Hannah Elizabeth, thank you for all of the smiles and joy that you bring to us. We love you so very much sweetheart!
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Our One and Only
Unless God decides otherwise, we shall only have one precious and sweet daughter. Today, that same loving little girl decided, on her own, to clean the bathrooms (in her own 4 year old way) and straighten up her toys. She then came to both Daddy and I and told us to close our eyes and brought us to each area where she worked so very hard. We praised and thanked her for her work. Afterwards, she looked at us with those big, beautiful blue eyes and asked if she was our "most favorite daughter EVER" - we both answered in unison that she was indeed our most favorite daughter.
Hannah Elizabeth, thank you for all of the smiles and joy that you bring to us. We love you so very much sweetheart!
Hannah Elizabeth, thank you for all of the smiles and joy that you bring to us. We love you so very much sweetheart!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Seasons
In just a few days, our season of the kiddos birthdays begins. So much to celebrate, yet so much sadness all at the same time as I have never been one that is great with the growing up bit and I rejoice with all of my heart in all that God has given me, given us, three precious and beautiful children, but at the same time, I mourn what will never be happen again. Such bittersweet emotions. . .
Right now, things are particularly hard. I think that it is because of the combination of the birthdays and the first anniversary of my surgery and its permanence. I know that if it is God's will for us to grow our family, that He will open the doors, but my human self is quite impatient!
I also find myself trying to hold onto each of my children, to prevent them from growing up, yet at the same time I am absolutely LOVING all that they are doing and learning. Little Robert is becoming such a great kiddo - just this morning, he unloaded the entire dishwasher without me asking. Hannah blows me away with her huge heart and her ability to remember her lessons - she is 4 years old and reading! Wesley, my sweet Wesley is becoming such an independent boy. He still relies on me when he needs comfort or is upset, but he is branching out. Just today at a birthday party, he left my side for the majority of the party and played without needing mommy. I adored my freedom, but greatly missed the days when I was tied down because I had a toddler in diapers and a newborn needing to nurse and had not slept, much less showered in days!
I guess like all things in life, there is a season and this one is a hard one for me. For now, I will hold my kiddos tight and continue to cherish each and every moment!
Right now, things are particularly hard. I think that it is because of the combination of the birthdays and the first anniversary of my surgery and its permanence. I know that if it is God's will for us to grow our family, that He will open the doors, but my human self is quite impatient!
I also find myself trying to hold onto each of my children, to prevent them from growing up, yet at the same time I am absolutely LOVING all that they are doing and learning. Little Robert is becoming such a great kiddo - just this morning, he unloaded the entire dishwasher without me asking. Hannah blows me away with her huge heart and her ability to remember her lessons - she is 4 years old and reading! Wesley, my sweet Wesley is becoming such an independent boy. He still relies on me when he needs comfort or is upset, but he is branching out. Just today at a birthday party, he left my side for the majority of the party and played without needing mommy. I adored my freedom, but greatly missed the days when I was tied down because I had a toddler in diapers and a newborn needing to nurse and had not slept, much less showered in days!
I guess like all things in life, there is a season and this one is a hard one for me. For now, I will hold my kiddos tight and continue to cherish each and every moment!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Adventure in Mommyhood
Those that know me well, know that I come from a large family and always wanted one. When life threw a wrench in our plans with the complications of each pregnancy/delivery and my hysterectomy in March of last year, those dreams were crushed. Well, these past few days, I have had the pleasure of being a mommy to many! There have not only been our three (ages 6, 4, and 9 days shy of 3), but a 6 and 2 year old, and our usual daytime friend who is 5. That is a total of 6 kiddos about 10/12 hours a day and 6 the entire day - this house has been FULL of Blessed Chaos :-)
Today, we were put to the test when a lttle tummy bug made its way through myself and *so far* just Wesley. It was a tough few hours, but it was great to see everyone pull together to help me and each other through the rough parts. I am also loving how they help each other with everything from school, to imaginative play, to cleaning and good choices.
I think that once I give these kiddos back to their parents and go back to our three, that daddy and I will be having a talk! This is just too much fun :-)
Today, we were put to the test when a lttle tummy bug made its way through myself and *so far* just Wesley. It was a tough few hours, but it was great to see everyone pull together to help me and each other through the rough parts. I am also loving how they help each other with everything from school, to imaginative play, to cleaning and good choices.
I think that once I give these kiddos back to their parents and go back to our three, that daddy and I will be having a talk! This is just too much fun :-)
Monday, February 20, 2012
So Long, Farewell Baby. . .
