Peyton's Pier

5 years ago today

2012-02-14T15:35:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from the Riley's...

We are having a pretty low key day around here. Peyton had his party at school yesterday and he loved getting his cards and candy. As for Valentine's Day, yes it is a day of love, but this day marks something else for Kevin and I. I can remember the day very clearly...and I think I will for the rest of my life.

We had a meeting with Dr. Robin at the New Hope Center...we had been there quite a few times before trying for a baby and nothing had worked so it was time to sit down with "THE DOCTOR!"

I remember meeting Kevin there and being so nervous about what she was going to tell us. We sat in her office and she came in and told us the news..."The chances of you guys conceiving on your on are slim to none!" Really not what you want to hear. She then proceeded to tell us our best chance of ever having a baby would be to go through IVF.

I think Kevin and I were numb the rest of the day. In complete shock that our dreams of having children would only be possible with serious medical intervention.

So, needless to say that was one of the most difficult Valentine's Days we have had. I remember fighting with Kevin that night and wondering where we would be a year later...Now, 5 years later here we are with 2 very healthy, loving boys and we couldn't be happier!!!

Maddox Dylan...4 months old

2012-02-08T16:51:00.002-05:00

Maddox is somehow already 4 months old. I know I say it every single time, but where has my tiny little baby gone??

He had his 4 month appointment today and Dr. Karp says he looks great.

He weighs 11 lbs 3.5 oz and is 23 inches long. He is in the 3rd % for everything, but corrected age he would be in the 10th % which is where Peyton always was.

He is wearing 0-3 month clothes all the time...he can still fit in his newborn clothes, but they are a bit too short!

He is wearing a size 1 diaper

He is doing pretty well overall...he normally will wake up between 7 and 8 eat and then go back to sleep either in the carseat or the swing and if I am lucky his bed!!! Normally he will nap about 1-2 hours. He then wakes up and eats again and play for a good amount of time before catching a quick cat nap...about 30-45 minutes. He then will eat again between 1 and 2 and will be up about an hour. Usually he will nap about 2-3 hours this time. Which is great considering that is when Peyton sleeps. Up again anywhere from 5-6 and eats again. Sometimes he will try to doze back off for a few, but more times than not he will be awake until bedtime which is around 8. At bedtime, Kevin will take him up and rock him and give him a bottle....usually about 7 ounces. After bottle, Kev will rock him for a few and then he goes to his crib and falls asleep. He normally will sleep until somewhere between 3-4 am, i go in to feed him and I am trying to get him back in his crib after that feeding. Usually he does great with it, but other times he is not happy!!!

Overall he is a pretty good baby....kind of fussy, but for the most part always smiling and talking and laughing ~~~

A sweet laugh...

2012-01-30T16:26:00.002-05:00

Memory for me...

Maddox laughed out loud today for the first time...

What a sweet sound!!!

Just to Remember..

2012-01-27T15:37:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to write this down so I can remember...pretty boring!!

Maddox went to bed last night at 7:45...he knows when it is bedtime for sure! He woke up at 4...I have been bringing him into bed to nurse him and normally he will fall back asleep. Last night, he was very fussy in bed, so I took him back to his room where I rocked him for a while. After that I decided to lay him in his bed...he was kind of in and out, so I did.

I heard him peep one time right after I put him down, but then he slept until 8!!! I was glorious!!!!

He is smiling and cooing and talking all the time now!!! Such a sweet age!

Happy Birthday Popi!

2012-01-16T15:28:00.002-05:00

This weekend we went to North Carolina for a very special birthday!

Our Popi (My Daddy) turned 60 years old on January 11, so we missed his actual birthday, but went to celebrate this weekend. This was the first time that we have made the drive back to NC since Maddox was born.

I was nervous about taking a 3 month old on a 5 hour car ride, but he did great! We left at 3 and he and Peyton slept a majority of the way...Maddox woke up with about 30 minutes left in our trip because he was hungry. Oh the things we do with a newborn. I hovered over his car seat and fed him...quite a challenge if I do say so myself!

We met for dinner and headed to Noni and Popi's house and Maddox didn't miss a beat! We were a bit nervous about the nighttime routine since he had been asleep for almost 5 hours! But he took his bottle and off he went and slept until 4:30 so we were very happy about that.

Saturday we did absolutely nothing! Peyton wanted to play pool and shoot hoops...so we were able to play pool, but it was a bit chilly to play outside!

After playing all day, we got ready and Kev, Maddox and I went back to the hospital where we had been 14 weeks ago!!! Talk about a crazy, emotional walk into the hospital. We made our way to the NICU floor and got to visit with one of our nurses, Candace, and our most favorite NNP, David. It was very strange being there with a perfectly healthy 3 month old, who just 14 weeks prior was on all kinds of oxygen, stopped breathing, etc.

David came out and quickly grabbed Maddox and it was as though Maddox recognized him. He was talking away to David. We could not believe it...do they actually remember that voice that he heard for the first two weeks of his life??? It was so wonderful to go and visit...we are already planning our next visit back!

After the hospital, we met up with the family and had a fabulous dinner at the Chophouse! Yummy!!! Maddox was very fussy, but it didn't matter....we had our own private area which was so nice since we had 4 kiddos...We got to celebrate my wonderful Daddy and a terrific Popi!

Sunday was our wonderful drive back to VA!!! No fun, but the boys did great again! They both slept almost the entire way home...they get worn out while visiting. So it is back to the real world and on to our next big adventure!!!

MDR...3 months old

2012-01-10T15:57:00.002-05:00

Maddox turned 3 months on Saturday...as I said before I can't believe how fast it has gone by!

As or Maddox, he is a pretty "tough" baby. I am sure I was the same with Peyton, but it just seems that Maddox is a very fussy baby. He likes to be held and loved on all the time, which isn't a bad thing except for that fact that I have a hard time getting things done!!

He is doing great at night. Kevin has the nightly routine and he is taking about 6 ounces, a combo of breast milk and formula. He normally goes to bed between 8 and 9 and will sleep until 3 or 4. The other night he slept until 6 and I thought I was in heaven!!!! He wakes up and eats and will go back down...not very soundly, but will sleep until around 7:30 or 8!

Naps...totally different story! This child fights me ALL DAY LONG!!! I usually can get him to take a nap, you just never know where it will be....the swing, the couch, the carseat! Who knows...at this point, as long as he is sleeping I am happy!!!

He is wearing size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. He has grown so much the past month! I can hardly believe how big he is. I will be anxious to see how much he weighs at our 4 month checkup!

TIme is Flying...

2012-01-05T16:00:00.002-05:00

In so many ways I feel like time is quickly passing us by since Maddox has been home. He will be 3 months old on Saturday and that simply blows my mind!! He is definitely a handful!

We have been so busy with the holidays, selling a business and spending time with family that there has been no time to sit down and update life! Christmas was amazing this year for Peyton. He loved every aspect of it. He was not 100% sure about Santa at first, but once Santa came to Nana's house on Christmas Eve, he knew exactly what to do! He was very apprehensive at first, but warmed up once his Pop Pop eased him into the whole situation! It was wonderful...and of course Maddox had so idea what was going on, so he just slept through the evening!! :) They both got wonderful Christmas gifts, of which Peyton's favorite thing was his Blue Jeep...and his scooter that he rides all day long in the house I will add! His Noni and Popi are getting him a basketball hoop...not sure who is more excited, Peyton or his Dad!!

As for school, Peyton continues to love it more every single day and I am beyond happy about that. I was remembering the days when I would come to my car and cry for 30 minutes because he was so upset! Now, he walks in and puts his things away and off he goes!!!

Maddox has become a great "cooer" over the past week or so! Just today, he made what we thought was a laugh. It is so hard to tell these things! He is definitely a smiler at this point...especially when he is naked!

Next weekend we are headed to NC to celebrate one of the best Dad's in the world!! I can't believe my daddy will be 60 on 1-11-12!!! Our first road trip back to NC since Maddox was born!!

2 month appointement

2011-12-06T15:20:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe that Maddox is going to be 2 months old tomorrow. Where in the world has the time gone???

We had our 2 month appointment yesterday and all is going great. Maddox is weighing in at 8 lbs 0.5 oz. and 21.5 inches long. He is basically gaining 1 oz per day which is exactly what Dr Karp wants him to be doing...

MDR had his first round of shots yesterday and that was not a happy picture. The poor child screamed and turned bright red and then fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon. And what a rough night he had...swollen little leg and two doses of tylenol. Hoping tonight we are back on track!

As for everyone else, we are trying to get ready for Christmas. Peyton is soooo excited this year! I love how everyday we talk about Santa coming and he always asks how many more days...too cute!!!

As for pics of everyone...I have to have Kev's help for that...they are on our time capsule and I have no idea how to load them!!!

Riley family update...

2011-11-23T17:33:00.003-05:00

Quick update on life around the Riley Household..

Peyton is doing amazing going to school these days. Once we came home from Disney World, we decided to change to going to two days a week. Obviously for the whole month of October he was not in school due to Maddox being in the NICU in North Carolina. We finally got back on track the first week of November and he has walked in almost every day without much drama. He simply gives maddox and I a kiss and off we go! It is amazing the difference!

As a big brother he is doing great! He loves his baby brother. He wants to hold him and kiss him all the time. One moment that was scary in the moment, but a bit comical now....I was in the shower, Peyton and Maddox were on our bed just hanging out. I poke my head around the corner and all I see is Peyton holding Maddox up by his ankles. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I asked what he was doing and he responded " I am dong the fireman carry with him." Oh my lord...this is what Kevin and Peyton do every night going to bed....Kevin throws Peyton over his shoulder and off they go. So, I quickly told him that daddy was the only one to do fireman carry in our house. Whew!!!

As for Maddox, he turned 6 weeks on Friday November 18. Crazy to think he should have been a week old, but instead is 6 weeks old. We had another weight check on Monday and our little chunker is weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz and is 20 inches long. He is in the 25 percentile for weight and not sure about height. He seems to be doing great...Still pretty much following the same schedule as before.

He did smile at me for the very first time today...melt my heart!! I hope that he will give more of those this weekend for everyone at Thanksgiving.

We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks for our 2 month checkup...seriously 2 months!!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!

MDR...1 month old

2011-11-09T15:21:00.003-05:00

Maddox turned one month old on November 7! A whole month!!!

Today is my actual due date, so the fact that I am writing a post about my baby being 1 month old is crazy!

He weighs, as of Monday, 6 lbs 4.5 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long. We have been going frequently for weight checks since being home, just so Dr. Karp can make sure he is gaining weight!

Seeing that Maddox was in the NICU for 2 weeks, he got on a pretty good schedule. He eats at 8, 11, 2, 5, 8, 2 and 5.

He is sleeping through his 11 pm feeding which is fine by me!

We have just started a nighttime routine with him with bath time at 7:30, eat at 8 and then a bottle following that. We try to put him down in his bassinet by 8:30 or 9!

His schedule as of now:
8 am feed
9 am back to sleep
11 am wake up to eat...try to keep him awake until next feeding
2 pm feed...try to put him down when Peyton is napping
5 pm feed...try to keep him awake until his next feeding
7:30 pm bath time
8 pm feed
8:30 supplemental bottle and then bedtime
2 am feed
5 am feed

His brother is smitten with him. Always wants to hold him and kiss him and help him in any way he can!

MDR is wearing preemie clothes, the newborn clothes swallow him. I would imagine he would be in newborn in the next two weeks or so.

We are in Newborn diapers and using lots and lots of those!!

So, for one month, we pretty much eat, sleep, and potty!!!

Maddox Dylan...Part 2

2011-11-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

So we had decided that we better go to the hospital and just get checked out...after all, my nerves were shot and there was no way I was going to be able to rest with all that had happened. We decided to call our OB here and let them know what was going on. I eventually got to speak with the on call doctor, which happened to be the midwife of the practice. As I am telling her what has been going on, she proceeds to tell me that I am not in labor and I simply need to go home and take a warm bath and relax.

