West Virginia Roadtrip II

As I said, we woke up bright and early Tuesday morning. Riley and I let Ty get ready for his interview and we went down and ate breakfast. His interview was from 8am until 5 pm! A WHOLE day of sitting in a room interviewing with 5 or 6 different people. The CEO even flew in from PA for the interview! Once Ty left, Riley and I went back up to our room and watched cartoons, showered and got ready to hit the town. The had a "shuttle" back and forth to the city. I was glad not to be stuck in the hotel all day since Ty had the van. We went to the mall and shopped till we dropped!

In the mall elevator going to eat on the 3rd floor.

Once Ty got out of his interview we quick hopped into the van and drove an hour west (I think) to check out the "New River Gorge". It's a HUGE bridge, in fact the largest single arch bridge in the US and second in the world. It was an hour away, but it was great to check out the area for a while. Riley fell asleep in the car and we enjoyed the beauty. The pictures absolutely don't do it justice.

On our way to the New River Bridge.

Daddy and Ri walking to get a good view of the bridge.

Here it is! The sun was right in the way when we were taking pictures, but it was awesome nonetheless.

The New River. I've heard the white water rafting is awesome down there. I've only been once and loved it, so hopefully we'll get the chance to do it again.

On our way back we also stopped at this waterfall. It was called Kanawa Falls and it was beautiful as well. We walked all the way too it and Riley really enjoyed it:

This is the New River Dam (I think). I just loved the picture!

We got back after our normal dinner time, went back to the mall for a little more shopping and dinner then headed back to the hotel for what we thought would be an early night. Riley didn't agree. It took her until 10 again to fall asleep. It's hard to get her to sleep when we're laying next to her pretending to sleep.

The next morning we got up, went downstairs, ate breakfast then packed up. We wanted to go to a different part of the city to see if there was anyplace we would potentially live. I was nervous because before today I hadn't seen even one typical subdivision that I was hoping to see. I told Ty I couldn't even consider living here if I didn't see at least a few "normal" houses. Ones I could see us in. We drove around for 2.5 hours and found some beautiful homes and subdivisions, I was pleased so we took off for home. We were in the car that day for a total of 12 hours. Riley was a champ and only complained once saying "Mommy, my bottom hurts from sitting so long..." I told her mine did to :). We were all going a little crazy by the end of the drive, but I couldn't wait to get my littlest one from my mom. When we got to my mom's I about jumped out of the car before it had even stopped. I ran in the front door and I could tell he was happy to see me! Man I missed him! I'm glad we're all under one roof again. We got home, kids in bed then began to unpack...

As I said, she was going a little nutty by the end of the trip!

West Virginia Roadtrip I

Monday morning we woke up bright and early. Ty went to get the rental car they had reserved for us. We were excited because we had a choice of some brand new, 2010 sweet cars! Well, when Ty saw how much room there wasn't in the cars he asked for a minivan instead!! I was laughing so hard when he picked us up in it because he always says he'll never have a van!! My mom came and got Lincoln, and I cried when they left. I knew he'd be okay, but I was going to miss my little guy! Then we finished packing up the car and took off.

Poor Riley had to go to the bathroom "SO BAD", but there was nothing in sight. Good thing we brought her potty seat along. It definitely wasn't ideal, but it worked. I was thankful on a few occasions that we brought it with us!

We made it three hours without breaking out the portable DVD player, Riley took a nap and we chatted the whole way down. It was a very easy drive...well, I guess I can say that since I wasn't driving :)! Once we got out of the cornfields of Ohio and into West Virginia we saw how beautiful it really is down there! Perfect time of the year to be making a long drive. The leaves are still changing and like Ty says "how can someone look at all this beauty and deny that there is a Creator?" It was beautiful, especially when you're used to the "flat lands" of Michigan :).

Stopping for gas! (I think Ty was trying to watch the movie too!)

Hand her a sippy when she's tired and she usually falls asleep drinking it! Works every time!

We stopped a few times at McDonald's to have a bathroom break and for drinks and apple dippers. We order and I then decided that I wasn't sure if we could move here because 1. none of the McDonald's had Dr. Pepper and Ty seconded that because they had never even heard of a Frappe. We were in shock, seriously no frappe and no Dr. Pepper....and NO, Mr. Pibb does NOT count! We also knew we were getting closer to our destination because the accents were getting stronger and we were being asked if we were from North Dakota! Not sure why, but I guess that's where it sounds like we were from.

What kept us going: Dr. Pepper and coffee!

