want to rock. you rock, daddy?"
(she loves to play Guitar Hero with us)


I tell her her it's time to take a bath, go to bed, etc. Her response of when she wants to do those things: "after later"


tonight she asked to wear her socks on under her footie pj's (which she used to call "jammas with the shoes in them")



But kids aren't the only ones. I've been know so say weird things as a parent.
Like "show me the blood" when Riley is asking for the millionth unnecessary band-aid. Or we do crazy things too, like drop all of our x-mas cards in a box near the mailbox that looks like an outgoing mailbox, but isn't really because no one received your x-mas card until about a month after you sent them. It sure makes you feel silly for hurrying to get them out a full week before x-mas if all you do is drop them in the rent drop box (which I still protest is posing as an outgoing mailbox).

Now I apologize if these aren't as funny to you as they are to me. Remember, I'm the adoring mom and everything is funnier when you're really tired.

Here's what Emma has to say (more cute than funny, but to be this happy when she should be asleep...)


Now this makes me laugh:
(I tried to just email this to my family, but it was too large of a file so this was the only way to share it--I might remove it in a few days after all the family has had a chance to see it. Thanks to grandma for the gift of big girl underwear!)



Blog worthy? you tell me...

Still not laughing? Try this link to Bill Gates' retirement video.

snow angels

It doesn't seem to matter where we've been, but snow has eluded us this season. So on our way to the library Monday night when the snow started to fall I was so excited! Now that Riley is old enough to really play in the snow I couldn't wait to play with her outside! So we got home at 7pm or later, we bundled and went outside and crunched around in the dark in the snow. We walked and stamped around together and made shaped in the snow with our feet.


We tried to make snow angels but there wasn't really enough snow so they are more like mud angels--oh well!






We played and played outside until we were soaked wet and muddy. The only way to coax Riley inside was with the promise of hot chocolate, but of course my little angel manages to spill it all over. Oops! Luckily there wasn't much Hot to the hot chocolate.
The next day all Riley could talk about was the snow and now it's melted. It wasn't exactly the sledding, snowman building snow experience I had envisioned and hoped to enjoy this winter, but we had fun!

Ringing in the new year

Happy 2008!