Riley and Ronan's Busy Weekend!

Riley LOVES gymnastics and we just love the progress she has made since she started in July 2007. She went from not knowing how to do a cartwheel (and asking me to show her -- which was a joke!) to doing a perfect cartwheel and being absolutely comfortable at the gym! Here is Riley on the balance beam; please note the ripped arms this child has! As much as she has improved, she still gets nervous being on the beam. I think it's about 3 1/2 feet off the ground and even though she's instructed to keep her eyes straight ahead, she can't help but look at where her feet are. This weekend, she not only had class on Thursday afternoon, she went to open gym for 2 hours on Friday, had 2 hours of class again on Saturday and then went back to the gym again for 'Parents Night Out' for an additional 4 hours! At least she likes going, right?
Then, there's Ronan. While Riley was at the gym for 4 hours on Saturday night, we had to occupy ourselves with something to do, so what better, than to visit the local Toys 'R' Us! Ronan is such a boy and into trucks and cars and anything that makes noise -- so surprise surprise, here he is in the Power Wheels cars they had lined up in the back of the store. Man, those things have come a long way. I'm sure back in the day, you had to pedal yourself around, but now, no...now, you can have anything from a Jeep, to a VW Beetle, to a Cadillac Escalade (with faux leather/plastic seats and tinted windows so you can "get your game on" (as Ryan said.)
Ronan was climbing in and out of these cars and had this look on his face like, "Please, can I have it?" I'm such a sucker that I would make the same face at Ryan and at one point, Ryan said we could get it...but, with a Disney trip in the horizon, I couldn't justify it just yet. I'm sure when we come back from Disney, one of these cars will be in the trunk, but not yet...
This last car was pretty cool. It's a Power Wheels, too, but it has a handle on it so you can push your kid and when the time is right for them to do it on their own, the handle comes out and they can power themselves by pushing on the button in the steering wheel. I'm sure that was invented by a mom.

All this activity had me thinking about how much we want our kids to have everything and do everything they can in life. It's crazy how one look from either of our kids can have us suddenly rebudgeting and thinking about how we could make it work if we let them have it. No, Ronan didn't sucker us into getting him a car, YET, but Riley did talk us into spending more money this weekend so she could do gymnastics more and we didn't even flinch because we knew how happy it made her to be there....ahhh, the price you pay to make your kids happy. It's worth every penny.

7 Years Has Gone By So Fast!

Our Wedding Day

At 10 a.m, 7 years ago, I was at South Hills Village mall (in Pittsburgh) with a few of my bridesmaids, getting my hair done...and at 4 p.m. this afternoon, it will be official that Ryan and I have been married for 7 years! I really can't believe how fast it's gone by - with two moves under our belt and two amazing kids...I feel so lucky to be where I'm at in life and more importantly, to have done it all with my best friend!

Over the years, I've gotten lots of advice on how to make a marriage last and how at 7 years, couples can go through an "itch." Luckily, through it all -- good and rough -- Ryan and I have become and even stronger couple and we have learned that we can only depend on each other to make life the best it can be.

I feel lucky to have Ryan as a husband because he really brings out the best in me. I laugh more, I smile more and the crazy thing is that I still get butterflies when I'm with him.

Happy Anniversary, baby! I love you, Ryan.

Getting to Know Maria....

GETTING TO KNOW ME:

1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?
I would say "No way, Jose, this uterus is RETIRED." It's not literally retired, but I prefer to be done pushing anymore tiny humans out of this body.

2. When was the last time you flew in a plane?
Our last trip to Pittsburgh -- still regretting that trip, that's for sure!

3. What is a goal you would like to accomplish in the near future?
I'd love to have my bedroom feeling more like a sanctuary and less like a laundry room.

4. What was the last TV show you watched?
I am obsessed with reality TV, even if they are re-runs, so I just finished watching Make Me A Supermodel. Repeat, surprise, surprise. Waiting to watch Biggest Loser when Ryan comes home!