Kev and I are in limbo...not knowing what to do, we decide to take her advice head to my parents house and try a warm bath and a heating pad. This is at 8:45pm...we get to my parents house and on the way there had decided if I were still "cramping" at 10 pm then we would head to the hospital. We got there and managed to beat my parents and Peyton back to the house. They walked in and I was laying on the couch doubled over in pain with a heating pad that was not helping whatsoever!!! I decided I needed to use the bathroom again and when I did I knew!!

My water had broken and the smell reminded me of a hospital! I knew something was not right!!! I came out and off we went...it was 9:30 at this point. My parents live about 20-30 minutes from the hospital, so we were a wee bit nervous. I grabbed my heating pad and fortunately we had not unpacked our car yet, so I had my pregnancy pillow in the front seat with me. As we are driving, the contractions are coming harder and closer together, I am holding on to Kev's arm for dear life and then the unthinkable happens...we are getting ready to get on the highway, Kev is doing all he can to get us to the hospital and may or may not have run an orange light...

The cop, yes the cop, pulls us over and asks us why we are in such a hurry and Kev's response is...Can't you see the pain that my wife is in? His response was do you realize you could have killed someone??...seriously...no one around us for a mile!!! He then tells us to be safe and good luck, but offers no type of escort to the hospital. Seriously....

We make it to Forsyth Medical at probably 10:15 ish and Kev then drops me off at the ER where I am wheeled into the waiting room and I am being asked 100 different questions, which I cannot answer because I am in so much pain. Kev finally gets back inside to me after parking the car and we then get put up in Labor and Delivery for them to check me. I am laying on the bed in excruciating pain and wondering what in the world is happening. With Peyton, I never experienced "real labor." With him it was pitocin induced and that I can't remember 100%.

A nurse comes in to check me and at this point I am asking for pain meds. She checks me and says you are 6 centimeters dilated. WHAT????? I am sure Kev and I turned white as ghosts. We were in NC, nowhere near our OB and 5 weeks before my due date...

Kev then starts to call everyone and get my parents to the hospital. They put us in a room and started to get me prepped for delivery! I am begging for medicine at this time and the finally come back to check me, reassuring me that the anesthesiologist will be there as soon as he can. I was at an 8 at this point and there has been no sign of my parents anywhere. Kev calls them and they are in the waiting room, so we quickly get my mom back and it felt as though it was 5 minutes later I was ready to push.

At this point I am telling whoever is listening that I am ready to push and sure enough, I was! I pushed a total of 3 times and at 11:53 pm Maddox Dylan came into the world. He weighed in at 5 lbs 7.5oz and was 18 1/2 inches long! Kev actually watched this little guy come into the world. He said he saw his head and started to get worried due to the size of it...he was crowing and finally his whole head came through. Granted he still had a small head seeing that he was 5 weeks early!

They wrapped him up in what seemed like 10 blankets and handed him to me. My first thought was that he looked just like Peyton! I couldn't believe it....he was here and seemed fine in the beginning. He had a slight grunting noise as the doctors and nurses called it, but nothing that seemed alarming to anyone, as best we could tell. The doctor just said they would keep an eye on him and if anything was bothersome then they would take him to observe him in the NICU.

I got to hold him, Kev held him and my mom held him. My dad and Peyton came into the room and got to see him, but at this point is was after midnight so everyone was EXHAUSTED from our crazy night!

We all stayed in the delivery room for a few minutes and then the nurse decided she would call the NICU nurses so they could observe him. He was still grunting and they just wanted to be sure that he was perfectly fine!

At this point, my parents take Peyton home with them and Kev and I are waiting to be moved to our room. We are taken by the NICU on the way to our room and I must admit, I have very foggy memories of that night in there. All I remember is talking to the nurse who wheeled me down and waiting for Kev who had to go park the car and bring our bags and pillows up.

Little did we know that our roller coaster ride was only beginning!

Maddox Dylan...the birth story...Part 1

2011-11-01T15:44:00.003-04:00

On Friday October 7 2011, I had my routine checkup with my OB in Va Beach...I was 35 weeks and 2 days...right on track! Peyton and I headed to the doctor and we were in a rush, because that afternoon we were headed to NC to visit my parents and go to the Dixie Classic Fair which I haven't missed in 32 years!!!

My appointment was at 9 in the morning and we were there right on time. I went in and saw Dr. Fontaneres and was informed that she would be "checking" me today. Ok...whatever! So, we are doing our routine check and everything is nice and closed!!! Her only concern was that I was measuring small. Through each of my pregnancies I have measured on the smaller side. Nothing completely abnormal, just about 1-2 weeks smaller. She sent me to the other office to have an ultrasound done, just to make sure that the little guy was good. Peyton and I rush to the other office and arrive just in time to have the ultrasound done!

I go into the room and lay down on the table and proceed with getting another sneak peak of this sweet baby boy...who I was ready to meet in another 5 weeks! She did all of her measurements and told me that he was measuring right on time and so I asked her what her guesstimate of weight was at the time and she guesstimated 5 lbs 8 oz!

Ok...no big deal...Peyton and I rush back to the house to get everything packed and loaded and off we went to pick up Daddy at 3pm from work. Peyton fell asleep in the car as soon as we got on the highway. We were very relieved that he was snoozing, so we were hoping we were going to make record time! We ended up getting stuck in traffic before we were even out of town...but we got through it and kept on moving. We had been driving about 2 hours and I remember telling Kev that I really needed to get something to drink...I had tried to limit my water intake that day because I knew we were going for a long drive. About 5ish I had pulled out a snack that I had packed and began munching away. The next thing I know, I felt as if the baby did a jumping jack in my belly! A major jolt ran through my entire body...nothing I had EVER experienced before. I then felt a small "leak" and thought to myself he hit my bladder...great!!

We decided to stop at Smithfields BBQ....one of our favorite places...to grab a drink and get Peyton a snack...he was awake and it was about 5:30 by this point. I got out of the car and felt another dribble of fluid...I started to walk and felt like I was peeing on myself. I took Peyton with me to the bathroom and I began to get a little worried, but never imagined that my water had actually broken...I walked out of the bathroom and Kev immediately saw concern on my face, but again I had just been to the doctor and there was nothing going on.

We got our drinks and got back on the road. We started to joke about it at this point and how we could either go to Chapel Hill or Duke and have the baby! We obviously would have chosen Chapel Hill for those who wanted the answer to that question. So...we were making great time getting to my parents house and decided that we were going to have enough time to meet them for dinner.

We ended up meeting them at Brixx Pizza and we pulled in at 8:04pm...

They got there and I began to tell them what had happened. I went to the bathroom when we got there and noticed a bit of blood...my anxiety went through the roof at this point. The weird thing is I was having no contractions....NOTHING!!! We sat down and I ordered water and began to chug as much water as I possibly could. I was in tears and I am sure the waitress was wondering what was happening. We ordered our food and everyone began to eat, except me...something was WRONG!!! I had no appetite and I was staring to cramp...I just told myself that I just hadn't had enough water and I needed to go lay down. Kev pulled his phone out and we began to time the contractions...every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes apart. Seriously....what in the world is going on?? Peyton became very concerned and was rubbing my arm...my sweet baby boy!!!

I am sitting in the booth not knowing what to do...we decided to go to the hospital and get checked out....

More to come later!

Unexpected Delivery!!

2011-10-25T15:50:00.003-04:00

On October 7 2011, we had an unexpected delivery...

Maddox Dylan Riley was born at 11:53 pm weighing in at 5 lbs 7 oz and 18.9 inches long.

Not only was I 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant, we were headed to NC to go to the fair and enjoy one last weekend away!

What an interesting birth story this little guy has! More to come....

Disney Day 1

2011-10-06T15:52:00.003-04:00

We had a great time in Disney World...what a memorable vacation we had!! Peyton was simply overwhelmed by all there was to see and the characters. We started our first day off with a breakfast at Ohana with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto!

It was great...until we turned the camera on and Kev says "the battery is dead!!" Great!!! So the first day we didn't take too many pics!! But here is what we got from breakfast!! The best part of the day...

Peyton's reaction when he first saw the characters...

Lilo and Mickey as they were parading around the room. They are trained very well as to when they see a small child who is apprehensive!!

Eating some yummy eggs, bacon, potatoes, and of course Mickey shaped waffles....

After breakfast we headed downstairs where we found this really cool surfboard and were able to snap a few pics with it...We were trying to get Peyton to "hang 10"...no such luck! But still cute!

And then Kev wanting the pregnant lady in there too!!

After breakfast, we headed to hop on the monorail for the first of many times and hit the Magic Kingdom! We spent all morning and most of the afternoon enjoying the all the scenery and Peyton rode a couple of rides...the carousel, the magic carpets, Its a Small World and a few others! It was so hot our entire trip, so we headed back to the hotel and cooled off and rested! Then it was off to dinner at the Copper Canyon Grill. We stayed in the restaurant for quite a while due to a lovely thunderstorm that blew up! The joys of Florida when it is 95!!!

We had a great first day in Disney!!!

It has been a while...

2011-10-03T16:27:00.002-04:00

Wow...there is a lot to talk about...first and foremost, we just had our week in Disney World and it was so much fun!!! We are now just trying to recuperate from that!!! Peyton had a blast and we have tons of pics...just not downloaded yet!

I will be 35 weeks pregnant on Wednesday....yes...35 weeks. We have less than 6 weeks to go and I am completely freaking out!!! Where or where has it gone???

Our 8 year anniversary is Tuesday (tomorrow October 4)...wow...8 years!!!

We are headed to NC this weekend for the fair! I know I am crazy, but I have never in my 32 years missed one and I don't plan on missing it this year no matter how tired we are!! :)

I promise pics will come soon of Disney and the Belly!!!

Happy October!!!

2011-09-15T15:57:00.002-04:00

What a busy week we have had...we are headed to Disney World next week and it seems as though we have something going on every night up until the day we leave!! We are beyond excited, but man what a process getting ready!! I will be 33 weeks preggo when we leave and 34+ coming back! Peyton is so excited...I can only imagine his face when we get there!!! AHHHH!!! So excited!!

As for the ever growing belly, it has been a while since I updated with pics, so here it is at 30 weeks...

31 weeks....

32 weeks...
I think I am going to invest in some kind of belly support before our trip...I am hoping that will help with all the walking we will do! One more checkup and we will be on our way to the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

Peyton's School....

2011-09-12T16:08:00.002-04:00

Well, I have not yet loaded belly pics from last week, so I may wait and do it Wednesday or Thursday!!! I will be 32 weeks....WOWZERS!!!

As or Peyton, today is our official first Monday! He started school on August 24 and our first two Mondays were off...one due to the hurricane and the other due to labor day! So this is our first official week!

These are seriously some of the hardest days, emotionally that I can remember! Each day I take this sweet little boy into school and watch as he "tries" to spread his wings! He is having a hard time with it and I would only hope it would get easier for both of us.

Today he went in like a big boy, put his folder away, snack in its cubbie and his tote bag where it belongs. He then went and got in line to wash his hands and waited his turn. After that I told him I was leaving and would be back to pick him up in a little while. He gave me a hug and a kiss and I walked out the door. I looked back and we waved bye to one another and off he went!

I go back to get him and I am completely expecting a great report seeing that our morning had gone so well...so imagine the shock I was in when the teacher told me he cried off and on for the first 45 minutes!!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!

I am so beyond upset...we have talked about taking him to two days or taking him out completely...in some ways I feel as though he loves school and other ways I am not sure he is ready! What is a pregnant (very emotional) mommy to do????

First Day of Pre K 3...

2011-08-31T15:42:00.002-04:00

Finally our first day of Pre K 3...we have been talking about school for almost a year now...trying to tell him all about it and somehow it has come and gone...thankfully for me!!

