Joy

Growing up

Our little Elle is growing up quickly. 14.5 months already! She amazes us with the things she is doing everyday, and constantly tries to keep up with Sydney. She really wants to dance like Sydney does and has a great little grove developing. She has already found the little stage in the corner at dance and spends a good portion of Sydney's dance class playing on it.

She loves helping in the kitchen (probably partially due to the fact that it is one time she doesn't get in trouble for climbing on the step stool.) Here she was helping me with the 22 lbs of green beans we picked. I'm not sure what was more fun for her, the washing or the picking. She loved the picking and the pouring dirt in her hair, but she also liked helping wash them (a free excuse to play in the water.) I am amazed at how quickly she can watch me do something and then seconds later be doing the same exact thing.

She loves hanging out with Sydney. When school starts back in September I think Elle will miss her big sister a lot. She loves playing with her and following her around the house all morning. She is very content to just play with whatever Sydney tells her to play with, and play how Sydney tells her to play. They have arguments, but that I figure, is just part of the process.

Another one of Elle's favorite things is dogs. She says "puppy" very clearly. She loves dogs of all shapes and sizes, but the bigger the better. Here she is playing in Kip's cage (a dog that stayed with us for a weekend while his family was out of town.)

She loves making noise while going over bumps, drinking anything with a straw, giving kisses, head-butting, and making people laugh. She is into everything and has a smile that is quite contagious. We love having her as a part of our family!

Sunday Afternoons

We love Sunday afternoons. After surviving church (I say surviving, because they chances of both kids making it happily through three hours of church are just rare) we get to come home have lunch, Sunday naps, and then an evening full of time of just being together. This week, we made M&M cookie bars and therefore, we also made some happy little girls.

Dancing Queen

Sydney started dance company last week. Yes, she is four and in company. Call me crazy if you want, and yes this is a decision we agonized over for several weeks. It is a lot of time, a good bit of money, and a lot of work and commitment for a four year old. But, in the end, when it came down to it - this is her thing. She loves it. Most four-year-olds play house. Well, while she does her share of it, she also spends a good share of her time choreographing routines. Last year, I would say she spent a good thirty to forty minutes a day practicing her routine. The kid is committed.

Learning the company routine for this year - A Michael Jackson mix. (Ever watched a four year old try and pop?)

She is definitely at the end of the pack on skill, but she should be, because she is the youngest. I love it for her though, because she is having to work a lot harder (and she has that whole four-year-old coordination thing to work against as well.) Right now they are doing their summer practice where they are in with the entire company (up to the high school seniors) and the look of determination on her face is priceless. One thing I love about company is the willingness of the girls to help one another. If Sydney isn't getting something and the teacher stops to help someone else, one of the older girls will immediately walk over to Sydney and start working with Sydney to help her figure her part out. They really work as a TEAM! (Oh, and did I mention that the mom's are the same way?? None of the snooty stuff we were dealing with before!)

But, in true Sydney form, she is not the least bit intimidated by the older girls...

The first day they had them sit in a big circle (around 40 girls) and say their name, age, grade, and something they were doing this summer. After each girl Sydney would say, "And next." Then, when it got to one of the teachers, Mrs. Brittaney, and she said her age, 28, Sydney's response was, "Old, old, old."


This all before she found a mini deck of Uno cards in my purse. She decided that she wanted to play with her new friends. (Did I mention that the older girls fuss over her like crazy?) She wanted to play during a water break, but was told she didn't have time. I told her to put the cards back in my purse and assumed she did. Well, towards the end of class (45 minutes after the water break) I see her tugging at her tights. So did her teacher. Apparently, she had stuck the cards down the front of her leotard. Through the turns and leaps, the deck of cards had slowly been making their way down the front of her leotard, into her tights, and down the leg. She spent the last five minutes of class trying to shove them back up the leg and at least keep them hidden under her skirt. When Brittaney asked if that was the cards Sydney of course denied any knowledge of said cards.

I've been told by both Brittaney and Jordan that this may be a tough year, because they don't know if they'll ever be able to actually get mad at her. I assured them the cuteness does wear off.

Six years and counting...

Six years ago, we found a quaint little bed and breakfast in Little Rock, Arkansas.



We decided it would be the perfect spot for this bride




and this handsome groom




to gather our family and a few close friends. Of course, the groom insisted he couldn't do it without this very cake.





So, July 5, 2003 he and I became us.




Last week we finally found a day ( a couple of days late, but that isn't what is important) to celebrate. He brought home roses and chocolate. I brought home the ingredients for his favorite meal (tortellini Alfredo.) We had dinner. We watched a movie. We celebrated six years of being us.

I married

an Excel Geek. For real. It is scary the things he knows how to do with Excel, actually, it is borderline EMBARRASSING. And, I'm slowly coming to terms with it. I just had to put that out there.