5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Relaxing...Ryan and I have a babysitter for a couple hours on Sunday -- yippee, a DATE! So, we'll probably go out to dinner and then for the rest of our date, I suspect we'll look at each other, wondering where we could go for an hour...haha....

6. If your significant other asked you to marry them TODAY what would you say?
Considering we are already married, I would ask him if he drank too much Benadryl. I'm kidding. I would happily marry him again, but this time, invite only the people that care about us genuinely.

7. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
2 carseats.

8. If you could marry any celebrity today who would it be?
I wouldn't. Don't you know that celebrity marriages barely work? I was devastated when Jen and Brad divorced and still am in denial about Nick and Jessica.

9. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Mint Chocolate Chip (with the shredded chips...not the big chunky chips)

10. Are you allergic to anything?
Fish (not shellfish), penicillin and diets.

11. What is something you have learned about life recently?
I surround myself with good people who genuinely care about me and my family, that not all families are perfect (or even nice) and that when you wash a green crayon and dry it, that it will probably ruin all the clothes with it.

12. What do you do at work?
I change diapers, I make breakfast, lunch and dinner. I clean up toys, do laundry and make the bed. I play with my kids and sometimes, I get to surf the internet!

13. What have you done for yourself lately?
I decided not too long ago that it's important for me to feel good about myself. So, I bought a few new outfits, started working out, and when I go out, I dress like I'm going somewhere. I don't want to look like I'm in my jammies all the time, so I get dressed and give myself a purpose...

14. What do you love to do?
I have become a Bingo fanatic...I still enjoy scrapping and most of all, I love being a wife and momma to my family.

15. Favorite quote?
"You can't control how you are perceived. You can only control how you are presented." (From some guy on Tim Gunn's show.) I have been saying this over and over to myself lately and find that I'm a complete believer.

A Fart Is ALWAYS Funny....

Why is it that the sound of flatulence is funny to a toddler -- who probably doesn't even know what the sound really is? Ronan, who will probably be mad in several years that I shared this story (or maybe not, who knows), thinks it's hysterical that his butt can make this sound.

We have this "fart machine" which is controlled by a remote and when pushed, it makes a farting noise; and that cracks him up! So it comes as no real surprise that Ronan makes a shady giggle face/sound when his tush makes the same sound. I guess the disturbing thing is that when he laughs, I laugh and then in his attempt to keep me laughing, I can see the strain in his face as he tries to push another one out. Boys are so nasty. Ha ha.

Awh man, gotta change a diaper now.

"Uh-Dictionary"

Riley has always been one to say the funniest things. Here in our house, we call them 'Riley-isms'.

This is Riley-ism #133:

Yesterday, she asked Ryan for something that started with the letter "U" to bring to show-and-tell on Friday at school. Ryan suggested a few of the obvious "U" items, to which Riley responded that she didn't want to bring it or wasn't allowed to bring it. Ryan then said, "This weekend, I'll get you a dictionary and you can look up other things that start with a "U." She was very excited about that and the conversation was over.

Fast forward to today, she says to me, "Momma, I need to get a dictionary for Friday for show-and-tell." I said to her that daddy would buy her one this weekend and she said she needed it for Friday because she has to bring something that starts with a "U." And then here is where it all goes downhill:

Me: Riley, dictionary doesn't start with "U" -- it starts with a "D."

Riley: "No, momma, uh-dictionary starts with a "U."

Me: It's not 'uh-dictionary" it's A dictionary.

Ryan and I realized that she wasn't the one that was wrong, it's us! We kept saying "a dictionary" (which sounded like 'uh') and that's what she heard. Smart cookie. But she's still not bringing UH DICTIONARY to school. How about a unicorn instead?

One More Month....

Until we get to see this: (Photo courtesy of fellow disboard member)We bit the bullet and decided that we absolutely needed to go to Walt Disney World this year -- and we couldn't have planned it better than to book our stay at the Polynesian Resort. Yeah, baby, that's how us Egal's like to roll!