Our first day was last Wednesday August 24! We have hyped it up about playing with playdoh, coloring, the playground, etc. I think it helped because he walked into his room with myself, Kevin and his Aunt Meggie and cousin Bailey watching from the hallway. I kept telling myself to be strong for him, but he had such a brave little face on and it simply broke my heart! Where had my baby boy gone?????

He went in and washed his hands as they begin each day with that and went to a table where he sat and did a Bob the Builder puzzle! Kevin and I told him that we were going to leave and he said "OK, love you" and gave us each a hug and a kiss...I could hardly believe it...I on the other hand had to put my sunglasses on because tears were streaming down my face, like they are as I type this....remembering his sweet, brave little self sitting there like such a big boy!!

His teacher said he had a great first day and he never shed one tear!!!!

Here are a few photos of my little guy before we left...He had to bring one of his little buddies along with him for the pictures...

So...after getting through our first day, school was canceled Friday and Monday due to Hurricane Irene....SO...today was like the first day all over again! He actually was upset today when I left, but Mrs. Edwards took him right up and calmed him down! I am hoping Friday goes smoothly for both of us....

29 weeks...

2011-08-25T10:00:00.002-04:00

Last week in the 20's....wow...we went for a checkup on Tuesday and Peyton went with me! He got to be a helper and squeeze the "jelly" on my stomach! He thought that was pretty neat! The doctor says all is well...can't believe we are on the homestretch. Going to the doctor every 2 weeks makes it all fly by....not to mention all that is going on in life in general! Pre K 3, Hurricane Irene, the earthquake, hoping big changes with the business...AHHHH!!!

Peyton's first day of school coming soon....

What is Going on????

2011-08-23T16:22:00.002-04:00

Wow...what a day we had today! Peyton and I have simply been enjoying our day together! It has been busy, but that is our life it seems!

So today is the day before Peyton starts PreK3 and I have been a bit out of sorts about it...We went to meet his teacher yesterday and he played in the room for about 20 minutes. He seemed to be pretty comfortable in there...we will see tomorrow!

Back to today...our day was very low key and our normal routine. We were getting ready to head out to a doctors appointment at 1:45 and I began to hear vases rattle....which I equated to Peyton jumping around....yet he was not jumping around....I began to get nervous so I stood up and my legs began to shake...."WHAT IS HAPPENING???" I grabbed Peyton and ran outside because I had no clue if our house was about to fall apart...Then I began to think I was dreaming because the outside world seemed calm.

We came back inside few seconds later and finally got in touch with Kevin who proceeded to tell me we had just had a tremor from and earthquake....????

I was a bit shaken as was Peyton...living on the East Coast you do not expect that...we are preparing for Hurricane Irene...not a darn earthquake!

Whew...glad it only lasted a few seconds!!!

27 & 28 weeks....

2011-08-17T17:41:00.002-04:00

Here we are at 28 weeks and I feel like I just said wow...27 weeks! Another week has come and gone and this little guy is very active in his mommy's tummy!!
We went for a checkup last week and everything was great. I even got to drink that yummy orange drink for the glucose test...which I am assuming is fine since we have heard nothing from the doctor~no news is good news right???

Nothing much going on around here..just waiting for Noni and Popi to come in on Friday since Kev is going sailing for the weekend! Hopefully we will have a nice relaxing weekend...but we will miss Kev for sure. And now for the picture of the belly...

Here we are at 27 weeks...

Another 27 week.....

And here we are this week at 28 weeks...

28 weeks again...

I know I say it every week, but in 2 weeks we will be at 30 weeks!!!!! OMG!!!!

Emotions...

2011-08-11T16:26:00.002-04:00

My emotions seem to be getting the best of me lately! It seems that every small thing, be it a positive situation or on the flip side is bringing me to tears.

In less than 2 weeks I will be dropping my baby boy off for his first day of school. That is something that is blowing me away. Where have these 3 years gone? Why do some days fell like they last an eternity, but you turn around and we are going to school???

I know that it will be great for him but my heart is going to ache on that Wednesday morning when I take him into his school and leave him! I just want to bottle him up and keep our little family just as it! It all seems so perfect right now and to think he is growing so fast scares me!!!

Hopefully after our first week or so I will adjust! I will keep you posted...until then I am enjoying every second of summer that we have left!

25 &26 weeks...

2011-08-06T16:52:00.003-04:00

Here we are at 25 weeks....I can seriously not believe how fast this pregnancy is going by!!! I feel like we take a picture one Wednesday night and then before we turn around it is picture night again!!!

26 weeks...

Peyton has failed to appear in the latest pictures because he has been snoozing!!!

Weekend...

2011-08-01T16:13:00.002-04:00

What a relaxing weekend we had...for the most part that is!

Friday after Kev got off work we did headed straight for the pool! This is Peyton's new favorite thing to do. He asks me every single day if we can go to the pool "for one minute." The he continues to tell me that it is "easy!" I love him!!! Too cute!

Saturday we woke up and at the pool again by 10! I think this child could swim for ever!!!! He loves it. We left grabbed some lunch and headed back home of nap...which is taking place in a big boy bed!! More on that later! Saturday afternoon P went for a golf cart ride with 3 of his favorite people...Colie, Nana and PopPop! First to the marina for ice cream, then to Mimi's for a visit and then to Nana and PopPops just because. Back to the pool after that excitement!

Sunday we tried to head to Busch Gardens but we got rained out on our way up. So we had a brilliant idea to go see Cars 2 since we are always talking about it when it comes on TV! Not the greatest idea we have ever had. We got out tickets, played at the "mountain" (What Peyton calls the Mall) and then headed into to see the movie. We go get our drinks and popcorn and start walking towards the theater and Peyton proceeds to cover his ears and tell us he doesn't want to go. We make it into the theater and he continues on about how loud it is and how he wants to leave....He eventually nuzzles down into Kevin's chest and falls ASLEEP before the movie even starts!!! So what are we to do...you guessed it, Kevin and I watched a majority of Cars 2 while P slept! He woke up with about 20 minutes left and starts pitching a fit...we got up and left!!!

What an adventure we had!!

Slow Down....

2011-07-27T15:45:00.002-04:00

I totally cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going!! I am 25 weeks today! That is so hard to believe. I feel like we were just moving into our house and talking about transferring! We are now at the end of July and down to 15 weeks or less until Baby Boy #2 arrives...

These pictures are from 24 weeks...Kev's wonderful photography skills at work!! And of course the big brother kissing his baby!

I am hoping that Peyton will still enjoy his brother once he is here as much as he does when he is in my belly. He wants to blow on my belly all the time...I guess that is his way of communicating with him! HAHA!

Not much going on...

2011-07-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

SO not too much going on around here...

We headed to NC this past weekend to visit Noni and Popi!!! It always flys by every time we are there! We didn't do too much just hung around the house, ate and Peyton played a lot of pool! He had so much fun playing with his Popi and Daddy on the pool table! He kept asking his Popi if he could bring the pool table home with him!

The weekend before we tried to have our first sleep out on Pop Pop's sailboat!!! It was a big No GO!!! Peyton and I drove 1.5 hours to meet Daddy, Uncle Hutch, Pop Pop and the other crew to Deltaville with all intentions of sleeping on the boat...when it was time for bed at 9:30...Peyton wanted nothing to do with sleeping there! So we hopped back in the car and headed home...we will try that again one day...just not sure when!

As far as baby boy is concerned I will be 24 weeks on Wednesday! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going...these pictures are from Week 22...

Week 23 and 24 will hopefully be up soon...we have a very busy week around here so I will do my best~~~

Learning to Ride a Bike!!!

2011-07-07T09:38:00.003-04:00

Peyton has amazed us at how quickly he learned to ride his bike! A couple of weeks ago, Kevin or I would have to walk beside him and basically push him along the way...

All of a sudden two weeks ago...we go for a bike ride and we can't keep up!

Working hard...

Taking a nice long ride through the neighborhood....

I love this picture...Simple cannot believe how big my baby has become!!!

Now, all he wants to do is go for a bike ride...no matter if it is 105 degrees outside!!
Also, he has become obsessed with wanting to go to the pool!! His favorite people in the whole world...Meggie, Hutch, Tolie and Bailey took him and now every afternoon..."Mommy after nap can we go to the pool with Daddy!!!" He loves it!!! Now for swimming lessons!!!

Ultrasound Pics...

2011-06-28T08:58:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has taken so long to get these up....

Our sweet little boy...looks like he is blowing bubbles!!

I think this is a between the legs shot....

Another laying on his back....just relaxing...

And of course....the PROUD BIG Brother!

Such a little cheese ball!!! His Nana was trying to get him to smile...and this is what we got!!

The Results are in....

2011-06-19T16:24:00.003-04:00

Peyton is going to have a baby Brother!!!

Bless his heart...we were in the ultrasound on Friday and the lady told us it was a boy and we were telling Peyton about his baby brother. The first thing he says to us is "I want a girl!"

It was so cute! We have been talking about it all weekend...hopefully he will understand by November!

Less than 48 hours...

2011-06-15T16:36:00.003-04:00

In less than 48 hours we will hopefully know if we will be having a little girl or boy!!! I can hardly believe it! This pregnancy is going by soooo fast!!! I can't even believe that I am 19 weeks today...

Everyone asks me what my gut instinct is Boy vs Girl and honestly I have no idea!!! The only difference that I can think of is that I was nauseous from day 1 up until about 13 weeks...never with Peyton...

I have had numerous ultrasounds done, a perk of IVF, and one ultrasound there was a guess for a girl the other a boy....Sooooo....I am in complete limbo!!!

On Friday...as long as this little one will cooperate, we will hopefully have an answer!!!!!

~~Kevin here...i am busting into this post to say how amazing Amy is. Her strength is evident in so many areas and i frankly don't take the time to tell her how amazing she is so hopefully she will go back to the blog and read this. I couldn't have made it through one week of those shots and all of those medications that she had to endure with IVF. She kept a smile on her face and stayed strong...all the while serving as an amazing stay at home mom to Peyton. And tomorrow at this time, we will find out whether we will be adding a son or daughter to our family and I am so excited. I often try to imagine myself with another little boy or a little girl and I will honestly be happy either way. Peyton has brought us so much joy and watching him become a big brother will be so wonderful. He does tell us that he would like a baby sister so we will see!!! There are still many months of "growing" left to do (and let me say that Amy looks AMAZING) and i don't want to downplay what she still has to endure, but i wanted to tell everyone how Blessed i am to have Amy as a wife and how Blessed Peyton and Baby Boy/Girl are to have such a wonderful mommy.~~

Coming November 2011....

2011-06-06T09:57:00.004-04:00

Guess who is going to be a big brother?????

You guessed it...Peyton and he is so excited!!!

16 weeks....

17 weeks....

more coming soon!!!

3 year Check-Up

2011-06-01T15:14:00.002-04:00

We went for our 3 year check up today...it was drama from the moment we walked in the door.

The first thing Peyton said was"Mommy, I don't want a shot!" Not sure how in the world their little minds can remember all of these things.

We did height, weight and blood pressure today! I was shocked that they start checking that at 3 years old. So he was 38 inches tall....weighed 31 pounds...he is average for weight and not sure about height.

Dr. Karp came in and it took 2 of us to hold him down so she could look in his ears, eyes and mouth. He wanted nothing to do with any of it.

Then the dreaded part...Dr. Karp wanted to test his hemoglobin today because he is always saying how tired he is....she is so thorough so...no real need for concern.

He cried when they pricked his little finger and then it was shot time...no FUN!!! The nurse was quick...but he still didn't like it! He cried for a minute then would remember every couple of minutes on the ride home.

Thankfully we are home and snoozing away! Good check up and we don't have to do it again until next year..Whew...

sweet boy...

2011-05-27T15:41:00.002-04:00

Our computer has the hardest time loading pics...finding them...etc...hoping one day to get back to some pics on here!!!