We crossed over the bridge into West Virginia and the first thing I saw was a trailer park--I about freaked out. haha, Ty says I saw it only because that's what I was looking for. Don't act like you all don't believe the West Virginian stereotypes everyone talks about!! I know I did. Anyways, we found our hotel, the Hampton Inn. It was very nice and once we got our mini unloaded we jumped back in and headed out to check out the city. We were right downtown Charleston (the capitol)--that's where Ty may be working. It was 5:30pm and we were shocked at the traffic on the street during rush hour. It was exactly the opposite of what we thought. Rush hour means LOTS of cars, etc, but not in Charleston. There were literally a handful of cars on the streets and we're told that's how it always is! That will be wonderful if he does get the job!

The Ohio River Bridge connecting Ohio and West Virginia!

We found the mall and I was in shopping heaven. I told Ty he could take the job because their mall is great! 10 times better than the one here or in GR. I was thrilled. Honestly I didn't know if they would even have a mall--like I said, I totally thought of WV differently than it really is! We went to dinner at Outback and then drove around the city trying to find his building and where his interview would be the next morning. We went back to the hotel, Riley jumped on the beds and I'm pretty sure Ty would have to if the ceilings were a little higher, watched movies, then tried to get Riley to sleep! It took a LONG time, but finally by 10 she was snoozing in her own bed.

The next morning began bright and early...to be continued!

What's Goin' On?

A lot of things are changing around here and I'm not just talking about the leaves!

This past weekend I got the opportunity to leave the kids with Daddy and take off for the WHOLE weekend. Mandy, her sister, Jessie, and I went up to Traverse City for a "scrapbooking weekend" and met about 6 other women at Mandy's friends house to scrapbook. In other words we literally scrapbooked the whole weekend. Friday we did it from 5pm until 2 am (9 hours). Saturday from 8 am until 3am (19 hours) and Sunday from 8am until 1pm (5 hours). It may not sound fun to some of you, but we had a blast. I think my eyes were bleeding by the end of the weekend and my brain hurt from trying to be creative. But, other than that I had so much fun! Good thing for chocolate and Dr. Pepper! What a weekend of time with girlfriends can do to make you appreciate time with your husband and kids. I feel rejuvenated again! It was just what I needed. AND I got about 60 pages done in Lincoln's scrapbook. I'm almost caught up!

Other changes: A few months back Ty had interviewed for a job in West Virginia, he hadn't heard anything for a while so he assumed he hadn't gotten it. Then about a month later he heard from them and they wanted to do an over-the-phone interview. They said they'd be in touch. Anyways, 3 phone interviews later they decided to do a face-to-face interview. So they told Ty they would fly (or drive if we preferred) all of us down to West Virginia. This past Monday that's exactly what we did. We took the 7.5 hour journey down to the sticks...errrr, I mean beautiful hills, of West Virginia. We wanted to take both of the kids with us but knew it would be a VERY long trip if we did so we left Lincoln in the loving arms of his Grandma (my mom), Grandpa and Aunts. We knew he'd be very well taken care of and knew dealing with only one child on the long trip would be much easier!

Anyways, more about our trip in my next post...but if you think of it please pray for us that we make the right decision to take this job if Ty gets it and if it's where the Lord wants us to be that everything will work out. It's a great job, but it would be a BIG change for all of us; Ty would be working A LOT more than he is now, we'd be 8 hours from all of our family and friends, not to mention everything else that comes with moving hours away. Anyways, thanks for your prayers. We're suppose to find out Monday, so I'll keep you posted :).

How sweet!

Whenever it gets quiet in the house I always peek in on the kids because they are either 1. getting into something they aren't suppose to be or 2. playing really nicely. I never know which it is, so I always check :)!! I almost cried when I saw this the other morning. I didn't let them see me, but I peeked in then ran to grab my camera. This sight is probably one of the sweetest things EVER for a mom. Riley has Lincoln on her lap and they were reading a book together. I could hear her explaining the pictures to him and he was pointing at the pages. They sat there for a good 10 minutes, too!

I am so lucky to be their mom!!

"Riley's turning 3, a POLKA DOT party it will be": Part 2

Here are the last pictures from Riley's 3rd birthday party. Thanks to everyone who made it. She got a lot of great gifts, they have been keeping her very busy this past week!

Birthday girl!

Group shot.

Riley and Aunt Jori!

Ri and her polka dot cake!

Attempting to blow out her candles...

...but she needed a little assistance from Momma!

Opening all of her gifts

Riley and her Daddy!

Family picture. Riley was shoving M and M's into her mouth so she couldn't smile very well--and she had chocolate everywhere!

"Riley's turning 3, a POLKA DOT party it will be!"

I'm not a huge fan of character themed parties, so while I can still decide the theme I thought I'd do something different. I was trying to come up with a good theme and since polka dots are back in I decided to go with it (plus, they have the CUTEST Gymboree line that's all about polka dots, so I got to cordinate her outfit with the theme too :)!)

