My Birthday Boy!

My little man is 5 years old! This is a little late, but I have been pondering what I wanted to write about and to my little man. Today as I sat and thought, over and over again I thought about him and all the doctors appointments and corrective surgeries he's had....and through them all, he kept that contagious grin right between his chubby little cheeks. I couldn't help but be teary eyed...it brought back a lot of memories during the first 3 years of his life....All that he went through and endured.

To my little R-Dubb ( short for RW, which is short for Riley William),
Five years ago on October 17th, you were born 5 hours after we arrived at the hospital. You were definitely our surprise baby. We had only been married for 6 months before we found out you were coming into our newly founded family. We were definitely scared but extremely excited! I remember so vividly the moments that happened right after your birth! The doctor held you up and showed me our new little boy, but my heart just broke after seeing your precious little feet. That was news to our doctor and us, but he assured me that everything was going to be fine, and explained that they would just bend your tiny little ankles where they belonged and hold them in place with a cast. They called it serial casting. They casted you the day after you were born. My heart just ached for you. All of the questions I had....pain, future, walking.....You were such a strong little boy. I'll be honest.....you were quite cranky the first month....the doctors just told me you were colicky....now I think about it...you were probably very uncomfy with those casts on....
You were a little over 1 month old and mommy was having awful pains and breathing episodes....I was told that I needed to have my gall bladder removed....when this happened, Dad was going to be in charge of taking care of you until I healed...I was so nervous about having this surgery because I didn't want daddy to have to care for you himself because of your crankiness. Come to find out, you decided you were going to be such a good little baby and Dad had no problem what so ever.
You were determined to get around while in your casts. We had to take you back to Primary Children's Hospital 5 different times for them to replace the casts because you had wore holes right down to your skin on your knees and heels...from crawling and kicking. I still laugh about what happened on your last surgery. This was the most extensive surgery you had. The serial casting wasn't quite positioning your little feeties where we wanted them. So they decide to do an Achilles tenotomy. That meant they were going to actually cut your tendon in have and connect back together at the tips of the cut. They were also going to pin your toe bones where they needed to be. Shortly before we had to go have the casts taken back off and the pins removed. You were sitting out on the front porch while I was cleaning out the car and I hear you yelling "I GOT IT, I GOT IT!" I came to see what you were so proud about "getting". YOU PULLED OUT THE PIN THAT WAS HOLDING YOUR BONES PUT! I was horrified and thought you'd have to re-do the surgery again, but the doctor told me where you appointment was in a few days, you'd be okay. You little stinker! You were so proud you got that metal "thing" that was in your cast. The reason I talk about your surgeries is because that has been a majority of your life.....However, you don't remember very much of it and focus on all the fun stuff. There have not been any set backs in your development as an "all boy". You run, jump, skip, swim, and now are riding your bike with out training wheels. What a big boy. You are the best big brother any sibling could ask for. Madi LOVES to play with you, and Lily loves to watch you and smile with you. You are very protective of you little sisters and I think right now, they kinda like it....we'll see how that works when the teens finally hit. We love you so much Riley and are so happy you are ours!

Things Riley likes right now:
Riding his four wheeler
Riding his bike
Playing with Roxy
Playing with Madi
Holding Lily
Animals
Hot wheels
Ropes
guns
PBJ sandwiches
WATER (we have to bribe you to drink milk)
Roxy
Preschool


Happy Birthday Riley, WE LOVE YOU!

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Who are you?

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You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great
importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be
sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and
appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

ARE YOU AS EXCITED AS I AM!

BaBy JeSSi Is HeRE!

My VERY FIRST neice is Finally HERE!!! My sister Andrea and her husband with their sweet family welcomed their FIRST girl yesterday October 3rd. She weighed 7lbs. 8oz. and is 19in. long. She is as healthy as they come. I'm so stinking excited...I'm having a hard time containing myself from hopping in the car and driving to Oregon this second! You see, this is MY very first neice on either my side or Bill's. My family's got to love and snuggle on girls for the last three years (on my two little munchkins.) OH! But not me!!! So now it is MY turn! You all be sure to bring your A game when we all meet in Oregon in December....I'm gonna be on the prowl taking out anyone that takes MY TURN to love and snuggle on JESSI. RROOOAAARRRR!!!!