I mentioned in the last post, that our baby was growing up and things have progressed so very rapidly. At a rate that I was completely unprepared for. . . In the past few weeks, he has been in undies 24/7 and has had 4 accidents - 2 at night, but not even enough to get to the sheets and 2 right in front of the potty! During our drive to the mountains, he insisted that he needed to tinkle NOW so we put a diaper on him in hopes that we could avoid a long stop. Well, after a very impressive fit, we ended up pulling over on the side of I-40 so that he could tinkle! While we were in the mountains, He insisted on only going potty outside, so he would open the doorm drop his drawers, and take care of business. . . all in the +/- 40* weather!
During our vacation in Maggie Valley, he also reached another milestone - Wesley climbed out of his crib! I remember with Robert, we rushed it, and he was in a 'big boy bed' (the same one that Wesley is now in!) around 18 months, before he even had the chance really stand in it! With Hannah and Wesley, we let them decide, but once they were able to climb in/out, the days of confinment definitely came to an end. So about halfway through the trip, we packed up the crib and put Wesley into the king size bed upstairs. Much to our surprise, he did great, so when we returned home, we packed up the crib that all of our babies used and replaced it with the toddler bed that has been waiting for Wesley.
So, in a matter of 3 weeks, the Riker Family has gotten rid of all diapers and cribs. . . So, I am trying to rejoice at all that is happening, the independence he is gaining, they all are gaining, but it is so very hard when I know that it will be a very long time, if ever, that we have another one that needs a crib, or diapers, or a sling, etc etc. I am so very, very glad that I truly cherished every moment of it with all of my babies. . .
During our vacation in Maggie Valley, he also reached another milestone - Wesley climbed out of his crib! I remember with Robert, we rushed it, and he was in a 'big boy bed' (the same one that Wesley is now in!) around 18 months, before he even had the chance really stand in it! With Hannah and Wesley, we let them decide, but once they were able to climb in/out, the days of confinment definitely came to an end. So about halfway through the trip, we packed up the crib and put Wesley into the king size bed upstairs. Much to our surprise, he did great, so when we returned home, we packed up the crib that all of our babies used and replaced it with the toddler bed that has been waiting for Wesley.
So, in a matter of 3 weeks, the Riker Family has gotten rid of all diapers and cribs. . . So, I am trying to rejoice at all that is happening, the independence he is gaining, they all are gaining, but it is so very hard when I know that it will be a very long time, if ever, that we have another one that needs a crib, or diapers, or a sling, etc etc. I am so very, very glad that I truly cherished every moment of it with all of my babies. . .
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Friday, February 3 - Saturday, February 11, 2012
What a vacation we just had! I intended to blog about it daily, just like when we were in MS, but my Kindle Fire would not allow and we are not advanced enough to have a laptop - maybe this year we wil make the leap from a desktop to a laptop?!?!?! (Hint, Hint, Robert!) Anyhow, so here is what I remember. . .
When we arrived Friday, it was later afternoon. We unpacked the van and brought everything inside and then we were off to the grocery store as we needed food! When we stepped out of the store, the view was incredible! How quickly we forgot that everywhere you go, there are absolutely breathtaking - WOW!
Saturday we woke a little early and went to eat breakfast at Joey's Pancake House. We eat here every time we are in Maggie Valley. In fact, the first time we were there, on our honeymoon, they made us a special heart pancake and took our picture which we still have at home! After a great breakfast, we made our way to Bryson City where we found our way to the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad. I think what made this even more special and memorable is that I went on this same train with my family about 12 years ago when we went on one of our many trips to the Smokies. It was great to share those memoires from my childhood with my children. Also on the train ride, we met up with Aahliya and her parents. They were vacationing in Gatlinburg while we were in the Valley. It was fun for all of us and a great surprise for the kiddos as they knew nothing of it! After the train, we made our way back to the cabin and just laid low the rest of the evening. The kiddos enjoyed playing in the hot tub with daddy while I prepared dinner. We played a few games and then before we knew it, the day was over and we were going to bed in anticipation of Sunday's activities.
On Sunday, we woke and went to Mass at St. Margaret's of Scotland followed by another fabulous breakfast at Joey's. We quickly went back to the cabin because naps were a must for all today. Shortly after 1pm, I woke everybody up and we all started getting fancied up for our first ever family professional family pictures! Daddy found this fabulous couple in Sylva who agreed to drive over, take our picture and then give us a CD with full rights! Clay and Cameron arrived at the cabin just shy of 2 and the fun began. They snapped pictures inside of the cabin and out, at a neighborhood down the road, an old barn, and a railroad trusle. We were so anxious to see how they turned out and were absolutely thrilled when we saw the final product - they are incredible! We will definitely use Clay Nations Photography next year when we are in the mountains!
