My newest project...

I've decided to make a quilt from Riley's old clothes. Some of them have already been given away but I kept my favorites. One day Tyler saw a bag I was going to take to Good Will and got very sentimental. He came up with the quilt idea and I've gone with it. It was really hard for me to reduce her clothes to rags. There were a few things that I just couldn't cut into. Her first swimsuit, her birthday dress, her hospital shirt... The biggest sewing project I've done in the last ten years was Pinky's brain surgery. Wish me luck!

The Kitchen So Far

With Tyler on leave this week we decided to get started on taking down the wallpaper in this house. It was pealing really bad in the kitchen. We thought the pealing might mean it would be easier to take down. We were wrong. Not only was the paper tough to remove, but we found MOLD on one small wall. Yuck! Luckily it was only between the ratty old paper and hideous blue paint. Not in the wall. Tyler and I went to battle armed with Bleach and scrub brushes and were able to remove it. As of last night the wall paper is gone and so is the blue paint. And it only took three coats of primer! Now all we have left is to paint. It was slow going since we only worked while Riley was sleeping, but the finish line is so close. I can't wait to have my kitchen back to normal.

This little one has been a trooper. She hates being blocked out of the kitchen, but she loves getting to eat in the living room.

Evansville Children's Museum

Because our kitchen is in shambles Tyler took Riley and I out to Red Robin on Thursday. It was the perfect place to take Riley. Red the mascot was there and she was obsessed! We think she liked him so much because he looks like her giant Fred Bird doll. A few of the other little ones were scared of "Red" and started crying. Riley offered one her paci and shushed another. She's too funny sometimes. She looked like such a big girl sitting at the table eating her grilled cheese and when we left she made sure to say "Bye-bye" to every person we passed.

We also go to go to Evansville's Children's Museum. It was so much fun! Everywhere we went there were things Riley could really get her hands on and play with. Her very favorite was the rice pit.

Dad's favorite was the Quack factory where they had the giant slide and ball shooters.

Mom didn't quite stick the landing on that one.

Riley LOVED the dinosaur area. There was even a pit where you could uncover dinosaur skeletons.

How does it do that?! Riley was so well behaved while we were there (except when it was time to go).

At the end of the day Tyler surprised Riley and I with a membership. Now we can go all the time! What a guy!

Girl Talk

Riley just LOVES chatting with her Grandma Hasty on the weekends. They talk about their days, shoes, what new words they're learning... I didn't think girls liked talking on the phone until they were tweeny boppers.

All Grown Up

It's finally happened! Tyler and I -after only 6 years of marriage- have agreed upon and purchased a kitchen table. It has matching chairs and everything! Now all of you wonderful guests of Casa De Simmons won't have to rest your hind ends on folding chairs during dinner. Even Riley loves the new table. She feels like such a big girl sitting up there.

Awwww

What a sad little Bears fan... ;o)

18 Month Check Up

Riley Brooke 18 months ago @ 6lb 8oz

Riley went to the doc today for a "well child" exam. She passed with flying colors! She's back in the 50th percentile on weight (great news) and in the 72nd percentile for height! 26lbs and 32inhces. Doc says she looks great and interacts really well. She's been eating and sleeping like a pro... even with the switch to the toddler bed she gets a good 10 hours of sleep a night! What a perfect, beautiful little angel!

Snow Pics and more...

I walked into the kitchen to find Riley sitting nicely at the table. Nothing wrong with that ... except I know in the back of my mind if I had walked in just a minute later she'd have been on the table. :)

We've had to take all the toys out of Riley's room while we transition into her toddler bed. Too much distraction. She does really well at night in her big bed now that I took the bed rail off. She hated that thing! She sleeps much better without it. Don't ask me to explain her logic. Instead of a bed rail she has pillows and a folded comforter padding the floor in front of her bed. Now that her toys are out of her room our entire house is one big play room. She's like a tornado!

And finally the ones the grandparents have been waiting for! Riley got to play in the snow for the first time. She loved it! We even taught her how to throw snow balls. What a fun day!

Thanks everyone for the great Christmas/Holiday season! Tyler, Riley, and I had a great time back in the St Louis area. We are glad to be back home in this wintery wonderland. Later today Riley will don her snowsuit and mittens and play in the snow for the first time! Pictures to come!