Lately Peyton has become a lot more vocal about certain things....

He has always told everyone that he loves them, but now we will be laying in bed at night or in the morning and he will look at you and say "I love you so much!" It melts my heart!

He also has been telling my or Kev (depending on the day) "You are my best friend"

If he knows he is getting into trouble, he immediately says "I am sorry Mommy" So sweet...then I have a hard time following through.

3 years old

2011-05-16T15:18:00.002-04:00

Peyton turned 3 years old....wow...where did that time go? We had a great weekend celebrating with family and friends. (Pics to come soon)

All the fun began on Friday night when Noni, Popi and Emily (and we can't forget Chole, the dog) arrived! Peyton had been talking about seeing them all day long. He was so excited when they got here...he opened the door and then ran the other way. He is going through a very shy, clinging to mom phase right now. So they arrived and he quickly warmed up to them and played hard for the next 3 days. He was so happy to finally get to see his "Toodles" birthday cake. He has been talking about doing a mickey mouse/toodles birthday party for months. Finally he saw it and all he could say was "Oh My Goodness." Seriously too cute!

We then headed to pick up Mimi and she got to go to dinner with us. We headed to our all time favorite No Frill Grill where we enjoyed a great dinner.

Saturday was party day and our meteorologist had been predicting rain all weekend...we had a bounce house scheduled to be at the party but the weatherman was pretty adamant about it being a washout of a day so we can canceled it!

We should have listened to our instincts and kept it....it was a BEAUTIFUL day. The kids never missed it...they had the playground, balls, basketball hoop and a huge park to run in. It was a great day for a party...Kev was the grillmaster and cooked hot dogs for everyone. We had chips and the most delicious Mickey Mouse Cake!!

Then Peyton got a big surprise from his Nana....the ice cream man made a special appearance at the party...just for his big day. He was in heaven...I think he had 4 different ice creams....Thanks NANA!!!

After the party it was off to take a nap...we all came home and rested before dinner. We had a great night!

Sunday was Peyton's actual birthday so we woke up and the first thing he said to Kev and I was "That Toodles cake was really good!" The boy could not get it off his mind! We headed to breakfast at the oceanfront, then we headed down so they could play at the playground that is out on the beach. We walked down and Emily played in the water and P was just running around like a crazy man. He loved it all! After that we headed to Toys R Us where Noni and Popi let him pick out a few Lego kits....he all of a sudden was obsessed with Tow Mater and Cars 2. Who knew??!?!

We loaded back into the car and headed to FYB so we could check in with everyone and get some fro-yo! The kiddos were exhausted after our long day...we had a restful afternoon and a nice dinner followed by the opening of presents. Peyton did a great job opening his gifts this year. He would actually look to see what it was before moving on. He loved all of his gifts and wanted to take them all out at one time.

Noni, Popi and Emily (and Chole) headed back to NC on Monday morning....but not before a quick trip to the water to play for a few minutes. It was such a nice weekend. Thank you to all our family and friends who helped us celebrate such a precious little boy!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Peyton....Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!!

Crazy Times...

2011-05-09T15:42:00.002-04:00

It has been a crazy few weeks....Last week was pretty tough for the family...Kevin's dear, sweet Pop passed away on May 5 at 2 am. It was extremely quick and it seemed as though we never had time to even understand what was happening. We are having the service tomorrow and all of the grand kids are going to be speaking. Kevin is very good with words, but is very nervous to speak in front of a crowd! We will see how it goes....Please keep everyone in your thoughts...especially Mimi!!!

On a much different note, we are planning a 3rd birthday party for someone very special!!! Can't believe our little Peyton is going to be 3 on Sunday! Crazy how fast the time has gone by. He has become very independent over the past couple of weeks and my oh my how he changes his mind 100 times a day. But, he is such a sweet little boy....We will post this weekend about his party! Hoping the rain holds off!!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T15:51:00.003-04:00

What a great Easter we had this year! We couldn't have asked for better weather!

We decided this year to let Peyton have a shot with dyeing easter eggs!!! He liked it for all of 5 minutes by then was quickly on to other things!!!

This was Easter morning...a shot or two from our front porch...we were running out the door trying to make it to the early service at church! Our wonderful neighbor offered to come snap a group shot!!
Peyton started the morning in the cutest Easter outfit....blue seersucker pants and a matching shirt and sweater! Having a almost 3 year old though...we were fortunate to make it to church...but at breakfast...things changed and so did we when we got home!!

Peyton and mommy!

We went to Nana and Pop Pop's for a fabulous Easter Lunch! So much yummy food!!! And a great Easter Egg hunt!

Here is P with his bucket making it down the stairs....ready to find some eggs!

On a mission to find one!! He would go find one and think he was done!

We even headed to the beach after the festivities and played in the Bay!! It was an incredible day!

Baby Madison...

2011-04-22T15:58:00.004-04:00

I totally realized I have never even posted about the newest addition to our family! I became an auntie again on Feb 28!!! We went to visit when she was about 3 weeks old!!! Peyton loved her!

Sweet Baby Girl!!

Peyton loving on her...it was the cutest thing!

Holding her!

He wanted to feed her and burp her the whole time! He could not get enough of her!

Kevin and I could not believe how well he did with her! Everyone is doing well and we can't wait to get back to NC to get our hands back on Madison! I am sure she will be much bigger by then!

Playiing with Dad...

2011-04-07T16:15:00.005-04:00

We went to the park a couple weeks ago when we went to Noni and Popi's house....it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed every minute of it!!!

Swinging on the swings...

Trying out the monkey bars...

Jumping to daddy off the wall....

Riding with daddy in the car...this picture makes me laugh!

And riding on the dinosaur....singing a song!!!

This little Piggy...

2011-03-28T15:58:00.002-04:00

Peyton has a thing when we get into the car about wanting to take his socks and shoes off...no matter what!!! Always happens...so yesterday we were driving home and socks are flying up in the front seat and P is sitting in the back watching his movie...the next thing we hear is him singing "This Little Piggy!" But not your typical version...his went something like this...

"This little Piggy went to Market,
This little Piggy went to Subway,
This little Piggy went to Jersey Mikes...

Kevin and I looked at each other and could not stop laughing...which Peyton thought was hysterical! That boy cracks us up these days...always coming up with something new and fun!!!

Another Trim

2011-03-16T15:26:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lull....moving is driving me insane!!! Still can't find everything that we need, but we are managing!

Last night we took Peyton to get another trim! Some people continue to ask me when he is going to get a little boy haircut and my answer is always why would I want to cut this beautiful, blond, semi curly hair!!! No way! Everyday we get compliments on how beautiful his hair is and we intend to keep it that way!!! So we went to see Mrs. Jessica at AOC again and Peyton did wonderful as always! Sat right in my lap and ate three lollipops!!! Not one peep from him!

We are headed to NC this weekend to finally meet the new addition to the Wagoner Family!!! We can't wait to meet little Madison Grace! Hopefully we will get some pictures loaded when we get back!

Are you a MAN??

2011-03-04T14:06:00.002-05:00

Kevin is doing a Home and Garden show this weekend at the convention center in Virginia Beach! They do it every year and with each year we are always there at the eleventh hour finishing something! Granted this year was better, but still always there the night before!

Last night the three of us were there and Kevin was hanging a board to place his banner on! All of a sudden Peyton sees his Dad with a really cool drill and says "Daddy, are you a man?" We could not stop laughing! It was the cutest thing!

Kevin always says that he is not a manly man! He much prefers to go to Pottery Barn over Home Depot so the whole tool thing just is not important around our house! Unless of course it is Handy Manny!

A black eye

2011-03-03T15:42:00.002-05:00

Peyton and one of his friends had a bump today and it resulted in a nice little bump right under P's left eye! Haven't snapped a picture of it, but he was a tough little cookie!

Other news....I became a new aunt on Monday! Madison Grace Wagoner was born on February 28 2011 at 4:48 am! She weighed in at a nice 9 lbs 0.4 oz! Such a cutie! I can't wait to head to NC to get my hands on her!!!

One Week Later

2011-02-25T15:23:00.002-05:00

Well we have officially been in our new house for one whole week!!! Where in the world has it gone! Still have yet to take pictures, but if we did have pictures, you would see lots of boxes piled up and suitcases with lots of clothes in them!

Oh well, it will get done eventually...I am in no rush! Peyton loves his new house! He loves all the room he has and the big shower he has! Such a difference in what we have lived in for the past 6 months! After this weekend, we will have everything moved from the apartment and be here 100%!

Hopefully we will call this home for at least 3 years...that is yet to be determined! I swear pictures will come soon!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:57:00.003-05:00

February 14 2007 was where it all began! That is the day when Kevin and I walked into the office of Dr. Robin Poe-Ziegler and were told the news...The news that not everyone wants to hear, the news that you think will never happen to you!

We were told that our "best" way to conceive a child was going to be through IVF! Talk about shocking news when you are trying to start a family! We were completely fine while sitting in the office that day but once we came home and had all day to digest the information we were devastated! I will never forget what a horrible evening we had that night. We fought because it was such unknown territory and lets face it, we were SCARED!!!

All I could think was "what if we never have a child of our own??" Little did we know that we would in fact be blessed with our little miracle in May 2008!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

So Busy

2011-02-11T15:50:00.002-05:00

We have been so incredibly busy this past week!

We have so much going on and life has gotten crazy to say the least! Since December we have been working on opening our own business! It has always been a dream of ours to own a business and we finally made it a reality in December! We have been working on opening a Frozen Yogurt Bar and finally opened the doors on Friday Feb 4 2011! We have been pretty slow, but are looking forward to the spring and of course a name change in the next month! We will keep you posted on how it goes!

We are also 1 week away from moving into our house! Let me tell you....we are beyond ready to be in our own space again! Toys fill every inch of where we live now!!! So, next Friday night will be our first night in our new home!!! Fingers crossed all goes according to schedule so we make it!

Other than that we are moving along and staying busy! Peyton has been such a trooper with our new venture! He has hung with us each and every step!

Pictures of the new house coming soon!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-02-02T16:02:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to the Best Daddy Ever!!! Kev turns the big 33 today!!! Peyton called his daddy this morning and sang to Happy Birthday to him and did a great job! After we had lunch at our favorite place (Taco Bell) we had to go get Daddy some Balloons and a Candle!!! He is so excited for his Daddy to see the Balloons and candle he picked out!

Happy 33rd Bday to the best Daddy ever!!!

Cute Story...

2011-01-29T16:02:00.002-05:00

Peyton loves Disney and lately has been into the castle when he sees it on TV...Kevin and I have talked endlessly about wanting to take Peyton to Disney World while he is still young. If he is anything like me he will want to live there! I grew up always wanting to go to Disney...I got it honestly...my dad is the same way!

So the other night when a commercial came on for Disney World, Peyton stopped what he was doing, stood right in front of the TV and watched in awe. After the commercial was over he looked at Kevin and I and said "we need to talk to Noni and Popi about going there!"

They learn so fast....

Aruba 2010....Finally!

2011-01-27T16:07:00.003-05:00

We have been home from Aruba for almost a month and oh how we miss it! Peyton had a fabulous time...he loved playing in the pool and the ocean. Everyday he wanted to go surf on his "surfboard" otherwise known as a float. He also wanted to build sand castles and chase his daddy every single day!

He became very used to having everyone around...especially his daddy! It was a hard first week back home, but he seems to be getting used to daddy being back at work!

Enjoy the pictures...there were so many good ones...just picked a few to share!

Relaxing in the chair!
Cheesing for the camera! (uncle B's bday dinner on the beach!)

Such a cute picture in his red hat! Like his Pop Pops...

Finally a kiss for his Nana...it took us forever to get him to give his Nana a kiss...she found a way...cherries

Love this one...little surfer boy

Up close of the curly, beach hair

Action shot of he and daddy...