Zumba Queen

Dancer I am not. But, today I was a Zumba Queen. Week 4 of my gym membership and I finally braved up enough to try a Zumba class. Lots of salsa, samba and booty shakin. Let's just say that I'm glad we were in a dimly lit room and that I managed to find a nice cozy spot in the back of the room. I moved in ways I had no idea my little-self could. For an entire hour. Now, if I had actually known anyone in there I would have been embarrassed beyond belief, but I didn't. So I shook what my mama gave me and didn't care. Now, we'll see if I'll be able to walk tomorrow. My hips are starting to tell me no.

What We're Eating

Well, we're back with an old-new blog. A long time ago I started a blog with great intentions, got busy with this whole child-rearing thing, and left it in the dust. But, every so often I am caught somewhere and wish I had my recipe for XYZ, and alas it is at home. Or, I get to summer again, and am scrambling around trying to plan meals and think, "What did we eat last summer. I'm sure we ate, but nothing, I mean NOTHING sounds good right now." So, my blog has been born-again if for nothing else other than purely selfish reasons. You'll find a collection of my favorite recipes (some mine, some from friends, some straight from Ye Ol' Internet) as well as a weekly meal plan. The meal plan mainly because I hope it inspires others to share theirs - I have searched and searched the internet and always find a mishmash of things I'm sure my family won't eat (or that I'm too cheap to buy, or just won't attempt to cook, or just think sound gross.) So, world, meet
What We're Eating.

Learning Time

So, in an effort to keep Sydney busy (and out of trouble) we've been doing learning time this summer. She loves it. She picks a topic and we go to the library check out books on that subject. It has been a great way for us to check out non-fiction books, which we haven't ever done before. We read, write, do a few crafts, some cooking - really whatever fun things we can think of to do. My goal is to make it as fun as possible, spend some one-on-one time with her (since it is usually while Elle is napping) and make sure a little learning is taking place. Plus, she is learning to do some basic cooking and even a little sewing. Her sock elephant we made during elephant week has become something she takes everywhere. That week she was obsessed not just with elephants, but with Asian elephants.





Here is a picture from the week we studied dogs (complete with puppy chow as a snack.) Elle was awake for this activity. Sydney even made her a set of ears, but it took the bribe of a sucker to get her to let me paint her nose. However, Elle wasn't very fond of the ears, which is why the ear is torn. About two seconds after the picture, the whole thing was off of her head, too.


Sydney is reading really well, and I'm so proud of her. I was surprised how quickly she went from a few sight words to full-on reading. An added bonus is that she can read to Elle in the car - the board books are all easy enough and it keeps Elle entertained in the backseat while I'm driving which I'm loving!

From the little one

Sydney decided as soon as she saw this that she needed to blog about it. (Does this say anything about my parenting?) So without any further adieu, straight from the mouth of a four-year-old:

I was going to put the angel on my playhouse that I just painted today, but I saw the spider! Then I decided that it was close to me and then I wanted to climb up, but it was a little bit far, so I decided to not go in the playhouse door because if I walk where the spider was, it will crawl on me and I will be dead and die. (I swear I didn't tell her that.) And I love my whole family so, so much and I don't want to die. So then I goed inside and told my mom so she could come and see the spider and my Mommy saw it and she said, "Daddy should kill it." So it won't get on me. So now I go on my computer blog and we blogged the spider's picture on the computer blog. Now I have to do learning time. I love my Daddy and Elle. And Mommy, too. And myself. The End.

So, there you have it. Sydney's first official post. She is already bragging about it.

Birthday Trip to Branson

Back at the beginning of June my parents joined us for a weekend trip to Branson to celebrate my birthday. Now, the actual day of my birthday I spent hanging out in a crematorium helping my mom work on the interior of a hearse so that she could go on the trip with us. How is that for an exciting way to spend your 28th birthday! Definitely unforgetable. But, onto the trip. Once we got to Branson we spent time shopping, and at Silver Dollar City. Poor Sydney was DYING to swim (maybe not the appropriate term in this particular post?) but it was entirely too cold. Now, you'll have to forgive me, because this is going to be very picture heavy. But, hey - it's my birthday post, so I can do that if I want.

See the evil laugh - what you can't see is that she is pushing a button that is making the bug she is riding in go up and down really quickly (translated~bumpy) which grandma was begging her to quit doing. Hence the I'm up to something laugh.

This was later in the day, and Elle was curled up with Papa and down for the count.

Elle has this whole amusement park thing figured out:

1. get someone to carry you
2. have them stand in front of a water fan
3. make sure they give you a cup of juice
4. relax and enjoy
   

Sydney is so excited this year - she is finally tall enough to ride most of the bigger rides (minus the roller coasters.) She also loves that she is "braver than Dad" or at least has a stronger stomach. Here she is with Mom and Papa on the boat ride.