We rented out the clubhouse to host the party:

Homemade polka dot cookies!

Polka dot cake! (top)

Polka dot cupcakes!

Dessert and drink table (empty spot was soon filled).

I absolutely love doing birthday parties for my kids. This year her party was the day after my 26th birthday, so guess what I did ALL day on my birthday? Yup. You guessed it. Frosted a cake, cupcakes, baked and frosted cookies, made tacos and all the fixings and grocery shopped, etc. However, we did order take out so at least I didn't have to cook. Ty also got me a manicure and pedicure as a gift! Can't wait to take a little time for myself.

Riley turns THREE!

Where do I even begin? I can't believe the squinty-eyed newborn baby girl I held in my arms not that long ago, or so it seems, has already turned three. Honestly, where has the time gone? My sweet girl who needed me every second of every day has all of a sudden become a very independent, sassy toddler! Riley has to be one the sweetest, kindest, most gentle little girls around. BUT, don't let that fool you because under all of that sweetness is a whole lot of stubbornness, rambunctiousness, and a whole lot of energy! There isn't a day that goes by that she does come up to me and say "Mommy, you're my best friend", then proceed to give me a kiss on the cheek. It absolutely melts my heart and makes my day better, no matter how difficult it has been.

Riley's BIRTH day!

She has so much love for her Daddy and little brother too! Ri is quite the Daddy's girl and absolutely, without a doubt, knows that he's wrapped around her little finger. She always knows when she wants something to go to Daddy first. The love I see between the two of them is unbreakable. She loves her Daddy and would choose to play with him before anyone else!

She and Lincoln are 19 months apart. Most people said I'd hate having 2 kids so close in age or that it would be so difficult when they were little. Boy were they wrong. I absolutely love having the kids so close in age, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Riley is such a loving big sister and such a helpful first child. Very rarely do the kids fight and if they do it's usually Lincoln instigating it! She's very much a people pleaser and will do almost anything to get her brother to stop crying--even if it means giving up her toy. Riley will read to Lincoln, play with him, hug and kiss him and boss him around like no one's business. Funny story: the other morning I was outside and I heard Lincoln crying so I quickly ran back inside to see what was going on. I asked Riley what happened and she said "I picked Lincoln up because he was not obeying me". haha. I could hardly contain my laughter.

Riley on her 1st birthday!

It may seem like it, but it's definitely not always roses around here. Riley has her days that's for sure. This child of mine has more energy in her little body than 5 or 6 kids combined (no joke). She absolutely never stops. Not for one. single. second. I can put in a video to distract her and she can't even sit there and watch. She has to be jumping up and down, rolling on the floor or doing somersaults, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on the TV screen. I know, one day, that she will use all this energy that she has for good and that one day it will serve a purpose and I am thankful for that!

Riley on her 2nd birthday!

I know every mother thinks their child is a genius, while I certainly don't think Riley's a genius, I do think she's one smart cookie. She knows her colors and shapes, counts to 25, knows her alphabet, recognizes and points out which letter is which, spells her name and so much more. I really agonized on whether to send her to Preschool this year. Technically she was "old enough" to go, but Ty and I decided we will wait at least another year. To be quite honest, as much as I'd LOVE a break in the mornings I'm not ready to send her to school. I only have these few years with my babies before they're off to school all day and I don't get to cuddle and love on them all day. So, instead of sending her to preschool that's just what I'm doing. Cherishing every moment, every kiss, every book I read (even if it has been the 500th time that day) because I know she won't be home for much longer!

While we were driving home from visiting Ty's family one afternoon we got off the highway, stopped at the stoplight and noticed the same homeless man sitting at the intersection that is always there. Ty rolled down his window and offered him a bag of fresh peaches he and the kids had picked earlier that day. The man gladly accepted. The light turned green, and no joke 2 seconds later Riley said to Ty, "Daddy, Jesus would be so proud". It is times like those that make me so proud to be Riley's Mommy!

Riley on her 3rd birthday!

Riley, we pray that you will grow up loving and serving others, but most importantly, loving the Lord! Daddy and I love you more than anything in this world, Riley Belle! Happy 3rd birthday.

Now for a few random tidbits. Ri had her doctor's appt on the 25th and she was 31 lbs (!!!), which is around the 53rd percentile for weight and 38 inches, 75 percentile for height. What a huge jump from a year ago. Talk about a growth spurt. Way to go girly! Veggie Tales is her new love, in fact she doesn't watch anything else. One 45 minutes movie per day is all she gets, but loves it! She loves anything Little People, playing games and reading, reading, reading! She's still taking a good 2 hour nap everyday, but wakes up early (usually by 6:30). She's wearing size 3 or 4T!