Another action shot in our favorite pool...The Radisson...
Taking a snooze on mommy after a fall on the porch! He was so excited to bring lollipops out to his pop pop that he leaped off of the steps with wet feet! Not a good situation!

After the fall...

Sweet Baby Boy!

2011-01-25T15:49:00.002-05:00

Peyton is such a sweet little boy...he definitely has his moments so we have started having to do "time out" with him! He knows exactly which chair he has to sit in and then what he has to do when it is over....Tell us why he is in time out, apologize and then give us a hug and kiss and tell each other that we love them!

Today the threat of a time out was there and the first thing he said was "Mommy I want to give you a kiss!" Such sweet kid! I couldn't love him anymore....

I promise one day we will get back up and running on the blog~

Life is extremely hectic right now and hoping to calm down by March...we will keep our fingers crossed!!!

Christmas Catch-Up

2011-01-12T15:56:00.004-05:00

Wowzers...I just realized I never posted Christmas pics...shame on me!!
As I was loading these I realized the color is horrible!!! Oh Well!!!

Christmas Eve...waiting on Santa to arrive!
Santa came...and Peyton is scared to death!!!

Christmas Night...So excited to show daddy his toy!

Can hardly stand it!

Christmas was so much fun this year...Peyton really got into it! Ripping the paper off of any present he could find, tearing the tissue out of bags...so magical in a child's eyes!!!

Christmas Card Outtakes...

2010-12-20T15:28:00.002-05:00

So for weeks now we have been trying to get our act together to do Christmas Card Pictures....Let's just say this will serve as the Riley Family Christmas Card! We have been so busy that is seems we never have a free second to think about getting dressed and finding the right location!

Meg (my wonderful SIL) has offered numerous times to help us out...but we were never home! So these are a few that I tried to snap last week of Peyton....it was so cold he really wanted nothing to do with it!

Love this one....but you can't see his precious little face!

It was so windy and cold this day he would hardly look up!

His favorite thing to do while taking pictures...saying Cheese! His little hands were freezing by the time we were done!

At least he was facing the right direction!

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!!! So many exciting things for the Riley Family to look forward too!!!

Oh Christmas Tree...

2010-12-13T20:14:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we headed to Noni and Popi's house for the annual Christmas Tree Adventure! We were pretty excited about taking Peyton for his first trip to mountains to find the perfect tree. We have not taken him in previous years due to our crazy schedules, but this year it worked out great!

Off we went on Saturday morning and began our adventure. We stopped and ate at Cracker Barrel as we always do and had a blast. Next off to place flowers on my great grandmothers grave in celebration of Christmas. Next stop...The Christmas Tree Farm!!! Little did we know the adventure that would lie ahead.

As we were driving, we could see the mountain in the distance and Kevin proceeded to say it is coming down like crazy up there! (One little bit of information...it had been snowing since we left my parents house! Just flurries, nothing major!) We continued on our journey and finally reaching our destination. When we got there we could hardly believe that there was so much snow on the ground and it was not stopping!!!

We got out of the car and bundled up...but were not prepared in any way for the bitter cold. Seeing that we are from the beach, we do not own proper attire for bitter cold and snowy days! From the time we stepped out of the truck, Peyton was a wreck. He hated the snow falling in his face and hated being so cold! We managed to help Noni and Popi find the perfect tree and off the the three of us went to get warm while Noni and Popi waited to have it cut down!

This is Peyton miserable in the freezing cold!!

I can only imagine he is thinking just take me inside where it is warm! Bless his heart!

One of the many trees that we found...

As if the bitter cold and snow was not enough, as we were coming down the mountain we ran into a huge traffic jam only to learn they had closed the mountain!! Our 2 hour trip home turned into about a 4 hour trip home!!! Such a nightmare, yet such a wonderful Christmas memory!!

Cute Christmas Memories...

2010-12-11T15:45:00.002-05:00

Just a few things that I want to remember about Peyton's 3rd Christmas...thus far!

1. His favorite Christmas songs are the Chipmunks, The Donkey Song and Jingle Bells! As soon as he hears any of the above he gets the biggest grin on his face and starts to dance...it is the cutest thing ever. He will sing Jingle Bells all the time and just this week has started to sing Santa Claus is coming to town.

2. Still very nervous about Santa....We went to the mall yesterday but Peyton simply wanted to see him from afar. Santa noticed us watching from the the 2nd floor and began to wave at P. He simply smiled his nervous smile and did a very small wave! :)

3. We are taking P to see the Legendary Santa in Richmond on Friday. We did this last year and P wanted nothing to do with it so this year we are changing things up a bit and doing tea with Santa. Should be a lot of fun...we will definitely post pictures next weekend.

4. His Christmas list changes with the day but a few things that he has mentioned are a firetruck, anything related to toy story, choo choo trains...the normal boy toys!

5. On a total separate note, he has started to tell us that he is ready to go to school. He wants to go to school with Colie and ride in Meggies car. We hear this at least 10 times a day. He wants to take his books and go by himself. So hard to believe that our sweet baby boy can possibly be ready to start school! Makes me want to cry!!!

My Little Cookie...

2010-11-22T09:03:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween...better late than never!!!

Peyton dressed up as an Oreo Cookie this year. It was one of the only costumes that had no head piece. This child likes nothing on his head. We decided to not even attempt it! P went trick or treating with his best buddies "Tolie" (Cole) and Bailey! We went to a few houses and that was enough...the "older" costumes were a bit much for the kiddos!!

Big Smiles for the picture...

Mommy and her cookie!!

Love this one...walking along checking everything out!

Th New House!!!

2010-11-10T14:33:00.003-05:00

We have been very busy with the house lately...It is amazing how fast it goes up...So many decisions to make and having to do it with a 2 year old....well that is a chore in itself!

Here are a few pictures from the beginning...

The lot...not a very good view in the back, but the other way is amazing!

The digging has begun...Peyton thought that all the dirt was pretty neat!

Pouring the concrete...

Putting our everlasting (or so we thought) mark into the foundation.... (KAP Riley 10-18-10)
The guys came over to us later and told us he accidentally wiped over it!

Peyton checking out the big concrete truck....he likes to check it all out from the car!

More pictures to come soon!!!

Where is Peyton???

2010-10-27T15:54:00.002-04:00

There he is....

You would think from these pictures that Peyton would like taking a bath!!! That is so no the case...Yet, this particular day he was loving it!

Kevin is always saying that we have way too many bath toys...and I would have to agree!!!

The Dixie Classic Fair 2010

2010-10-27T15:52:00.000-04:00

Our computer is so incredibly confusing with uploading pictures....that is why there has been such a break....AGAIN!!

These are our pictures from the fair...and did we have fun eating our way through the midway this year!!

Here is Peyton and Noni and the first course...Chicken and Dumplings....

Then there is my all time favorite...a chocolate covered frozen banana (with sprinkles and nuts of course!)

And Kev's favorite...the GIANT Turkey Leg...Peyton is not too sure what to think about it! :)

We decided to snap a family picture this year before we left...

And then with Noni and Popi!

We had such a fun night and the weather was amazing!!! We can't wait until next year!!!

Fair 2010

2010-10-08T08:19:00.003-04:00

We are on our way to NC today to go to the Dixie Classic Fair...and needless to say we are beyond excited!

Peyton has not missed one in his short little life and we don't plan too!! He is already talking about the cotton candy and frozen bananas and popcorn, etc!

Pictures will be posted next week!!! Until then...the first two are when Peyton was 5 months old and the bottom two are when he was 17 months old...my how time has flown by!!!

My First Haircut....August 28 2010

2010-09-21T16:22:00.002-04:00

August 28 2010...It is easy to see from the picture below where we have been....the inevitable has happened...
This is what it looked like when we went in...We loved his curls and his "surfer boy" hair style...but we were getting asked every day how old SHE was and when we were going to make the first cut....

Sweet Baby Boy

Sitting on moms lap not knowing what is going on...He cried the whole time we were in that chair!!!

Lollipops were our friend that day! He looks so cute with his shorter cut! Hopefully we will not wait another 2 years to cut it again!!!

Bye Bye Mommy and Daddy

2010-09-02T21:18:00.003-04:00

Look who knows how to open the door...and who LOVES his Toy Story backpack...he takes it too church every Sunday!

Testing

2010-09-02T21:06:00.002-04:00

Pictures will not upload, so this is a test

Potty update...

2010-08-12T15:09:00.002-04:00

So sorry for the lack of pictures...Kevin has not had time to work on the Mac yet to store them so I have given him that chore for the weekend!

In other news...I decided that this week we were going to start wearing big boy undies most of the day...and to our surprise, Peyton has done amazing with it! We are only wearing diapers at nap time and night time! I was so excited the other day that I only had to change 1 diaper!!! Woohoo!

On a side note, I was rocking Peyton for his nap and he looked up to me after reading his books and said "itsy pider"...melt my heart...he wanted me to sing the itsy bitsy spider!

He makes my world!!!

My First Movie

2010-08-02T14:13:00.002-04:00

Hello there world! Long time since we have updated!

We had a first experience yesterday and just wanted to document it! We took Peyton to his very first movie...Toy Story 3! We were a little concerned about how he was going to do since he is only 2. We were not sure if would sit through and entire movie, but we were pleasantly surprised...

We talked to him all morning about going to see Buzz, Woody and Rex. He loves the first two toy story so we felt pretty safe. We got to the mall got our tickets and then hit the concession stand! It was heaven for him...he kept saying popcorn, coke, popcorn, coke...on and on! Then he wanted m and m's and gummi bears and every thing he could get his hands on.

After our purchase of our goodies off we went to find our theater! Peyton began to get nervous as we made our way through the hallway. We got to our door and in we went. At first he cried and kept telling us he wanted to go bye-bye! Then the kid previews started and he began to settle down! What a relief it was to us!

By the time the movie started all he kept saying was "Buzz, Woody, Rex!" He was so excited and finally started in on the popcorn!

He did great and almost made it through the entire movie. He fell asleep with about 20 minutes left! What a trooper he was!

We can't wait to take him to the next one!!!

Where or where have we been

2010-07-08T15:56:00.003-04:00

Besides the fact that the computer would not load pictures for weeks, we think we have gotten that issue under control! That is not the only reason we have been away!

WE HAVE SOLD THE HOUSE!!!! Woohoo!

It is such a bittersweet move...this is the house where we brought Peyton home too...and have made so many memories! On the other hand, I am excited to be moving into a smaller house where my Fridays are not spent entirely on cleaning!!!

May 17 2008

So we are on to packing this house up and trying to enjoy the beach a little when we can! Thank goodness we are not moving to far...I am not sure how Peyton would be if this wasn't his backyard!!!

Beach Days...

2010-06-17T14:39:00.003-04:00

This is where we have been spending our days...

Peyton has started to become pretty adventurous around the bay!

He loves to play with his shovels...
Running with his Daddy through the water...
One of our new favorite pics...love these blond curls!

Where to Begin....Peyton turns 2!

2010-06-14T19:56:00.004-04:00

We are finally back up and running...the Mac is giving Kevin a headache! We finally got pictures loaded tonight from back in MAY!!! Man there has been a lot going on! So we will begin where we left off! Peyton's 2 year Birthday Party...

We actually got the Skinny Dip Frozen Yogurt Machine...whoever knows me knows that I am completely addicted to Frozen Yogurt! Peyton has started to like it just as much!
Peyton's awesome Birthday cake made by Patti Cakes....She is amazing!!!
Pics of his personal cake...
The top of the cake...a surfing monkey!
The whole cake!!! It was red velvet and it was delicious! Peyton had no interest in the cake. He was more interested in everyone here...especially the kids!

Lack of Posting and 2 year stats!

2010-05-25T13:49:00.002-04:00

I am so sorry for the lack of posts lately! Our computer is full of pictures and I am unable to get the ones from Peyton's 2nd Birthday Bash downloaded. Hopefully Kevin will get it all fixed by this weekend!