Papa and his two girls (after we suckered him into riding the frogs...those things are hard on adults!)

Sydney and Grandma on the swings.

Elle and Daddy.

Perhaps Elle's favorite ride of all. The luggage cart.

First Steps...(well, kind of)

I guess that technically Elle took her first steps for Papa Hill on June 5, but I missed them, and she didn't repeat them. So, her first repeatable steps were the other night. On Monday she decided that she could dance better if she didn't hold on to the tv stand and realzied that she was perfectly capable of standing on her own (which we all already knew.) Then, Tuesday night she decided she would get brave. She looked and David, looked and me and then took the most determined little steps of her life. Now, she thinks she is a pro (as long as you don't expect her to go more than three steps, although her circles are amazing.)

Walking at the library on Thursday:

Ten Years Later...

Last weekend David and I packed up the kids and drove down to my 10 year class reunion. David was a little less than excited about going and hanging out with a bunch of people he didn't know. I on the other hand, was excited to see some people and to laugh at a few others. All in all, we had a great time. We had a picnic out at the river that afternoon where I got to show off my most prized possessions (my little ones), and then a dinner at the country club that night. It was good to see old friends and find out what everyone is up to these days.

Probably the funniest story of the night was talking to my good old friend that I hadn't seen since the day we graduated, Ben Gilley. We worked on the newspaper together all through high school. I was editor my senior year (and maybe a bit of a perfectionist.) One column(for lack of a better term) we had was Top Ten. Ben always had an odd sense of humor, so sometimes it made sense, and sometimes, not so much. I didn't quite get his last one, which came out our last day of school.

Here is Ben posing with a copy of our final paper.

However, Mr. Hoyt, our principal did. In fact, he got it so much that he called me into his office. If you still don't get it, forget the rest of the words and only read the first letters. That was a nice thing to have a 40- year-old man point out to me at 17. (After he accused me of sliding it in there as a joke. Apparently the fact that he had to explain it to me finally convinced him that I had nothing to do with it.) Anyway, I was a little mad at Ben that last day of school, so he felt the need to apologize 10-years later. I promised him that it is now one of my favorite stories to tell. (It was the only time I ever got called to the Principal's office.)

I really do promise that David went, although I don't have a single picture of him. Oops! I think maybe he would like to forget he went (although I keep making fun of him...his class didn't even like each other enough to even bother having a reunion!)

It is interesting to see where everyone has ended up. I have decided that I will do everything in my power to make sure that Sydney and Elle stay on the straight and narrow. Those who didn't stay on it in high school still haven't quite found their way back ten years later. (They were the ones calling their parents to come pick them up at 2 a.m.)

After four hours of chatting, part of the group moved on to a local bar called Jebb's. Not my usual stomping ground, but I figured that your 10 year reunion only comes around once, so why not. We stayed out until 2 a.m. which is WAAAYYY past my normal bedtime. Thanks to several diet cokes and a lack of sleep (and maybe a bit of nostalgia) I ended up singing karaoke with Katie and Signa - a first for me. I have to admit, it was fun. Not pretty, but fun. (You know you are bad when the guy running the karaoke is smiling and giving you a big thumbs up- the keep singing sweetie, no one will remember in the morning kind) So, minus a really bad rendition of "Before He Cheats" and one slightly embarrassing song dedication, we had quite the time. Thanks Jessica and Signa for talking me into going! I had a great time seeing everyone. It is great how you can get together and talk with really good friends like it has been only days since you've last seen them, not years. (Speaking of, Signa - dinner soon!!)

Katie, Me and Signa singing karaoke

Future mountain climber

The other day I washing dishes after breakfast and my kids were quietly playing, which should have been my first clue. Sydney walks into the kitchen and says, "Mom, come look at your daughter." "In a minute," I say. "No, you HAVE to come see her right now." So, I walk into my bedroom to this:

This kid will climb anything. I've found her stuck on top of foot stools, chairs, tables, counters - all within a matter of minutes. She refuses to walk, but climbing....that is a different story.

Guess who has a computer???

Ahh. The sweet feel of a REAL keyboard beneath my fingers again. Adios house cleaning. Good bye junk drawer organizing. Did you really think that you were more than just a fling?