Randomness

This is how we spent our Sunday Night! I love days like these!!
Madisen has just gotten into dancing. I bought a kids bop CD and she turns it on through out the day and starts dancing her life away. Well she wanted to show Dad cause he always misses out do to the necessary calling of the term BREADWINNER. She just learned today how to "shake it".
We have been trying for a long time to get Riley into the preschool program at the elementary. They screen the kids and look for any area that they are "delayed" in. Some acquaintances were saying that he'd probably get in because most everyone gets in. Well I'm not sure if I'm excited, or disappointed, that my kids smart!!??!! Okay, I'm relieved....He passes the screening. So it's a good thing in the sense that he is up to par in his abilities. But I really wanted him in a preschool learning because he misses the Kindergarten deadline by one month. So he will be 5 a whole year before he starts Kindergarten. The preschool teacher told me that they take peer students but she if full right now and that she'd put me on a waiting list. I think she could tell I was a little disappointed and called me the next day saying she had an opening in the afternoon class.....Yay!!!! However to be a peer, you have to pay....which I think is retarded because the other students don't have to. Oh well, he's in, Right?
So it was a bitter sweat moment today as I walked him into his class.
Riley's first day of Preschool.Madisen had to get ready too...she wanted to go and didn't want Riley to go alone. Cuteness!



Lily was looking for lunch and decided she didn't want anything in the fridge after all. It was quite entertaining to watch, she started screaming because she couldn't figure out what to do next.
Helping Daddy read house plans and LOVING it.

Going Once, Going Twice, Sold! - MAYBE!

Oh my goodness!!! To my family: NO ONE knows about this just because I didn't want to get my hopes up but guess what!!!!! It's almost official (I guess I may still be having a little to high of hopes, but oh well, it feels good.) Tonight, a couple that looked at our house on Monday, is coming back again tonight to look at it again. They were here for a LONG time on Monday looking at it and through it. YIPPEE! They eliminated their options down to ours and another house. However, my realtor just called me and told me that the showing realtor said that our house was more promising for the couple and that they were really excited about it.!!! I almost started bawling on the phone to my realtor, I couldn't believe it! With the housing market the way it is (awful), our house has only been listed for 53 days and we may have just had our prayers answered. I have been praying my heart out the right people will come along quick and fall in love with our house. This is going to be such a positive step for our family for many reasons!!! I have had this conversation with my Mom on several occasions! I feel like I am always picking up constantly in order for my house to stay clean, therefor , me feeling like I've neglected my kids. We've outgrown their rooms and so the living room has become the toy room, so of course it is always scattered with toys. If I take my time to play with them, my house goes to pieces and at the end of they day, I feel bad that I didn't get what I needed to done and my husband has to come home to a messy house. I am torn! I love my kids to death, but I never have MY space ever....I have no place to go to just sit and have a little quiet time. We are always just ON TOP of each other!!! The kids need their space, I need my space, and Bill needs his space. Our new house will have a toy room, an office/library. This will hopefully eliminate the messy front room scattered with toys, and provide a place to go and relax. I hope people aren't thinking that I'm being worldly or ungrateful for what I do have. That's not the case. I feel very blessed for the things we have, for the work that's basically been handed into Bill's hands, for working vehicles, for the toys the kids have, to be able to go grocery shopping, to be able to provide my kids the clothing they need (maybe a little to much, I have a fetish for clothes especially the clearance rack....wonder where I get that from MOM). And very grateful for the opportunity we have to be able to build a house that we are wanting/needing. Very Grateful indeed. I love prayer, I love my Father in Heaven and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. Now that I got that off my chest, let's just hope that I'm not writing in a week or so saying that the cute little couple chose the other house. :)