Notta Lotta Goin' On

We haven't been up to much lately. We went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago, and I forgot to take my camera! What a surprise. It was quite humorous to watch Riley and Davis run around the hall in Rowena. Riley would run just as fast as she could and yell at the same time. I thought it was cute, but I am not sure if every one else did. I didn't think it really mattered though because I remember kids doing the exact same thing at Rowena wedding since I was that age! Riley did a little dancing that night too! Riley has been learning so much new stuff lately and talking more. She got a new Baby Einstein video a couple of weeks ago, and she LOVES it! It is so funny to watch her watch the video. She really gets into it. This one teaches her to count. I think it is starting to sink in. Plus, she can say some new words because of this video. Every time the lady bug pops up with a number she squeals. Oh, and now she can say "DVD."

Riley can zoom around the house now with her new riding toy. She pretty much followed me around Target riding this thing, so I thought we would probably get our money's worth out of it if we bought it. It is one of those toys that you can make go by turning the wheel back and forth. I am not sure that she has picked up on that yet, but she sure does have fun peddling with her feet! I was curious how well this toy worked, so I got on it myself to test it out (after we got home of course). It was pretty cool if I do say so myself! Fun for the whole family! :) Yes, I said whole family...Josh tried it out too! More than once! Me too :)

And yes, Riley's shirt straps kept falling down, but she wasn't too revealing.

Bath time has become a bit of a challenge these days. Riley doesn't like the spray hose anymore, so we had to start using a measuring cup to rinse her off. She has much more fun this way...as yo can tell, she is still in the bath tub with the measuring cup after the water has drained. She is doing her new trick...we ask her to show her teeth and the smiles real big and squints her eyes!

Towel Monster

I am not sure why I take so many pictures of Riley eating, but I think the things she does are hilarious! Take this picture for example. Notice the Route 44 Sonic cup that is sitting on her tray. This cup was from Sunday, and she saw it still sitting on the counter and just had to drink out of it. So I rinsed it out and put water in it. You can also see the water that she spilled all over the front of her shirt. Sometimes Riley doesn't realize that she is not drinking out of a sippy cup! Next, notice the huge serving spoon in her hand. She saw that sitting on the counter too, and just had to use it to eat with. I was thinking that there was no way that she could actually eat with that, but whatever...no harm in trying, right.

She has scooped up some food...

...and she is eating it...from a big o' spoon!!! Never underestimate the abilities of your children!

Ranch style bean face!!! Riley loves ranch n' style beans, but they sure are messy. Davis calls them ranch n' style beans, so we do too. :)

Ahh, the life of Riley...all cuddled up between our pillows.

And now for the towel monster!!!! I am not sure why Riley thought playing with this beach towel was so much fun, but it was hilarious to watch her! She played with this towel off and on all day.

The towel monster stops to eat some food that she didn't eat at supper. I guess she just isn't hungry sometimes, so I take her out of the high chair and put her food on the coffee table thinking she might get hungry later...and she usually does.

Towel monster with a mouth full of food.

4th of July

We had a big 4th of July weekend! Riley started off the 4th of July by staying with Nana and Papa all day...mostly Nana I think. Then we all went to the 4th of July celebration in Novice. They served hot dogs and snacks at the concession stand before the fireworks show began. Josh's dad bought all the fireworks for the celebration, and there were some really cool fireworks in the mix. I'll tell more about that night with the pictures. Saturday night we went to Pete's (Josh's boss) annual 4th of July party. We had a fantastic meal and lots of fun as usual...and ANOTHER fireworks show! Josh's parents came to that party too. They made 5 gallons of homemade ice cream in an old fashioned ice cream maker with a hand crank motor. Two nights of 4th of July action and fireworks wore Riley out! She fell asleep on the swing at Pete's house and almost fell out! I was pushing Riley from behind when I noticed her leaning more and more forward in the swing. Thank goodness I went to the front to look at her face! Riley learned how to make the fireworks sound and motion this weekend. She says pop, pop, pop, pop while bursting her fingers in the air. It is soooo cute! Anyhoo enjoy the pics...

Riley and Papa playing before the fireworks started.

A little girl was nice enough to share her twirly wand with Riley.

Of course, Riley was so excited when a dog showed up!

This picture isn't very clear, but it is Riley and I running across the football field after we went to the concession stand. Riley was hauling butt too. I think she won the race.

After all that and the fireworks show, Riley just couldn't stay awake any longer. She passed out in Papa's arms. She sure loves her Papa, and he sure loves her.

Happy 30th Birthday Josh!!!

Saturday, June 28th Josh turned 30 years old!! We had a big party at our house to celebrate. We had a lot of fun, and we were so happy that we had great family and friends to share it with. Thanks to all of you that came to the party! It ended up storming and raining that night, but it didn't ruin the party. We were all thankful that it was raining! What a great birthday gift from God!

Here is Josh with his "30th birthday cake." His mom also made Josh's favorite cake...German chocolate...and it was a big hit!

Grandma E was able to make it to the party since her shoulder surgery got rescheduled. Lacy and Truett took advantage of time with Grandma E.

We bought a jump castle for the kids. I'd say it was a good investment. Riley loved it, and so did the other kids. Kory and Riley got to spend a lot of time playing together that day. Thanks to Keith, Kendra, and Kory for coming extra early to help us get ready for the party!!

Josh and his grandad.

Mom and Father Z before they whipped out the dominoes!

Brent and Brandi Jacob made the long trip from Winters. :) We were so glad they came!

Josh's mom and boss (Pete) look like they have a good conversation going on.

Josh's dad and my Grandpa Pelzel having a little chat.

Dad, Max, Keith, and Father Z hanging out.

Last, but not least a tarantula tried to crash the party! Not really, but he did make an appearance on our front porch Friday night. :)