Monday began like all of the others with breakfast at Joey's where we were sneaky and told them it was Daddy's birthday (even though we were a day early, but they were closed the rest of the week) Just when we thought they were not going to do anything, we saw a group of waitresses come out of the kitchen carrying a plate with 3 candles. The kiddos had such a great time watching them sing this little song and helping blow out daddy's candles on his mickey mouse pancake! The rest of the day was spent taking in the beautiful scenery, relaxing in the hot tub, playing in the park up the road, and spending time together.
Tuesday was a big day for us - Daddy's 36th Birthday! For his birthday, he wanted to let the kiddos decide what we wanted to do and they chose to go Snow Tubing! We drove about an hour away to go to a place that we were told was just fabulous - well the opnly thing spectacular about this place was that they let you do whatever you wanted! Even Wesley was able to go down solo which he did many times! Hannah and Robert had a great time figuring out new ways to go down on their tubes and even their bellies! Eventually e gave up the tubes all together and had a great, first ever, Riker Family snowball fight! Oh, how fun it was! After that, we went back to the cabin to get cleaned up before heading out for a special birthday dinner to celebrate daddy. We went to a restaurant that came highly reccomended and were quite dissappointed. When daddy left to go wash his hands, we pulled the waitress aside and told her that it was daddy's birthday - her response?! "Would you like to order him a special dessert?!" UMMMM, NO! The day ended with a birthday dessert at the cabin and a dip in the hot tub!
Wednesday was our first day to eat breakfast at home, so I made bacon and eggs for all. Of course, we had grown accustomed to Joey's fabulous coffee and were VERY dissappointed with the way ours turned out, so we had to make a trip to the gas station to buy some better coffee! After that, we laid low all morning and let the kiddos rest and catch up on lost sleep. After nap, the kiddos wanted to go play at the park down the road. While there, we played baseball and firefighter. The kiddos rolled down the hills and skipped rocks in the stream. They also were able to observe the frogs, their eggs, and tadpoles in a little pool of water. There were even some on the grass that the kiddos were able to touch - so, we had a great science lesson without them even realizing it! After an hour or so, it became quite chilly so we had to head back to the cabin and head for the hot tub!
On Thursday, daddy left us brithg and early to go meet with a realtor to look at some properties. While he was gone, it started to S-N-O-W! Not only was this incredible for this Florida family, but it was NEVER a part of the forecast! In fact, the lows were not supposed to get below freezing! When the kiddos realized this, they bundled up and went straight outside to the sleds. Now, mind you, this was just a small dusting, but they were determined to go sledding and they did! There was one area next to the driveway where they could make it down with little effort, so we did thisfor about 90 minutes - long after the snow stopped! Daddy came home just in time for nap, and he and Robert rested together while Hannah, Wesley and I snuggled! After nap, we asked them what they wanted to do and Hannah quickly informed us that she wanted to find a bear to ride! So, we packed up and drove off to the Blue Ridge Parkway to try and find some bears! While we did not find any bears, we did find some HUGE icicles! After our drive, we made our way to J. Arthur's Restaurant, another place we eat at everytime we are in Maggie Valley. We were ableto get the to sing to daddy here and they brough a VERY impressive sundae to him (which was quite delicious!). After dinner, we headed off to the hot tub and bed.
Friday we woke to even more snow! This time, we took the kiddos up the mountain to where daddy was looking at properties the day before. Here, they had some properties that the owners had cleared out what would eventually be driveways. They went down the driveway over and over until all three were sobbing because their hands were "frozen." We packed up and headed back to the cabin for naps . After naps, we went into Waynesille to buy some goodies. All three kiddos picked out their own happy to remember this trip - Wesley chose a Mickey Mouse lunch box, Hannah chose Smokey the Horse, and Robert chose a Baseball game. We also bought a bag of treats for CCD and a few goodies for the house. We stopped by Taco Bell on the way back to th e cabin for a quick dinner. Once we arrived back to the cabinm there was a strange car in the driveway. Robert and I shared looks and then were greeted by the cleaning lady. She came to drop off some supplies and to talk to us as there was a bad storm moving in and we would not be able to make it down the mountain in the am. She suggested that we pack up everything that night and park the van at the bottom of the mountain. So, we went to work packing up as much as we could and only keeping what we could carry down the mountain in the morning! After we finished packing, daddy drove the van down and walked all the way back up - once he arrived back at the cabin, I could not stop laughing. . . Poor daddy could hardly move, much less walk another step! The kiddos went to bed and so did we shortly after.