Summer Movies

Yesterday we went and watched The Tale of Desperaux at the "movie store" which really means movie theatre. I'm not sure what I was thinking taking a one-year-old and a four-year-old by myself, but we survived. Thankfully, in the summer they do Tuesday and Wednesday older movies for $2, so if we miss out on half of it, I don't feel too bad. Elle was enthralled for the first hour or so (who wouldn't be - cuddled into mom's lap, a big bucket of popcorn, and a huge screen in front of your little face!) but then she discovered that there was a whole thing of stairs she was missing out on. This of course came about the time the movie got a little scary, which didn't bode so well with big sister, who then adopted a mom in the front row. But, they had an overall good time, and I'm sure we'll be back next week. I mean, who am I kidding. A good cool form of summer entertainment for under $10 - we're there. Plus, I see it as practice for when we go to the million dollar movies. :)

Stubborn is...

teaching your children where they inherited their stuborness.

Our match went something like this. Mommy in one-corner. Tired, but stubborn preschooler in the other. I swung in with the medicine spoon. She came in with a hook-swing "spit out the medicine move" (usually reserved for Daddy.) I came back strong with a time out, but she didn't give in there. Just when I thought I had worked her into a corner, she broke out the "I'm going to throw up." Yep. While this isn't one of my patented moves, I can thank my little sister for prepping me for this one (she used it plenty in her glory days.) I was ready and stared her straight in the eyes. "Throw up and you'll clean it up yourself." Out of timeout she jumped and off to the bathroom she went, OK RAN.

Round one, TIE.

Back for round two, she tried calling in backup by using her banshee scream and waking up her little sister. That is when my backup came in and threatened her life if she woke her little sister. Round two, Parents.

Round three had an intense start. More screaming ensued, and in the Rieske household the only place screaming is aloud is in the backyard, otherwise you are breaking a house rule. So, I summoned up my remaining strength, and lifted her writhing body, and set her on the picnic table out back (I'm sure the neighbors think we're crazy.) And she was almost down for the count. Faked, yes, FAKED an apology, but soon after being let back in the house, insisted that she wanted Daddy to get her ready for bed. So, after a nice authoritative talking to from Daddy (brought on after pep talk from mommy) about how mean she was being to her competitor and how would she like to be treated that way, etc. etc. I had a very sorry little girl at my leg BEGGING to just please let us be a family forever and promising that she would never, ever be that mean again. The smell of victory was in the air. Round three, Parents.

I read a book without pictures!

Ok, so I feel like I've been taken over by some force that is not myself and haven't really read any non-picture books in while, minus the occasional kid-free vactaion, or during Christmas break while we were staying at my parents' or in-laws' house. Part of the reason for this is if I start reading I have a hard time putting it down. Many-a-night I've looked over at the clock and realized it is WAAAY past my bedtime, but I just HAVE to finish one more chapter. An hour later, I'm still reading. Anyway, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and join a little non-enrichment book group with some ladies in my ward. One of the books we're supposed to read over the next six weeks in Left To Tell. I finished it today and it was so good. So, if you are looking for a good read, I definitely recommend it. I didn't think I would really care for it, as it is about the Rwandan Holocaust, but I found myself not being able to put it down. I was enthralled, I was angry, I was sad, but most of all I was amazed at the strength and endurance of this woman. The one thing I kept having to remind myself as I was picturing things in my mind is that this wasn't set in 40's or 50's, but the mid- to late 90's. It is insane to me that things like this still happen, and that there are people strong enough to survive it. So, while not your typical "light summer read," this is definitely a book I would recommend. If I were a book re-reader (which I am not) this one would be on my list to read again.

Totally missed it...

but I guess my 100th blog post was me whining about having to type with a wii remote. Now that I think about it, me whining is actually a totally fitting 100th post. Anyway, to the more important stuff.

David is away home teaching which means I have the computer. The girls are napping (but not before peeing in the floor, a little screaming, paper airplane making, wearing mom's shoes around, you know - typical Sunday behavior) so I have a few minutes to put up some pics from the last month using a real computer. Hopefully our new hard drive will be here soon and I will have my computer back. I spent some time lusting over a Mac at BestBuy yesterday, but I don't know that David would ever find the place for one in his heart. Plus, "Dr." Hufford visited us this afternoon and said it looks like our computer just has a nasty virus. If you haven't ever sat around and watched a bunch of computer geeks try and figure out what is wrong with a computer, I highly recommend it. There were only two present, but, a third got called in via phone. I'm pretty sure it was like a game for them and pretty entertaining for me, but I digress and I did promise pictures.

Mother's Day:



And, in case you can't read it the cookie cake, decorated by Sydney, it says, "Happy Valentine's Mommy Day"


Costume Day:




Costumes finally arrived, and the girls were sooo excited. They are dancing to "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" (edited to be four-year-old appropriate, of course) and they are so sassy, but none as much as my little firecracker.