Anyway, the countdown is officially down to one month and being that I'm completely obsessive compulsive, I have to know everything and anything there is about Disney and what we need to do while we are there. This is a first trip for the nuggets and I and the last time Ryan was there, he was a youngin'. I just want it to be perfect. I've been reading the Disney discussion boards for tips and strategies to en joy our trip and make the most of it. All of it can be extremely consuming and overwheming and I am pretty sure Ryan is over me saying, "Oh, at Disney..." and "When we are at Disney...." and "There is this thing we need to do at Disney..."

We know that with two kids, we can't hit all the rides and that's okay. We want them to just have fun. We are eating out every meal, making it a true vacation...and we definitely want to enjoy the resort as much as we can. It's our first real family vacation and it makes up for the honeymoon we skimped on. I guess we could call our Disney Vacamoon. I'm pretty sure the kids will have a blast though. We bought Riley a new princess dress to wear to one of the princess character breakfasts and for Ronan...well, we haven't gotten him anything yet. I'm not sure that he even cares just yet!

I'm just happy to see how excited Riley is for the trip and I think I even have Ryan excited for it when I showed him all the pictures of our resort. We soooooo need this vacation.

If anyone has any advice or tips for us first-times, please post a message. I'd love to get some insider hints. We are taking advantage of the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan, we are getting season passes (so we can park hop at our leisure), I'm going to invest in the PhotoPass and I've got my quarters and penny collection going for the pressed penny machines. What else, what else!?!

Happy 30th Ryan!

And he only has 5 gray hairs to accompany his 30 years of life! (I think those gray hairs started when he found out he was going to have a daughter in 2002!) Anyway, poor Riley had to go to school yesterday -- so she couldn't celebrate at lunch with us, but Ronan and I decided to meet daddy for lunch at Tijuana Flats in Tampa.

We love you, Ryan, and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

A Family Who Exercises Together, Stays Together...

Ryan recently got me into a new workout craze involving kettlebells. Now, when he first bought them, I thought they looked silly and wondered if they really did anything different than the conventional dumbbells we have in our house. I watched him swing them around, doing different exercises and I could see how passionate he was about it -- and his motivation was definitely contagious. So, I asked him to buy me one. I started off with 15 pounds, moved onto 20 pounds and then yesterday, I shocked myself with the 26 pounders. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was really proud of myself to be able to lift that thing over my head, 18 times. I not only am seeing results, but I feel so much stronger. It's pretty cool. If you don't know what a kettlebell looks like, here it is: We converted half of our garage into a gym, filling it with weights, benches and of course, an array of kettlebells. It's so nice to be able to walk right into the garage and complete a workout without having to leave the house and walk into a gym. Do I miss the atmosphere of the gym? Sure. It can be really motivating and the options of equipment are endless at a gym, but it's also nice to not have to work up the motivation to get dressed, drive to the gym 10 miles away and force your crying kid into the Kids Klub for the time you are in the gym (with the hope that the babysitters don't call you down to get your crazy kid!)

So, I've been trying really hard to work out at home -- and this lifestyle is definitely nice to have the kids around to watch. Ryan and I are hoping that all this exposure the kids have to seeing us exercising will influence them to follow in our footsteps...WHICH, it has!

Ryan put a pull-up bar in the doorway of Ronan's room and he basically does pull-ups everytime he works out. The kids have become accustomed to seeing him do this, so naturally, they wanted to try it. The first time Ronan tried it, he literally held on for a second and Ryan would catch him as he let go. Now, he can hold on for 5-7 seconds. It's amazing.

Riley has been "working out" for a while, with gymnastics 2 times a week and what not, so the girl can hold on for a good amount of time -- that is, if she isn't laughing! We've been trying to get her to strengthen her upper body and the progress is obvious. In her gymnastics class, there is a rope they have to climb and the first few times, she could barely get 3 inches off the ground. This past rope climb, she was able to get to the blue line, which is 5 feet off the ground!

Happy Easter!

