Another Milestone.....Riley Moves Into Her "Big-Girl" Bed!!

Riley is probably one of our strongest-willed children, so we kept putting off the idea of moving her to the toddler bed. Parents out there know what that means......the child can now get out of bed whenever he/she feels like it and leave his/her room!! Who wants to lose that control??? Reagan moved into her toddler bed at 21 months and Ryan moved into it at 23 months. But we were expecting another baby so we had to get them used to it. Riley is now 25 months and we ain't having no baby anytime soon, so what is the rush, right??? Well, my dear friend, Amy Wiebe, made me feel "guilty" after I read on her blog how her daughter Ellie had moved into her "big girl" bed at 20 months and adjusted well. So Paul & I finally did it this past Saturday. It was a family affair....as you can see from the photos..... Reagan helps Daddy take apart the crib, while Mommy tears up, thinking this may be the last time we have the baby crib up!!! BOO HOO!

Riley thinks she can help Ryan...

The new bed is almost ready.....Ryan is helping clean it up

Riley thinks to herself, "Ummm, this doesn't feel that comfortable!"

Ah...this is more like it! Just chillin' on the bed with a cold water to drink


The finished product.....Riley's new bed.....

OK, so she has done really well, with the exception of the first time sleeping in the bed. We got all ready and I said "OK, it's time to go night-night." She said, "No...bed" and started crying. It only lasted a few minutes and then she went off to sleep. We calmly explained to Riley that she was not allowed to get out of bed after nap time or the mornings without Mommy or Daddy. She could play with her animals and read books. She needed to call for Mommy or Daddy and we would come get her. And the result..........she has done it!!! 4 nap times and 3 mornings she has stayed in her bed!!!! YEAH! She looks so sweet in her bed. My little baby is growing up!!! Hmmmm, could it be time..........????????

Yes...Another New Pirate Hat!

Ryan had some Christmas money left to spend, so we went shopping for some Legos. However, what a bargain when we found Captain Jack Sparrow's hat, dreads, telescope, rings, and plastic dagger on sale at 50% off!! So of course, guess what we got??? He now wears this bandana with dreadlocks almost everyday!!
Don't these dreads look cool?? I know, just try to look past the big dagger, which is cheap plastic! Disclaimer: In no way do we condone violence in our house. Even Ryan says he is only a good pirate that rescues princess!

A captain and his ship

Riley showing off her "cheesey" smile b/c she just had to have her picture taken too!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WOW! Can you believe that it is already 2008! That is just freaky! We hope and pray that all our dear friends and family are blessed with a healthy, wonderful year, a year where we hope you all discover more about yourself and your purpose for being here on earth, a year where we pray that you all discover more about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paul & I have been discussing our hopes and prayers for the new year. Our biggest decision this upcoming year is whether we are to have a fourth child or not. This is a hard decision to make and depending on what day you catch me, a crazy one! We love watching our three kids interact and play and love on each other and we can easily see a 4th kid in all that mix. We just pray that the Lord will clearly direct on us on what we are to do....

We also hope for our children to be healthy this year, to grow in their knowledge of the Lord, to become better behaved children, and to be more thankful and understanding of how blessed they all are. We also pray that we become closer to the Lord and come to a better understanding of our purpose here in Indiana, that we get into His Word more, and that we develop some godly relationships with other couples. Even though we have been here in Indiana for almost 2 years, it continues to be a hard adjustment for me and Paul. We continue to seek God's will in this area.....

Blessings to everyone!!! Make it a great year!!!

A Very Merry Christmas.....

How blessed I am to have such a wonderful family. Christmas is my favorite time of year and we love celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We do give all thanks and glory to Him for all of His blessings.
We had my mother and Paul's mom here for Christmas Eve and then Paul's dad also joined us Christmas day. We went to church for the Christmas Eve service and then came home for our annual Christmas Eve dinner of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. And the best part......Daddy cooks it all! And then we prepare for the next morning.......... You'll see in the pictures that follow.....
Christmas Eve silly picture...

Christmas Eve proper picture......can you see Riley's black eye??? She fell out of a cart at Target

Christmas Eve with the Grandmas...

The Cornwell Family....all cleaned up for Christmas Eve

The before picture......the calm before the storm. The kitchen was Riley's big gift and she loves it!!!

Reagan gets the Disney Princess Magical Talking Throne

Surprise....Ryan got a pirate ship......actually he got three, but this one he is truly the captain!

Riley loves to vacuum...

Riley was very dainty with her presents...unlike those other two...

Reagan's very favorite gift....her look-a-like American Girl doll that she got from Grammer

And the one present Ryan has HARPED ABOUT SINCE SEPTEMBER....the infamous boat with a shark!
Everyone loved it that Ryan got Daddy some pirate underwear!!

The aftermath......

The kid's favorite "all-together" toy....the jump house.....which is great for days like today where it is 6 degrees outside. This allows them to burn off tons of energy!

And our day ends with singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and having some b-day cake!

Christmas Programs....

We had two special events this year. First Ryan had a little program at his preschool where they sang three songs. They were so darn cute. Quite a proud moment for Mom, mostly because he went through the entire program and didn't do anything embarrassing. In fact he acted like quite the little man! Then Reagan sand with the Children's choir at church the Sunday before Christmas. She had both grandmothers there to watch. She was a vision of beauty as she stood there and sang. She loves to sing and and was so excited for this day. She did a beautiful job. As I continue to learn from my kids, I am just always amazed at the grace God gives me and the beauty He shows me through them and their activities. I feel so blessed....

Time To Make The Christmas Goodies!

Each year we have a great, fun time making cookies and a Gingerbread House. The kids are definitely getting better at their "artwork". Grammer, Lori's mom, came up for Christmas and helped the kids make their treats. This is a family tradition that I love doing with the kids, even though sometimes it is stressful as I am sure other moms can relate too.

The finished house!!

Grammer and Riley share a special "moment" with a cookie cutter

My little angle makes her own pretty angel

My little "chef" decorates a cookie