We have had such an eventful 2 weeks with Peyton turning 2, my parents and niece coming to visit, strawberry picking...and just life. I am hoping to post some pictures from Peyton's Party this weekend.

As for now we went to see Dr. Karp last Tuesday (May 18) and all is going great with P. He is weighing in a whopping 26 pounds and is 2'10" tall. I hope i got those marks in the right spot!! Dr Karp told us the shortest that P would be is 5'10"! So we are thinking taller but we shall see. He didn't have to have one single shot this go round so that made us all happy!

Pictures coming soon....

2 is right around the corner....

2010-05-13T22:10:00.003-04:00

Two years ago to the day....not date....this is where we were!!! I can't believe that Peyton is going to be 2 years old on Saturday! Our world was about to change forever!
The pain was starting to kick in 12 hours after my water broke!

10:15 pm...he finally made his debut....

Sesame Place

2010-05-11T15:57:00.003-04:00

What an adventure we had last weekend! We headed to Philadelphia to go to Sesame Place and we had such a great time! It was the first time any of us had been to Philly so it was a new experience!

Peyton was so excited when he saw Big Bird....
he could hardly contain himself!!! HAHA
The Big Birthday Cake celebrating the 30th Birthday of Sesame Place!
As close as he would get to Bert and Ernie...definitely progress!
His favorite of all...ELMO!
So happy to see the parade...a big cheese for Daddy!

And a big hug for Mommy
Abby Cadabby stopping by to say hi!
And last but not least...our first ride with Daddy! Needless to say...he was a little scared at the beginning but eventually liked it!

Play Dates

2010-05-03T19:54:00.003-04:00

We had a play date with two of our buddies last week and had such a great time! We went to Grayson's house and played all morning and afternoon! It was our first time trying to get on a base and what a fiasco it was! We made it on with lots of go here, no go there....

Once we made it on though, we had a blast playing with new toys, Jack the dog, and blowing bubbles with Sadie's mommy!

Blowing bubbles
Letting Grayson blow bubbles
Lacey and Peyton...
All the kiddos...Grayson, Peyton and Sadie
Thanks for hosting Jill...we had a great time!

A NEW First...

2010-04-21T15:00:00.002-04:00

UPDATED.....Sorry for not updating on this fiasco sooner...we have been so busy around here!

Peyton loves standing on a chair and flipping over our couch once his daddy comes home from work! I always joke with Kevin that he turns into a different child at 5:30! So, on this particular night, Kevin and I were at the bar eating dinner and Peyton was playing and decided that he wanted to try to flip over the couch. We had told him "NO" many, many times and finally we gave up and just let him have at it! Big Mistake made by us....next thing we know, he is laying on the ground beside the chair, two steps away from us crying. We were thinking he just bumped his head so we were simply comforting him. Kevin was holding him and I went to wrap his "sissy" others known as a blanket around him and all I see is blood pouring out of his mouth. Needless to say, we both went into panic mode. It looked like something from a horror movie. We got him to the sink where we could wash his mouth out with water and eventually realized he had busted his lip. Not a pretty sight at all!

Fortunately, there were no broken teeth and nothing more that a BIG FAT LIP! It was a sad situation, but he was fine within 10 minutes of it all happening!

My very first "fat-lip!" More on how it happened later...

My First Baseball Game

2010-04-14T13:35:00.002-04:00

Last night we took Peyton to his first Tides Baseball Game. One of Kevin's best friends is moving to Orlando in a couple of weeks and wanted a last hoorah before he left! So, eventhough it was a Tuesday night, we managed to make our way to the game!

Peyton, Kevin and I met up with Dave, which by the way has become one of Peyton's best buddies, and went into the stadium. Peyton wanted to stay with Dave the whole time. We went in got Peyton a box of popcorn and a coke and met up with everyone else.

When we got to our seats, Cooper (the one moving) tried to hold Peyton and he didn't like that. He wanted his buddy Dave! He sat on Dave's lap for the first 3 innings watching and eating popcorn and shouting out to the mascot who we guess he was calling Elmo. And for the record, this guy is blue and his name is Riptide! Dave tried to take him down to get a closer look at Riptide but Peyton wanted nothing to do with that. He started crying for mommy as soon as they started walking towards him.

Peyton managed to snag a foul ball on his first ever baseball trip. He actually didn't catch it himself, but was given one from a nice guy who was working at the stadium. He was trying to throw it at everyone so we had to take it away. Then, Cooper tried to make friends by buying the little guy a Riptide Beanie Bear. He thought that was pretty cool and held on to him the rest of the night!

We left after the 4th inning because it was way too cold and was getting late. Peyton did great sitting through the game though. He was clapping when everyone else did and taking it all in! It was such a great night...too bad we forgot the camera~

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T13:40:00.003-04:00

We finally made it to church on Easter morning...yes we are those people who manage to make it on the major holidays! We plan on changing that once we get more comfortable with the church!

We managed to snap a few pictures of Kevin and I with Peyton before leaving!

Peyton with his Daddy!
Peyton and Mommy
After church we headed over to Nana and Pop Pop's house for a wonderful Easter lunch! The food as always was amazing! Everyone was there and of course Peyton's favorite person ever...COLE! He loves Cole more than anything!

Peyton with his awesome Easter Basket that his Nana had made! There were so many goodies in it...Peyton especially loves that frog that is coming out of the top and sides. It is actually a nap mat! He lays on it every single day!
Then it was time to go hunt for Easter Eggs. Peyton was not really sure what to do until we showed him what exactly he was looking for and after that he was looking everywhere! It was soo cute!!
All the kiddos after the hunt! They were all counting their loot!
Peyton enjoyed playing with all of his buddies and eating all of the candy! He loves Reece Cups...just like his daddy! We hope everyone had a great Easter!

The First Zoo Trip 2010

2010-04-05T16:29:00.003-04:00

We headed to the zoo last weekend for the first time this year~

The weather was amazing for the end of March.

Peyton had a blast looking at all the animals and telling us the noises that each of them make!

He decided he needed to test out this little brick wall and take a rest.
His daddy holding him up to check out the lambs...I think! He was a little unsure due to the fact that one of them decided to come right up to us and stick his snout through the fence.
He loves trying to walk on a "balance beam." We think he likes this so much due to The Little Gym...He is pretty good at it as well.
Just being his cute little self!
Me and Peyton checking out the turtles! He loved looking at them!
We had such a fun afternoon and I am sure that we will spend many more days hanging at the zoo!

Sweet Tooth!

2010-03-25T20:19:00.003-04:00

We think that Peyton has a sweet tooth already!

Peyton was pretty quite the other day and Kevin and I had no idea what he was up to...we walked into the other room and found this...

P had gone into the pantry and found the Chocolate Moose Munch...dumped it out, right in front of the TV and was helping himself!

So Mom was left to clean it up...lucky me!

Oh what fun we have at The Little Gym!!

2010-03-23T13:39:00.004-04:00

Peyton has been going to The Little Gym since he was 4 months old! I cannot believe that it has been that long! All of our buddies are turning 2 this year and having their parties there...and Peyton has a blast!

After a forward roll...
Making new friends! He and this little girl followed each other around the whole day! It was so cute...
Taking a rest after swinging on the rings...
The rings...
On top of the slide!

It is amazing how much they learn to do in such a short period of time. He has a blast at the gym and he and his daddy are headed their tonight! They will do a little daddy/son bonding! Have a great day...

Yes...It Finally Happened

2010-03-15T20:03:00.002-04:00

Yes folks...it has finally happened...

PEYTON GOT HIS FIRST HAIR-TRIM

I can't really call it a haircut due to the fact that only about 1/4 of an inch was cut off of his bangs. And yes that is all that was cut. It was driving his Nana crazy each day. So, Saturday March 13, 2010 just 2 months and 2 days shy of this little guys 2nd birthday, Nana pulled out her trusty scissors and nipped a little here and a little there! It looks so much better now that those little ends have been nipped off!

Kevin and I are still holding strong to the no cutting the curls. We adore those beautiful blonde curls that are absolutely gorgeous after a bath! These are the first thing that people comment on when they see him and the reason he gets called a girl multiple times a week!

I will put some new pics up soon...just have to get them loaded!

Pop is Coming Home

2010-03-09T15:55:00.002-05:00

I have not mentioned on the blog yet, but Pop has been in the hospital for the last ten days with Pneumonia. Today is the big day that he finally gets to come home. We are so excited that he is coming home. Please pray with us that he makes a full and fast recovery. We love you Pop.

Random things...

2010-03-06T16:03:00.004-05:00

Not much going on around here...just enjoying this lovely weather we are having! The sun is shining and you don't have to have on layers to step outside!

While Peyton is finally down for a nap I thought I would jump on here and update a few things...

First of all, Peyton is doing pretty well with the whole potty training. If we are home, he will go pee pee in his potty all day. We still have not gotten brave enough to leave the house without a diaper. That will happen soon enough!

We have also become more aware of what we say! It is amazing how much they actually pick up on. The other day he started saying "honey." Kevin and I could not figure out where he had learned that until the other night when Kevin came to realize that he calls me honey sometimes. Now Peyton walks around the house yelling "honey." It is the cutest thing. I should try to get it on video...

And last but not least a few pics of that sweet baby boy in his SuperMan shirt and his mommy's boots...Could this child get any darn cuter??

Our trip to NC

2010-02-25T16:38:00.002-05:00

After weeks of trying to head to NC for a visit, the weather finally cooperated for us Valentine's Day Weekend. We have been trying since the last week of January to get there to celebrate our cluster of birthdays...which include, Popi, Nona, Daddy and Emily! What a busy month of birthdays we have.

I had such a blast playing with my Nona's brooms...she even had a little one for me to sweep with. That is one of my favorite things to do! I always want to help my mommy at home clean.
My very own, perfect sized broom...

Emily & Graham got to come over and play with me too! We had yummy BBQ and daddy made his famous mac -n- cheese. I really enjoyed my dinner...
I also helped my mommy make a cake while there. My nona and popi always like for my mommy to make something while she is there. She likes to do that kind of stuff!

Here is the final product...German Chocolate and it was so yummy!

I had such a fun time while hanging out with my NC family. We even got to see a little bit of snow while we were there! I didn't go out to play in it though! I stayed nice and warm inside. I played so hard all weekend that I slept almost 4 hours of the ride back home. Mommy and Daddy thanked me for that!!

Peyton and his Beanie

2010-02-18T20:09:00.004-05:00

Last summer when Peyton was 1 year old, I tried all summer long to get him to wear a hat while at the pool. It was a battle that I never won!

Fast forward to winter time...Peyton wants to wear any type of beanie that he can find!

Even if it is his mommy's...I guess real men do wear pink!
Or maybe even looking adorable in his own!!!

Happy Wednesday

2010-02-17T21:11:00.002-05:00

Let me first take a minute to thank my wonderful wife for working so hard on finding a background for the blog. I love the current one with the pirate. Argh!

If you have followed our blog or lives since Peyton arrived on May 15, 2008, you know that we have struggled with getting him to sleep through the night. I know that we broke pretty much all of the rules, but he was our first child and didn't want to hear him cry. We read books and struggled to find a method that we liked. We are definitely not Cry it out fans. It works beautifully for some, but we didn't want to go through it. Finally over the past couple weeks, we have seen a huge improvement. I still put him down each night. We sit in the chair in his room...he drinks a little juice...I say our prayers...he finishes his juice...he hands me his cup...we snuggle for a minute or so...I carry him over...kiss him...put him in his crib...he rolls over...grabs his blankie (or Sissy as he calls it)...I walk out and close his door. No crying, No calling for Mommy or Daddy. It is ecstasy. And I hold my breath all night--can you blame me after 21 months of not sleeping through the night? He has been going down around 9pm and waking up each morning around 7am. A couple nights were interrupted after he peed through his diaper. We figured out we needed to use Fuzzi Bunz instead of Bum Genius diapers at night. So here I sit, Peyton sound asleep in his crib and I have a great feeling that I will get a full night's sleep again.
Now comes the greed...we have been begging him to sleep until 7:30 or 8am. When he wakes up at 7am, he is still tired and cranky. Can we never be happy?
Good Night!