As luck would have it, when we woke up on Saturday, there was NO snow. We had gone through all of that work for absolutely nothing - there was not a drop of snow on the ground! That was until about 7am, when it just started coming. And coming. And coming! Within 30 minutes, everything was white and as the time ticked on, it became deeper and deeper. The kiddos LOVED it! We once again went sledding before we had to finish getting cleaned up to make the journey home. As we were getting ready to leave, the intensity picked up to where you could not even see the mountains in front of you - we loved it! Before long, it was time to grab our bags, lock up the cabin, and make the trek down the mountain to the minivan. Prior to leaving Maggie Valley, we made one last trip to Joey's for some delicious coffee and pancakes and then we were off to finish the journey home! Just like the way there, the kiddos did just as great on the way home.
Once again, we had a great family vacation and made some absolutely fabulous memories and I think that it is safe to say that we will have many more family vacations in the Smokey Mountains :-)
Wednesday was our first day to eat breakfast at home, so I made bacon and eggs for all. Of course, we had grown accustomed to Joey's fabulous coffee and were VERY dissappointed with the way ours turned out, so we had to make a trip to the gas station to buy some better coffee! After that, we laid low all morning and let the kiddos rest and catch up on lost sleep. After nap, the kiddos wanted to go play at the park down the road. While there, we played baseball and firefighter. The kiddos rolled down the hills and skipped rocks in the stream. They also were able to observe the frogs, their eggs, and tadpoles in a little pool of water. There were even some on the grass that the kiddos were able to touch - so, we had a great science lesson without them even realizing it! After an hour or so, it became quite chilly so we had to head back to the cabin and head for the hot tub!
On Thursday, daddy left us brithg and early to go meet with a realtor to look at some properties. While he was gone, it started to S-N-O-W! Not only was this incredible for this Florida family, but it was NEVER a part of the forecast! In fact, the lows were not supposed to get below freezing! When the kiddos realized this, they bundled up and went straight outside to the sleds. Now, mind you, this was just a small dusting, but they were determined to go sledding and they did! There was one area next to the driveway where they could make it down with little effort, so we did thisfor about 90 minutes - long after the snow stopped! Daddy came home just in time for nap, and he and Robert rested together while Hannah, Wesley and I snuggled! After nap, we asked them what they wanted to do and Hannah quickly informed us that she wanted to find a bear to ride! So, we packed up and drove off to the Blue Ridge Parkway to try and find some bears! While we did not find any bears, we did find some HUGE icicles! After our drive, we made our way to J. Arthur's Restaurant, another place we eat at everytime we are in Maggie Valley. We were ableto get the to sing to daddy here and they brough a VERY impressive sundae to him (which was quite delicious!). After dinner, we headed off to the hot tub and bed.
Friday we woke to even more snow! This time, we took the kiddos up the mountain to where daddy was looking at properties the day before. Here, they had some properties that the owners had cleared out what would eventually be driveways. They went down the driveway over and over until all three were sobbing because their hands were "frozen." We packed up and headed back to the cabin for naps . After naps, we went into Waynesille to buy some goodies. All three kiddos picked out their own happy to remember this trip - Wesley chose a Mickey Mouse lunch box, Hannah chose Smokey the Horse, and Robert chose a Baseball game. We also bought a bag of treats for CCD and a few goodies for the house. We stopped by Taco Bell on the way back to th e cabin for a quick dinner. Once we arrived back to the cabinm there was a strange car in the driveway. Robert and I shared looks and then were greeted by the cleaning lady. She came to drop off some supplies and to talk to us as there was a bad storm moving in and we would not be able to make it down the mountain in the am. She suggested that we pack up everything that night and park the van at the bottom of the mountain. So, we went to work packing up as much as we could and only keeping what we could carry down the mountain in the morning! After we finished packing, daddy drove the van down and walked all the way back up - once he arrived back at the cabin, I could not stop laughing. . . Poor daddy could hardly move, much less walk another step! The kiddos went to bed and so did we shortly after.
As luck would have it, when we woke up on Saturday, there was NO snow. We had gone through all of that work for absolutely nothing - there was not a drop of snow on the ground! That was until about 7am, when it just started coming. And coming. And coming! Within 30 minutes, everything was white and as the time ticked on, it became deeper and deeper. The kiddos LOVED it! We once again went sledding before we had to finish getting cleaned up to make the journey home. As we were getting ready to leave, the intensity picked up to where you could not even see the mountains in front of you - we loved it! Before long, it was time to grab our bags, lock up the cabin, and make the trek down the mountain to the minivan. Prior to leaving Maggie Valley, we made one last trip to Joey's for some delicious coffee and pancakes and then we were off to finish the journey home! Just like the way there, the kiddos did just as great on the way home.
Once again, we had a great family vacation and made some absolutely fabulous memories and I think that it is safe to say that we will have many more family vacations in the Smokey Mountains :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