1 Year Appointment:




For some reason, I had my camera in my bag at Elle's 1 year appointment. So, here are pictures of her and her cherry flavored stick, which I'm sure is the reason both of my children get giddy when they pull up to the pediatrician's office (although grape is the flavor of choice among my tongue depressor connoisseurs.) She was 18 lbs and I'm not remembering the inches, but she was 5% for weight and 75% for height. Hated her shots, but ran no fever. She is growing fine, loves her fruits and most of her veggies, hates mac and cheese much to her daddy's dismay, and still has the teradactyl screech (which we are all hoping disappears at any moment.)

And, David is home, so blogging for now is done.

A Quick Post

David is helping someone move this morning and I have a few seconds with a real computer and a few pictures. Not being able to blog lately, I realize just how much I truly love blogging. It lets the writer in me escape for just a few seconds, and helps me remember the favorite parts of my day and laugh at the not-so-favorite parts. (I also like ignoring the dishes and dirty diapers for a few minutes, too!)

Sydney is out of preschool for the summer and I find that welcoming for the moment. I was honestly so tired of driving across the stupid road work and spending a good 45 minutes in the car every day just to get her to and from preschool for three hours. At the end, that only left me about 2 hours to get anything done, which seemed so short if I had an errands to run or if Elle decided that it wasn't a napping day. Anyway, instead of rushing around, now our mornings look something more like this:



I'm already fretting over the fact that in only a year I'll be getting ready to send her to kindergarten. Yes, my little chick will be leaving the house five days a week in a short 14 months. Get the chocolate ready because I fully intend on eating myself into a chocolate stupor when that day comes (and I think little sister will be right there with me.)

We are not dead

But I think our computer definitely belongs in ICU. As I sit here typing this one letter at a time with the wii remote I'm thinking it is time to do some bartering. This is so much slower than texting and I have so much to tell you. sigh.

A Buggy Birthday Celebration

I can't believe it has almost been a year! Wednesday is her actual birthday, but we celebrated early. We had some friends and lots of family over to celebrate with us on Saturday. But, like all things in our home, we didn't get there with out a few bumps along the way. We started out with a stomach virus that began with Elle, then jumped to Sydney and ended with David. Yes, I must have a stomach of steel (or just be really blessed - someone has to be on kid duty.) Then, the clouds all day on Saturday made me extremely nervous, especially because we'd invited way more people than could comfortably fit in our house. But, once again we were lucky and the weather was perfect. Thanks Dad, Mom, and Nanny for helping us run last minute errands and roll tamales.




Elle was excited, and loved the balloons. I also think she felt pretty. Nothing like a girly little tutu and bows to make one sweet little girl smile. She is turning into such a girl and loved all of the attention. She was much more of a cake diver than I expected, and lasted the entire party with zero meltdowns. She thought she was hot-as-snot sitting in her little red chair and being the center of attention. She was more than happy to share the present opening with her sister, as long as she got to tear a piece of paper here and there. She went to bed very late, with a tummy full of homemade tamales and salsa. I hope that one day she will look back and know how loved she is, not by just by her mommy and daddy, but by her extended family as well!

(If you click on the images below they will be much bigger and you can actually see them, I'm just not patient enough to load that many on here individually.)

It's your fault.

Yes, I blame you. Any of you that call yourself my friend and happen to have a daughter over the age of four. Why did you not tell me this was coming? I mean, I knew it would come at some point, but I thought we'd at least be approaching the teen years before I had to think about it. The tears, the emotions, the hormones that come with raising a daughter.

Now, I've endured the ones (which Elle is reminding me how much I don't love, which is also probably why I've erased Sydney's one's from my mommy memories) only to move on to the terrible twos, which really aren't all that bad. A few temper tantrums here and there, but nothing compared with the stubborns that come at three. But, the endearing thing about the three's is that there are moments that are all so sweet and make up for the less sweet moments and then some. And the fact that suddenly there is this compassion that comes about and my world is suddenly flooded with hugs and kisses, and gifts of carefully selected weeds, and rocks, and worms, and whatever other creatures my dear one thought might pique my interest. Then we roll into the fours, where clearly she is old enough to take care of herself (how dare I even think of walking in with her to get her allergy shots.) But why, why, WHY didn't someone tell me we'd be jumping head first into the world of those girly emotions?

Driving back from my parent's house the other day I bought a new-to-us movie (gotta love Redbox) and she got stated watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua. She was so proud that she hadn't cried when we were leaving, so when I look back 45 minutes later and she is in tears I ask what is wrong. I can't understand beyond all of the sniffling. I'm ready to pull over.

M: Are you sad because we left Grandma's?

S: (shakes her head no, and sticks her lip out even further)

M: Did you have an accident?

S: Of course not, mom!

M: Well, honey, what is wrong?

S: It is...it is....it is just that this, this, this movie. It is SOOO Sad. The puppy. She is all alone without her friends. I don't think. I can possibly...sniff... continue to watch it.