Jonah's EB Auction

2010-02-10T19:50:00.002-05:00

Will you take a minute to visit Jonah's EB Auction site? Take a minute to learn about the Williams family and you will certainly want to take part in this auction. So head on over now...there is an Auction Button on the side of our blog. Help support Jonah and all others with EB! You can also help spread the word by becoming a Fan on Facebook.

Jonah's EB Auction

Daddy Blogging Wednesday is Back

2010-02-10T19:28:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the leave of absence. There is no excuse, but in my defense I have been very busy at work.
I was sitting at dinner tonight thinking about parenting and how each parent and parenting style is different. Before Peyton was here, I often thought about how I would parent. Once Peyton arrived, all of those ideas began to take shape. Some of them I changed--some by choice and some by necessity. One of these that changed is how I get Peyton to do things. Over the past few months I have realized that toddlers do what they want to do. They play with what THEY want to play with, they eat what THEY want to eat, they say what THEY want to say...get the idea here?
As I sat in our kitchen with Peyton as he ate dinner, I caught myself doing something that has become second nature over these last few months...I turn those things that may not interest Peyton into a game to get the results I desire. As he sat there eating his Mac n Cheese (his favorite meal by far), I could see him slowing down and I wanted to make sure he got a good dinner in his tummy (for my next post, I am going to try to write about how I have changed my vocabulary to a toddler-friendly vocabulary...can you say Poopie, Pee Pee, Tummy??). We were watching Elmo on TV (thanks to my grandparents for turning me onto Netflix so we could watch Elmo any time) so I started the game. I would load up the fork and say "Show Elmo how you eat your macaroni and cheese". Then i realized, I use this same game for a lot of things in life. Show Mommy how you go Pee Pee in the potty...Show Bailee how you can sit in your car seat. Now I just wish that I could play this same game with sleeping at night (he is much better now, but still not sleeping through the night regularly.
So now, i need to ask you a question. We are still working on potty-training and Peyton is doing great at going pee-pee in the potty when he needs to go (while at home...we still haven't tried it outside of the house). The problem is when he needs to...well...you know...poo poo. He knows when he has to go, but does not want to go on the potty and there are no games fun enough for him to show anyone or anything how he goes poo poo in the potty. He asks us to put on his Ahdee (that is what he calls his diaper). Then he proceeds to do his business.
So how do you get a toddler to do this business in the potty?

More Snow Pics...

2010-02-04T14:22:00.003-05:00

Sunday I really wanted to walk down to the beach and see what it actually looked like with snow on it! Well, we all got dressed and went outside but it was way to cold for myself and Peyton! So Kevin decided he would brave the wicked cold and take a few pics for me to see! This is what he came back with!

I thought is was beautiful...
This is what was left Sunday morning...it had all blown up to the streets!
The dunes..
Really pretty with all the snow blown up around the sea grass...

And our other big news...THE FOR SALE SIGN IN OUR YARD! Yep, we have decided to list our house...We shall see what happens...
So pretty...

Happy Birthday Dada!!

2010-02-02T12:59:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Daddy today! He turns the big 32! We are going to celebrate with everyone tonight at Nana's house. Mimi is making her infamous fried chicken and all the fixins to go along with it!

We love you so much daddy! We hope you have the best birthday ever...maybe I will sleep through the night for you as my gift...we will talk about that!

Peyton & Mommy

Snow Day~January 2010

2010-02-01T17:25:00.004-05:00

Wow...we woke up on Saturday morning to SNOW!! What a treat it was for us to actually see it falling. We moved the curtains in our bedroom and asked Peyton what he saw out the window and his reply was "NO." This is how he says SNOW. All morning he was running around looking out the windows saying No, No, No! It was so cute. This was the view from our front door...the wind was blowing so hard that it kept the street in front of our house clear. Beside our house was another story...there was a pile probably 3 feet tall where the snow piled up. Amazing to say the least!
We attempted to take Peyton out in the snow but seeing that we never get weather like this around here, we did not have the proper snow gear!

This is Daddy trying to show how deep it was in our driveway...His foot disappeared!
Peyton was not a fan of standing in the snow so he thought he would like to take a ride in the wagon....It was fine until the snow and wind came into the wagon! Then smiles turned into this...

Needless to say, after this we went inside turned the fire on and enjoyed the snow from our warm and cozy house...

Our Holiday Trip to Busch Gardens 2009!!!

2010-01-19T16:38:00.002-05:00

I really cannot believe that we never posted any pictures from our holiday adventures! We had such a great couple of weeks around here and unfortunately the last couple of days that Kevin was off was a whirlwind to say the least! With all of us getting the stomach bug/flu whatever it may have been, we were not up to posting/updating....

So here we are, the middle of January and I am going to try to go back and remember how bright and wonderful our holidays were!

We took Peyton to Busch Gardens for the Christmas Town. They had transformed the entire park with holiday lights, smells and goodies. We had such a great evening besides that fact that it was freezing!!! Oh well, it just put us in the Christmas Spirit. We went to see the Sesame Street Holiday Show they had and Peyton loved it. He kept yelling "Elmo, Ernie, Cookie, Abby" all while eating his popcorn and drinking his coke!

Peyton was too afraid to go up to Elmo when we first saw him so we took a picture for him to look at!
Daddy and P on the tram...Love this picture of my boys!
My sweet baby boy...i am in love with this one!
And this one! We had such a hard time getting him to wear this hat. Now he asks to put it on every time we get out of the car. Sometimes he even wears my hot pink one...he looks fabulous in pink!
Little blurry but we tried to get a shot in front of the big tree..
We had so much fun walking around and freezing and we can't wait to go back next year.

Daddy Blogging Wednesday/Thursday

2010-01-14T08:13:00.002-05:00

WOW...it is Thursday and I did not post yesterday or last Wednesday. What was I thinking? I hope I have not let down my couple followers :)

My life truly changed when we found out we were pregnant. Going through IVF was very trying, but the reward was so great. I was so excited to have a child of my own and could not wait until the day that I got to hold him. Little did I know how great the love would be, even in-utero. Everyone who had a child of their own always told me that it is hard to explain and it is. It has brought me a happiness that I have never experienced. I was driving to work this morning and watched a couple middle school children walking to school. They had their head down and did not look happy. That used to be me. I had a moment after watching them where I realized how extremely happy I am and how much I love my life. I walk around with my head held high, shoulders back and with a new lease on life...all thanks to Peyton & his wonderful mommy/my wonderful wife. It melts my heart when I watch them together (although we are approaching the terrible two's and there are times that...well...don't melt my heart). The love that the two of them share is different than the love that he and I share. He has a special bond with her and she is amazing. A couple days ago we were on the road and he was exhausted. He was trying to keep himself awake and was being very fussy. She reached back and gently rubbed his leg. He stopped being fussy and just sat in his carseat. If she stopped, he would be fussy again. That would only work with Amy. She has the magic touch with him (she is like SuperMommy and sometimes it frustrates me because I want to be able to employ my superpowers to calm him down, get him to sleep, etc). That is not to say that he does not love me. He does. He loves when I come home from work. He gives me big hugs and kisses. We roll around, tickle each other, etc. like fathers and sons do. I still rock him to sleep and I cannot let go of that (so now you can think back to the posts about him not sleeping and it kind of makes sense, but oh well...it's just me being a daddy to a son who gets rocked to sleep and gets to sleep in our bed if he wants and I am fine with that (i think). Last night I rocked him and put him in his crib. He was awake in the crib, but was laying perfectly still so i thought he was asleep...until I started to move towards the door and then I hear in the sweet little tired voice..."Dada". He does love me and he loves his Mommy, but those loves are different in character. I am good with however he wants to love us as long as he loves us. I certainly love him and always will. He is an amazing little boy and I am so happy that he came into my life and made me who I am today.

Update...Potty Time

2010-01-14T08:11:00.002-05:00

Peyton successfully used his Big Boy Potty for the first time last night after his shower. He was so excited and needless to say, Mommy & Daddy were so proud.
And about 10 minutes after the excitement wore off, he needed to go again and went all over the floor...I guess he wasn't as excited as we thought about that singing toilet.
We will see how it goes over the next days, weeks, months...

Around the Riley Household...

2010-01-11T20:18:00.002-05:00

So, I feel like it has been a long time since we updated...so tonight after bath time, Peyton went and hopped on his potty and that reminded me we never mentioned that we are trying to teach Peyton about the POTTY!! He has a lot of interest when Kevin and I are in the bathroom and he always talks about going pee pee or poopy! We figured that we might as well introduce him to a potty and see what happens. He has yet to do any "business" in it, but he is intrigued with it every single day. He always want to take his diaper off and go sit on it. He likes to sit naked on the potty all the time...
We are keeping our fingers crossed that one day he is going to actually do his "business" in the potty and not beside it!

Daddy Blogging Wednesday live from CHKD Emergency Room

2009-12-30T21:25:00.003-05:00

Update (12/31/2009):
After arriving in the emergency room at 8:45 (after 3 rounds of vomiting), we checked in and waited. What an interesting emergency room it was, but that would be a whole other blog entry. At around 9:15, Peyton fell asleep in Amy's arms. He was exhausted. We contemplated leaving to take him home to bed since he was peacefully asleep. About that time, he woke up and started crying. I grabbed the bucket as we knew what was coming. Sure enough...another few rounds. One of which went all over the waiting room floor. The poor other families just looked at us in the back corner as Amy grabbed some paper towels to clean up. About thirty minutes later we got called back and put in a room. The resident "doctor" came in and asked us a million questions. She said it sounded like a virus and that she wanted to see if he could hold some fluids down and if so, she would send us home. She was going to check with the attending doctor. All the while, Peyton rested in Amy's arms. Then around 10:45, another round. I guess the fluids would not be staying down like we hoped. So the attending doctor came in and we told her that he had another round of vomiting. She ordered an IV of fluids and anti-nausea medication. Our hearts raced. When the nurses arrived to do the IV, our life turned upside down. The first round was in his left hand. The two nurses stood at the head of the bed, trying to hold Peyton down while aiming for the vein. No luck...the vein collapsed. Then the other nurse tried on the other hand. Same result. Tears ran down Amy's face. I was feeling light-headed, but needed to stay strong. The nurses asked Amy to pick Peyton up to try to calm him down. They would then try to get a vein in his inside-elbow area while she held him. They were successful. They dressed the IV and got out of that room as fast as they could. They were very nice and helpful, but they were hurting our boy. Peyton screamed for the next hour. Then he finally got comfortable and slept. It was now approaching 1am. The fluids had been administered and now the doctor wanted to see if he could keep down some Pedialite. He was sound asleep on me so Amy had to startle him and give him 5cc's of Pedialite every 5 minutes. 45 minutes went by and he kept it down. The nurse came back in to remove the IV so we could head home.
This was incredibly difficult for Amy and I. The whole time we just talked about other families who have to endure so much more. Even though we didn't think so at the time, we are very fortunate that we were in the hospital for just 5 hours.
We are now at home. Peyton is very tired and doesn't feel like eating or drinking much, but we are working with him to make sure we get a little bit in him. So as we ring in 2010, we will be relaxing and working to nurse Peyton back to health. I hope you have a great New Years Eve and best wishes for a wonderful 2010 for you and your family.

