Sad Day

It's a sad day here. I knew Riley was getting close to dropping her morning nap, but it hit me today. I put her down for a nap beause she was fussy, she played and then she cried. After 30 minutes I realized, she just does not want to sleep. It is good in one way because of the fact that she will take longer afternoon naps. Those naps were getting a little too short for my liking. I have used the break in the morning to take a shower and catch up on some cleaning. There it goes, out the window! In reality, it is just a fact that Riley's naps have always been a source of frustration for me. She just does not want to sleep, because then she will miss something! On a good note, it has been funny to watch her turn the power off on the wii while her cousin Evan is playing. I know, kind of mean, but she laughs every time! We still love her more then ever and her little personality is a source of joy in this house. Here is a picture to remind us all of how cute she is...

The Richards have been staying busy this week. We have been brave enough to venture out of the house a few times. Quinn is doing somewhat better in the car. He now only screams at stoplights and stop signs. Unfortunately living in Ft. Wayne, there is a lot of stopping, but its a step in the right direction!

Riley is continuing to be extremely active. She is now trying to climb on everything. She now plays inside her toy box. Lately she has been standing on the recliner and purposely plunges to the ground on her head. Fortunately, she has never hurt herself. She loves her little brother. She now talks to him in "baby talk". She must be copying her mother!

Quinn is getting so big! I can't believe how much babies grow in so little time. He is smiling more and is making some noises. He seems very laid back though, and I think he is just satisfied saying nothing. He is not as much of an overachiever as Riley was, but mom and dad are ok with that! It is nice to have a calm baby to cuddle.

Below are my attempts to get a cute picture of Riley and Quinn. As you will see, it was a difficult task:

This picture was taken right before Riley fell on top of Quinn

Don't ask me how they both ended up in this position

Quinn is thinking, "Fine, I will just sit here while she falls on me AGAIN!"

Quinn is wondering why he is always put in this position.

Finally, a good picture!

An eventful evening

I'll give the highlights first if you don't want to read the whole post.

1. My kids like to cry in vehicles
2. I let my daughter fall through a stroller (father of the year?)
3. Riley peed on the living room carpet (picture at the end)

Alicia asked me earlier today if we could go to the mall tonight. I thought it might be kind of fun to leave our house for something other than going to work. So after I got home from work we (and by we I mean Alicia) got the kids ready to go and loaded the minivan.

Our first stop was McDonald's. Alicia asked if we should go in or to the drive-thru. I thought it would be easier to leave the kids in the car instead of unloading and loading again. I am sure the McDonald's employee loved the sound of Riley and Quinn screaming in the background while I was trying to order. Alicia was trying to feed pasta to Riley but she just kept dropping it. Quinn still just hates being in his car seat. So we ordered, got our food and continued. Alicia moved to the back seat to feed Riley and give Quinn a bottle at the same time. I think she ate her food too. I ate mine while I drove and texted and made faces at Riley in the rear view mirror.

Alicia asked me before we left our house if I could adjust the straps on our double stroller so they would be high enough for Riley. I thought it would be ok so I ignored her. Once we got to the mall and parked I realized it might have been a good idea after all. I snapped Quinn's car seat into the stroller as he continued to scream and took off, leaving Alicia and Riley behind. I walked as if I were in a stroller pushing race. Alicia said I was at the door to the mall before she even had Riley out of the van. I just wanted to get the screaming child out of his car seat.

Once inside Alicia asked me to adjust the straps on the stroller. I couldn't figure it out partially because I had to keep chasing Riley who just wanted to walk everywhere except where we were. I finally just gave up and tried to put her in the front of the stroller without strapping her in. I turned away and instantly Riley fell right through the bottom of the stroller. I guess those straps are important after all. After Riley screamed for a couple minutes, Alicia just carried her and we put Quinn in the car seat part of the stroller and went to the elevator. We walked into the elevator and Quinn started screaming. The door opened and we started to walk out but realized we hadn't gone anywhere. Apparently you have to push a button to make the elevator go up once you're inside. So we went up. I carried Quinn and pushed a double stroller while Alicia carried Riley. We found a place to sit and Alicia figured out the stroller straps. Now happily strapped in, Riley smiled and kicked the rest of our time at the mall. We took a lap around with a short stop at the bookstore so Riley could play. We left around 7 because we are not cool enough to be at the mall past 7.