Fast forward. David is out of town. Normally, not a problem because it means the girls get to sleep with me and we get to go out to dinner one night somewhere Daddy hates and we love, so it is a huge "break thre rules" couple of days. But, this time Sydney starts crying, partially due to the lack of a nap. She misses her Daddy. Everything she sees somehow reminds her of her daddy. Finally, she falls asleep (much later that she needed to be taking a nap, but at this point I'm just glad she isn't crying.) I decide that I need something from Hobby Lobby and try to wake Sydney up. She gets up, mulls around for an hour or so, pouting because she misses daddy. I point out that she needs to hurry and get around or Hobby Lobby will be closed and we won't be able to go. So, finally at eight o'clock we leave (because all intelligent people leave the house to run errands at 8 p.m. with small children) and arrive at Hobby Lobby and an amazingly empty parking lot. I drive past the door, check the hours, and see that it closes at 8 p.m. I look in the backseat and say in my most chipper voice. "Oh, darn. It is closed. We'll have to come back another day." Cue the tears.

S: I'm soooo sorry Mom. It is all my fault. They closed because I wouldn't hurry. I'm so sorry. It is all, all, all my fault. (At this point she is folded into a small ball)

M: No it isn't. I didn't get us going in time. Even if you would've hurried we still would have missed it.

S: No, they knew I was taking too long, so they closed.

So, this is how we begin the emotional rollercoaster that I'm sure will end about the time she finishes having children. I'm not sure I am prepared for this.

Codeword: Jello

I'm a genius. Yep, that is right. Pure genius! You see, now that Sydney is in Sunbeams and I'm in the Primary Presidency, we've been having a bit of a problem when it is my turn to conduct or teach. Sydney thinks that because I'm talking on the microphone that automatically entitles her to tell the rest of the Junior Primary everything that is on her mind. She'd really like to talk on the microphone, but she has figured out that I won't let her do that(after many 'mommy is going to kill you if you don't stop it 'looks), so she follows me around, and says, "Um, excuse me mom, I need to tell you something." She then whispers something in my ear that she wants me to tell the rest of the kids. Like how they can't come to her birthday party because we're only inviting six people. Or that it isn't nice to call people fat, or whatever other bits of wisdom I've imparted on her that week. Needless to say, this is less than conducive to conducting or teaching.

So, this week I tried a new approach. Jello in our house is quite the treat, mostly because David hates it (and ice cream and chocolate...what is wrong with this man?) so I rarely make it. And there is the argument over whether Jello is a side-dish or dessert. I told him I will never be Mormon enough for Jello to be a side-dish, it is clearly a dessert. It is in the baking aisle for Pete's sake! But, I digress. Well, Sunday morning before church I pulled out the Jello cups and had it in the fridge before Bear got up. After breakfast I showed it to her and told her that if she was good and sat in her seat while I was teaching Sharing Time she could have some after church. Genius!! So, I ended up conducting too, because it is Primary and you just go with flow - the person who was supposed to conduct was handling a meltdown duet in the back row. So, anytime Sydney would wander to the front to tell me something, I would just lean over and whisper, "Jello." Whoosh...she was back in her seat. By the time Sharing Time actually started we had it figured out. After Sharing Time was over, she went up to the Primary President and said, "Can Kate come over for Jello??"

So, third Sundays have now officially been declared Jello days at the Rieske household. Sugar-free, of course.

Sydney-isms

Lately Sydney has been cracking me up, but we are at that oh-so-critical point in child rearing where I must not give in and let her know that she is doing so.

As we were leaving a garage sale:

S: Bye. Thanks. We didn't like any of your junk.

Checking out as we were buying new sandals:

M: Sydney, stay with me for just another second please.

S: You're really making me crazy today, little mama.

After her dance teacher told her how smart she was for remembering what part came next on her dance:

S: I know, my daddy says I'm intelligent.

As we are to the door, leaving for a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese:

M: Are you ready to go to Katelyn's birthday party?

S: You bet.
(hand on the door knob)

WAIT! What about the Chuck E. Cheese token coupons?

At the allergist office, sitting next to the doctor on the exam table:

Dr: Sydney, I love those boots. Do you think I could wear them?

S: (nudges him with her arm and says oh so seriously) Don't you think your feet are just a little big?

At the dinner table:

M: I sure wish I had an iphone.

S: Don't worry, honey. When David goes out of town and it is just us, I'll get you one.

After spending a morning alone with just mommy:

M: What was your favorite thing we did today?

S: Spending time with just you. (insert big hug)

How could I forget this one?? Thanks Doddy!

Riding in Papa's truck, after being silent for 30 minutes:

S: (In a monotone voice) Save money. Live better. Walmart.