This isn't exactly what I hoped to write about, but sometimes life throws you curveballs. Tonight was like any other...dinner at No Frill. As we were enjoying dinner, Peyton was acting strangely. He had a fever and runny nose last week and we took him to the doctor on Saturday. His ears were fine and no Strep. So we thought we were through the worst of this "virus"...wrong. As we were eating our dinner and he was watching Elmo on the portable dvd player, he vomited...prjectile vomit best explains it. I then took him and helped clean up. Once we cleaned up I took him out to the car and waited on Amy to pay the bill. After all, we did not want to ruin anyone's dining experience. When Amy got to the car, Peyton wanted to go to her. I tried to call everyone I could think of for advice...this was our first experience of this type and I get nervous easily. Peyton sat on her lap for a couple minutes and then two more rounds of vomit all over Amy's car. That sealed the deal so here we are in the emervency room of CHKD. I hate the helpless feeling, even if it is something small like a "virus"...we will see. I hope everyone else is enjoying a more routine night. Happy 2010 to you and best wishes for a wonderful year for you and your family.

P.S. Excuse any spelling errors. I have typed this post on my cell phone and believe that these small keys are not meant for my big "sausage" fingers.

Traditions Reclaimed

2009-12-23T12:25:00.003-05:00

I have very great memories of Christmas from when I was a young boy. Family, Friends, Santa, Christmas Trees, etc.

Decorations: Decorations would match the current decor of the house. Anyone remember Mauve? How about Aqua? Oh Yes...we had Christmas Trees decorated in those colors. Don't expect red and green lights on our family Christmas Trees...only white as they would go with the color of the year.

How did all of those decorations make it on the tree? Normally with the help of my parent's good friend Doug. Let's just say Doug was in touch with his feminine side and knew exactly how to decorate for my mom. He may be the only person I know who was actually allowed to decorate for my mom.

Real Tree? Normally so, until pretty fake trees came into the world. When I met Amy, I got to enjoy a new tradition...driving to the mountains of NC and cutting down a live Christmas tree from a Christmas Tree farm. For years, I never even thought about where Christmas trees came from. I was amazed and absolutely loved this tradition. And the decorations on the Greenwood tree(s)...oh the decorations. They have more ornaments than anyone I have ever seen. All still packaged in the original Hallmark boxes. It was so neat to help decorate their tree as each ornament would bring back memories.

Santa: As a child, my parents would take us to Richmond to see the "real" Santa. It has always been a great memory for me. We would eat Reindeer cake, while the Reindeer were walking on the roof of the Miller & Rhodes Department store. Yes...you could actually hear their footsteps. Then you would go get in line to sit on Santa's lap. You first talked to the Snow Queen and she asked you questions about what you wanted for Christmas and if you had been good. Then Santa would turn to you and call you by name. He would even know that you saw him in the same spot last year. As a child, it was simply amazing. Then Miller & Rhodes closed and that ended the tradition. About that same time, we started traveling for Christmas so our Christmas trees were replaced with palm trees.

Our family traditions normally began on Christmas Eve with family and friends coming over for Christmas Eve dinner and to exchange gifts. There was always a special visitor that night...Santa Claus. He would stop by with a gift for each of the children and let us know that he would be by later.

Christmas Morning: Christmas morning was so exciting as a child. We would have to wait until Mom and Dad were ready, which was never the same time that we were ready. We would come down the steps and the presents would be under the tree, wrapped in wrapping paper that would coordinate with the colors of the Christmas tree (of course). There would sometimes be larger gifts like swingsets that would be assembled and in place outside. One year I actually heard "Santa" outside my window as I was sleeping. As he was putting together the swingset, it was hitting the outside of my bedroom wall. I walked out back and what to my tired eyes appeared...a man that looked like my dad running around the corner.

There were so many great memories of Christmas as a child.

So once Amy and I started our family, we started talking about traditions we wanted to continue. The first is that we want to celebrate Christmas in our own home. My mom still arranges for Santa to come by on Christmas Eve to visit with everyone and he still brings one special gift to all of the kids (Peyton, Cole & Bailey). We have a fake Christmas tree and decorate it with a wide assortment of Amy's ornaments. We have actually added a couple small trees for Peyton's miniature ornaments. Amy is great at decorating the Christmas tree. I decorate the outside of the house (and yes...our porch lights are working).

This year we started a new tradition which goes back to my childhood traditions. We just returned from a great mini vacation to Richmond and we went to see the Legendary Santa this morning. Thanks to a facebook friend, I found out earlier this month that the Santa from my childhood is still in Richmond. He went from Miller & Rhodes to Thalhimers and now he is at the Children's Museum of Richmond. I was SOOOO excited to find out and immediately signed us up. So this morning we visited him. Peyton does not like getting too close to Santa (or "Ho Ho" as he calls him). Pictures to follow. It was an amazing experience for me because it brought back the childhood memories and I look forward to making this a tradition for my family.

So now our family traditions start to take shape and I am so excited to create life long memories for Peyton.

What are your family traditions for Christmas?

Merry Christmas to all!

Daddy Blogging Wednesdays--Take 4

2009-12-23T12:23:00.002-05:00

We are on the road today, but I will be posting my 4th Daddy Blogging Wednesdays post later today, titled "Traditions Reclaimed".
Any other Dad's posting today? Tell us about your family's Christmas traditions or anything else going on in your life.
Happy Daddy Blogging Wednesday!

Wanting, Wishing and Waiting

2009-12-19T16:09:00.005-05:00

We are sitting here on a very cold, windy and RAINY Saturday afternoon, wishing we could see the snow! Kev and I are still holding out hope we could maybe see a few flakes tonight...we will see. We decided to upload a few pictures from the past week. Nothing too exciting...one of the fabulouse ginger bread house we made earlier in the week. Ashley, Katherine and Sara had us over to their house to try our hand at it. I think the adults had more fun than Cole, Peyton and Bailey!

This is the front of the house...notice, if you can see it in the picture, the reindeer on top of the house.

We thought it turned out alright! Next year we are going for the real deal though! I guess we should start practicing now.

We were so slack about getting Christmas Cards out this year. I tried taking some pictures of Peyton earlier in the week to use on them, but no such luck!

Reading one of his books....the boy loves to look at books!
Playing with Mickey Mouse on the tree. He knows there are a few ornaments he can play with and he just goes and grabs them off and walks around for a few minutes and brings them back...too sweet! There is something that I just love about this picture. I know it doesn't show his little face, but it is one of my favs.

He has learned that Santa says Ho, Ho, Ho. Whenever we ask him who Santa is he always says "Ho, Ho." Kev and I think it is the cutest thing ever!

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday! Stay warm...maybe we will see a little snow!!!

Daddy Blogging Wednesdays--Take 3

2009-12-16T21:44:00.002-05:00

So remember how I told you how I am not good at the "manly" tasks in life? You know...power tools, hand tools, putting things together, installing Christmas lights???
Well, keep that in mind as you read what follows:

I love December. Winter is finally here, the smells of winter are some of my favorites, the chicken 'n dumplings just taste better when it's cold outside and Christmas is right around the corner. This year is extra special as Peyton is starting to take an interest in many of the fun that surrounds the Christmas holiday. He likes the cartoons, he loves the decorations throughout the house, he just looks at the lights in amazement. Oh those wonderful Christmas lights. When the lights are turned on, he lets out an "Oooohhh". I was so proud that I actually got all of the Christmas lights installed without a problem this year. They line our front porches and look great when they shine at night. I should emphasize "when they shine at night". For some reason, year after year, I am challenged by these lights. I thought this year would be different, but no. The lights have been up for about 2 weeks now and when we pulled back in front of our house after our trip to NC this weekend, there was a 3 foot section in the middle of the lights on the first floor porch that were no longer shining so brightly. Frustration set in. I figured I would tackle these lights Monday night. Monday night arrived and more surprises...now all but about 2 feet of the lights on the second floor porch were out. I give up. I will add this to the list of tasks that beat me over and over. I have to admit that the feeling of having my "man card" revoked again is very depressing, but I am going to win it back this weekend and beat these lights so my wonderful son can once again look at them and say "Ooohhhhh".
If i can get these lights to work again, I will definitely post pictures to show everyone that I won!
Let there be light...

Daddy Blogging Wednesdays--Take 2

2009-12-09T20:29:00.003-05:00

Why do I have such a resurgence of interest in blogging? I have missed it. I have missed putting my thoughts into words. I have missed bragging about my wonderful wife and son. I have missed being able to take a few minutes to myself and just put my thoughts into words. I have always loved to write. It is therapeutic for me and I need such therapy every once in a while.

I have also missed being able to share some of my favorite pictures with you...so this week I am going to include more pictures and fewer words. Enjoy.

Thanks Aunt Meg for braving the cold weather and coming over to take these pictures.

You will probably notice the bruise on Peyton's head. Before you call Social Services, please let me explain. My son is non-stop and gets moving so fast that he sometimes (actually very often) falls and of course the first thing that hits the floor...his head. Thankfully his hair is getting longer and such bruises are normally covered, which saves the dirty looks that we receive when we have him out in public.

Daddy Blogging Wednesdays--Take 2

2009-12-09T09:38:00.002-05:00

Who's in for Daddy Blogging Wednesdays this week? I am and I can't wait to read all of the Daddy posts as the day goes on.

Please send me a note to let me know you are posting so I can add you to this list:
Kevin @ Peyton's Pier
Hutch @ Cole's Cove
Dave @ Nora & Soren Are you in?
Tom @ Hoping for Our Own Peanut How about you?
Matt @ McClain Clan We would love to see a post from you...what do you say?
Come on Dads...let's add your name to this list also!

Happy Daddy Blogging Wednesday!

Will you Pray for Jade?

2009-12-04T10:52:00.003-05:00

I was on facebook earlier to find that my cousin, Ryan, had written about a little girl named Jade who is 6 years old and a very close friend of his. Will you visit her website and consider praying for her as she begins her journey to beat cancer?
Jade's Journey

I believe they are setting up a donation area as well, as Jade's mom is a single mother to Jade and her sister, and they will need help financially to fight this Leukemia. This hits hard in the Holiday Season and my heart is heavy but hopeful for Jade.

There's a Mouse in the House...and it's not Mickey

2009-12-03T14:31:00.002-05:00

So my lovely wife calls me around 10 o'clock this morning and the first words I hear from her...

"I need you to come home".

These were uttered in a shaky, scared voice. I have heard this voice before, when the Christmas tree with all of her Hallmark ornaments (and that is a lot...trust me) fell a few years ago. There were also the two times that Peyton fell down our hardwood steps (not just one or two...the whole flight of steps, and there was a third time he fell down the steps, but he was riding on my belly as I slid down the entire flight of steps on my back...a couple days after I finished the 1/2 Marathon--but she didn't call me because I was in our foyer on my back--laughing and crying).

This was a bit more of an urgent voice though, so my mind quickly turned to panic as I thought something had happened to her or Peyton. I got her to calm down and she said...

"There's a mouse in the house". I was thinking there is always a mouse in the house and Peyton loves to bring him (Mickey) to you and have you push on his foot that makes him sing a Christmas song and then Peyton just dances and dances until the song is over and then he brings it back and says, "Push".

It must be a different mouse.
I asked, "Where".
She answers, "Peyton's playroom".

Oh no...is Peyton in there playing with him? I work about 20 minutes from the house so getting home was not a quick option so I called my brother-in-law who works in our neighborhood to see if he could help. He came right over, along with one of my cabinet installers who happened to be in the neighborhood doing a job. I kept Amy on the phone (feeling like a 911 dispatcher) and told her to block the doorway into the rest of the house. The forces arrived, entered the home, located the mouse and tried to capture him, but it was too quick. It went under our undercounter refrigerator in our bar area and that is where it remains, even now--between the back edge of the hardwood floors and the wall. I picked up a bunch of traps (Sorry PETA) and surrounded the area, much like the SWAT team getting ready to move in.

And what was Peyton doing this whole time? He was sitting on the couch watching TV as if nothing was going on. I should probably note that the TV and Couch are in the next room (where I had Amy blocking the door). Amy is still shaken that there is a mouse loose in our house. I will try to get pictures of the crime scene when i get home. I wish I would have had video because words do this story little justice.

At least Mickey has a friend to play with :)