When we got home Alicia laid Riley on the living room floor to change her diaper. Once the diaper was off Riley rolled over and escaped. So naked Riley ran around the house for a couple minutes. Then Alicia said, "Oh no. She's peeing!" I looked up to find a line of urine on the carpet and Riley standing next to Quinn flashing her naked booty at me. I had to take a quick picture. That's what my life is. And I love it.

Mark

To laugh or to cry.....

Many times in life we come across situations that can make us laugh or cry. I have decided that I will choose to laugh when the following situations occur:

1. When Quinn pees all over me in the middle of the night.
2. When Sunday mornings are disasterous.
3. When Riley poops in the bathtub.
4. When Riley and Quinn are crying for me at the same time.
5. When Quinn farts really loud in church.
6. When Riley runs into her bedroom when she know she did something wrong.
7. When I forget to brush my teeth.
8. When Riley tries to be helpful by burping Quinn, but ends up forcefully hitting him in the face.
9. When I have to pin Riley on the ground to clip her fingernails.
10. When Quinn screams bloody murder the entire time he is in the car seat.... Oh wait, I have not come to peace with that. Not sure when that will be funny!

Growing

I thought I would give some updates on how much Riley and Quinn are growing in many ways. They both recently went to the doctor and here are the stats:

Riley is now 13 months old. She weighs 22 pounds and is 29 1/2 inches long, placing her in the 70% percentile for both height and weight. Quinn is now 1 month old. he weighs 10 pounds 12 oz. and is 22 inches long, placing him in the 70% percentile for height and weight. He was 8 pounds 3 oz. a month ago. Mama has some good milk!

Riley is beginning to talk more. She is now able to say hi, da, ma, dog, ball, yeah, bye, and Aubrey. Yes, it is strange that she says Aubrey, but I am sure her cousin is very proud! We are attempting to teach her to eat slower, however this is a difficult task for her. Now that she has a little brother she is becoming more and more independent. She goes in her room to play and turns her CD player on by herself and begins to dance. I am glad she entertains herself. When she knows she is in trouble she begins to run. It is pretty funny, at least for now! She is a joy to watch as she grows.

Quinn is still eating, pooping, crying, and sleeping. He has started smiling occasionally. Grammy got the first one...or so she says. He loves holding on to our fingers and shirts. He enjoys cuddling and rocking. He wants to be held all of the time. He hates his car seat. He cries every time he is put in it and usually cries the entire trip. Needless to say, we do not get out much. He naps well during the day and likes to eat more frequently at night. Sleep is limited in the Richard house. Overall, he is a very good baby.

We are blessed to have healthy children and look forward to watching them continue to grow!

Our Crazy, Blessed Life

Yesterday inspired me to start a blog. I was reading other blogs and realized that my life is interesting. I often look back at my day and think "Wow, what just happened?". Therefore, I am going to write about it so I don't forget all the simple blessings that happen over and over....and I knew my mom and mother-in-law would love to hear updates on their grandkids!

Yesterday reminded me of my blessings. Our family has been sick with colds over the past week, so I have been wiping snotty noses and holding cranky babies constantly. I was sitting on the couch with 2 Kleenex's up my nose, one in each nostril. I was holding Quinn attempting to calm his screaming. Riley was on the floor emptying all of the videos from the entertainment center. She has been told repeatedly not to do this, however continues to do this daily, sometimes hourly. I was too tired to remove her from the area so I simply told her "no". She looked at me, shook her head and smiled. I wanted to be upset at her, but she looked so darn cute, especially since she lost her pants somewhere and was only wearing her shirt. I took a picture. I realized that even though I was completely exhausted, someday I was going to miss this and want this time back. This is the life I dreamed about and thought I may never have. Life with a one-year-old and newborn is crazy, tiring, funny, and wonderful. Our family is so blessed. Enjoy reading about the crazy life of the Richard family!