Tulsa Zoo

Finally, here are our pictures from the zoo. **If they are too tiny, just click and it will be really big and you can see them up close and personal. Not responsible for any gorilla nose hairs you may encounter** It may take some close examining, but you will be able to distinguish my animals, I mean children, from those that actually belong at the zoo. My little crazies did have a good time, despite the chilly weather. We were glad that we had Nanny with us and hope that she enjoyed the trip as much as we did (who couldn't love being smashed in the back seat with two screaming hyenas?) The girls loved having her along and the fact that she spoils them way more than we do.


Sydney loved the polar bears and the lion - until he roared as she was sticking her head inside of a lion water fountain to get a drink - she was all of a sudden ready to leave. I'm pretty sure she almost peed in her pants. But, thank goodness she didn't because I'm way past the point of carrying extras for her. Elle's favorite animal by far was the kind that goes in your mouth - what zoo trip would be complete without animal crackers. Come on, are you really surprised?

I loved the area where all of the animals were out walking/flying around. See the top picture on the left below? Notice the bird that Sydney is pointing at. We were actually that close to it. Said bird is a cuckoo bird and the stupid thing jumped on my head. Yes - on top of my head. Not once, but twice. Someone must have forgotten to tell him that it is not polite to land on someone's head when the aren't looking. Oh, and my dear, sweet husband had the nerve to laugh. And I'm pretty that was his favorite part of the zoo - seeing my face when I had a cuckoo bird sitting on my head.

Dear People,

If you are not the father of my children (or mother...but for purposes of this post, we will stick to the nosy men out there) please don't "father" my children.

To Mr. Manager at Mama Fu's:

My daughter was not going to hurt herself standing in a window that was all of six inches off of the ground. Yeah, you might have to clean it, but welcome to the world of working in a restaurant. You actually have to clean things. She was being quiet, not disturbing the other two tables in the restaurant and I was actually enjoying my meal for a change. So, no matter how nicely you put on that fake smile as you say, "I don't want to you hurt yourself, miss" as you remove her from the window (did I give you permission to touch my child in the first place?) it still makes me mad. It is my child and I can see her as she is all of 7 feet away and I am FACING her. So yes, she was in the window, not hurting anyone, including herself. If she would've fallen, she probably would've gotten some dirt on her knee and that is about it. Please don't touch her again. Since this happened on Monday night and you were the first instance of this, I was nice and pretended to smile back, but I hold grudges FOREVER and I assure you that we will be finding a new fake-Chinese restaurant to go to when daddy is out of town (as is our tradition.)

To Mr. Man at Lowe's in Springdale:

I had high hopes of buying new carpet from your store as the price was much better than that at Home Depot. However, our brief conversation has assured that my carpet will not be bought from you. Nope. You see, I'm tired from chasing a one- year-old and four-year-old all day long. So, when my dear one says she needs to go potty and takes off, I don't get too excited. Especially when I can still hear the pitter-patter of her little feet on your concrete floors. I have learned that this is one time that I don't need to run, you see. I can HEAR her so I know that she is ok. Oh, and I know where she is heading. And, the fact that I'm saying in a semi-loud but calm voice, "Bear, wait for Mommy," probably means that I'm in control of the situation. When she comes running back to me, followed by you, and I kneel down to speak to MY child, **note the keyword here - MY** I don't need you to say, "You don't need to lose her here" to which I snidely replied, "Do you think I lost her on purpose??" Then, you felt the need to say, "There are just lots of things here and I don't want her to get her to get hurt" Yep, mouth diarrhea has me again. "Seriously, you think I want her to get hurt?" (and you get the mommy look from me here. yep. Betcha' haven't gotten that one in at least 40 years.) And seriously, just the day after Mr. Manager decided to be a pseudo-father?


So, yeah, if you are one of my mommy friends, feel free to help me out with my kids/tell me when they are being little hellions. But, if you are some random person, hands off my babes.

Did we take a wrong turn?

So spring is the air, and being the great mom I am, a Spring Break excursion is planned. We got Silver Dollar City season passes for Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad...and Lanelle for the idea), so an easy trip, reminescent of ones from my youth, is in our future. Sydney is all prepped and excited to go to our pretend home (a hotel for those of you who don't speak four-year-old), our bags are (mostly) packed, the library travel bag is by the door(aren't I a great mom to think of this?), Nanny is here, and we are ready to go. As I am packing some snacks and thinking smugly how great of a trip-planner I am (I even thought of juice boxes), David is on the phone with his dad who will be meeting us the next morning. He asks if we've checked the calendar at SDC, because he heard it was closed part of the week. What, closed on Spring Break? Never. I never remember it closing during the week. And of course, any great trip-planner would actually check to make sure that the highlight of the trip is actually open, right? Um, well - just a small detail, right?

So, what is a mom with a wound up four-year-old, who so wholely has her heart set on a pretend home to do? Go on to Branson and just shop (because my kids, not to mention the husband would love spending two days shopping.) Perhaps pretend there was never a trip planned? Well, I did what all technology-dependent moms do; I sat down in front of my computer and typed in google.com "things to do close to nwa"

HELLO TULSA!

So, into pigeon foot (my pet name for my trusty CR-V) we climbed the next morning (but not after a good argument about getting started late because someone just had to get in a few phone calls on his vacation day, oh and maybe due to the fact that not everything was quite as well packed as I liked to pretend it was.) But, by the time we actually arrived in Tulsa, all was well and I was anticipating the gourmet selections awaiting my taste buds at good ol' QT. I mean, seriously, where else can you find so many flavors of slushy under one roof?

QT was followed by a brief visit/goosechase to the Tulsa Children's museum. Luckily we had Nanny with us, so we could leave the kids in the car without being arrested and jump in and peek at what the Tulsa Children's museum had to offer. Um, lots of ticked off parents, miserable kids, and a few that I'm pretty sure had been pumped full of some sugary substance to pretend they liked the place and its rubber-cement pizza. Honestly, if I lived there I would probably get a season pass or something and use it on rainy days, but for the price, we decided to move on and let Bear play pretend elsewhere.

So, we ended up finding a really fun bowling place, complete with bumpers. Sydney, who has never been bowling anywhere outside of our living room, found out that the actual ball is much heavier than the Wii remote, that Mommy's score also looks a lot better in the comforts of our own living room (although, with the bumpers on I did manage to break 100), and that the actual lane is very slippery and you will end up on your behind if you walk on it. Elle loved clapping and mostly just being out of her carseat. Of course, no game of bowling is complete without a little show from you-know-who.

After two games, we were feeling homeless and found a Marriott with an indoor pool and a continental breakfast. Sold. (Thank you Marriott points - I knew I loved my husbands job for a reason) Amazing service, and amazing chocolate chip cookies...look how happy Bug is with that cookie smeared all over her face. Syd was just thrilled to be in a pretend home. When I finally got it through her thick skull that just because we weren't at home, the no-jumping on the bed rule was still in effect, she graciously moved to the floor (and graciously, we were on the first floor.)

After some swimming, we were all ready to eat. So, off to meal #1 at Zio's where Elle learned to color and I remembered exacly how great the nachos are. Mmmm...delish. We had intentions of taking the kids to the dollar show, but ended up at Cheescake Factory instead. A much better trade, in my opinion. Then, back to our pretend home for some rest to get geared up for the Zoo the next day.

His story

The poor guy is surrounded by nailpolish. Welcome to a house full of girls. We all have our, well, "moody" days that we write off as ok, because we are girls. Hormones, right? The attitudes are in full force around here. Going anywhere without at least 30 minutes notice? Don't even try it. A spider within the walls of our home means instant notification, whether he is home or not. He knows all of the words to High School Musical 2, and most of 3. He is always the prince, the lifter, the bug killer, dog poop cleaner-uper. Quite a resume, eh?

 

Why is it

that she has all of this wonderful hair and refuses to let me put anything in it?

 

Mystery Solved

Here has been our day lately: We are going about our business. Grizzly goes bezerk barking at nothing. I let her into the backyard, she runs, comes back in. Five minutes later, repeat. I really thought I was going to pull my hair out, or maybe just begin sporting a new pomeranian-fur coat. Then, two weeks ago we were putting FREE mulch down in our backyard (thank you ice storm 2009) and found this little guy. Turns out that he and three of his siblings have taken up residence in our backyard in our jasmine bush. Nice, huh? After I convinced Sydney (ok, and myself) that we weren't going to keep him, he has hung around. Unfortunately for the little family, a mean old cat lives next door. We shall see who wins.

For Bear....

I miss you. Yes, it is actually quiet around here and this mommy thinks she may go crazy. I like to pretend it is your fault I don't get anything done, but I think I'm really just not into the whole "housewife" thing. However, you will be happy to know that the mysterious smell in the fridge is gone, although the source is still a mystery. I haven't had to clean up one smidge of dirt since your sister left, however I have found a great collection of watercolors on my kitchen floor - thanks for the wonderful pictures and new look you've added to the tile floor. Your room is still a mess - no worries, it will still be the same big pile o' stuff when you get home. (This is one area where I really wouldn't have minded if you took a little more after your dad - piling is so not the way to go. Do as I say, not as I do)I have been thinking about you, although I'm sure you've not been thinking about me. I know grandma and grandpa's house is way too entertaining to be bothering yourself with worrying about your little ol' mom. I love you - give your sister a kiss for me. I'm sure you are taking great care of her! I can't wait to see you two in the morning. xoxo

This is me

I just saw this and laughed. Not today, but somedays this is so me.