Riley woke us up early on Easter morning with a loud, "I don't see an Easter basket anywhere from the Easter bunny!" And with that, Ryan and I quickly jumped out of bed, got Ronan up and had the kids searching high and low for their baskets. Now, anyone that knows Riley, knows that she tends to not really 'look' for anything without saying "I can't find it...." It literally could be right in front of her and she would say that, so it came as no surprise that she said it over and over again in her quest for the beloved basket. Both kids found their baskets, finally...sneakily hidden in front of the sliding glass door in the kitchen. (An obvious spot if you ask me! Haha.)
Later that afternoon, they went on an egg hunt, inside the house. Now, because Ronan loves to put everything in his mouth, the eggs couldn't be stuffed with anything. So, what better, than to give a monetary value to each egg found. Riley couldn't have been more egg-cited to hear that they were each worth a whoppin' quarter!

This was Ronan's first time hunting for eggs and though I was worried he wouldn't have a chance because of Riley, Ryan and I were pleasantly surprised to see the boy fending for himself, diving for eggs and tossing them into his basket like they were baseballs!

Results for the egg hunt:

Riley - 29 eggs for a total of $7.25 earned

Ronan - 19 eggs for a total of $4.75 earned

Watching the kids go at it for 20 minutes and giving momma and daddy some laughs: $13.90 - which was the cost of the eggs plus what we have to dole out for them finding those suckers.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and....

Toes!!!! Ronan was sitting on my lap and when I had the camera pointing at his toes, he started laughing...so I had to snap a picture! Here are his cute little toes at 15 months!

Look at me, I'm Riley E....

There used to be a day when I couldn't get Riley to sit still to take a picture. Then, there's today! Riley LOVES to pose for the camera and when she does, she can really ham it up. This past Saturday, Riley and I had a date to see Horton Hears a Who at the theatre -- and of course, she had to dress up! I just love this outfit from Gymboree (she's wearing the matching shoes, too!)

She really enjoys going to movies, but I think her favorite part is the kids snack pack that comes with the popcorn, candy and drink. Such a kid, right?!

If you haven't gone to see the movie, Riley thinks you should go! This is her review:

Momma: Riley, did you like the movie?

Riley: Yeah.

Momma: What did you like?

Riley: It was funny.

Momma: Would you suggest people go see it if they haven't?

Riley: Yeah. Can I go too?

So there you have it....Riley will go with you if you want!

Luck O' the Irish...and not so Irish!

At first glance, you wouldn't know the kids had any Irish in 'em at all, oh -- but they do! Ryan is Irish and German, so we had to take the kids out to celebrate part of their heritage, right? What better, than to hit Beef O' Brady's for some green beer and corned beef with cabbage! It seems, that by the glazed over look on Riley's face, that she had one too many that night...but was swigging ROOT BEER!
I'm just happy Ronan is eating here....he couldn't get the french fries in fast enough!
This is the crazy little dude climbing in our table in the lanai. Soon, he is going to realize that he won't fit there anymore and he's gonna get stuck!
He ALWAYS has this look like he is up to something. I'm convinced that he IS always up to something!

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody, Everywhere....

Ronan has always had this "thing" for the vacuum...maybe it's the loud noise, maybe it's the fact that it's a machine and is plugged into the wall, or maybe it's just that the vacuum is something he can count on being used at least once a day! He has his very own vacuum he pushes around when I run the Dyson, but lately, he's been wanting to do use the real thing! (And he gets really angry if I turn it off or try to take it away from him.)

I also think he conspires against me (with the help of the vacuum) because I swear, he will throw his Cheerios all over the floor, stomp on them and point to the vacuum. What's that all about!

Our Very Own Citizen of the Month!

Riley was awarded a "Citizen of the Month" honor, along with some other kindergartners at her school in January. They have to exhibit all the qualities of a 'good citizen' and if they are chosen (nominated by their teacher), they get to go to the local Pizza Hut and make their very own pizza! Our baby was just in the Riverview Observer on March 6, 2008. In the photo above, she's the one in the front row, left. Isn't she stinkin' cute or what?!?!

We couldn't be more proud!

A "Perfect" Friendship

We were at Shelley's house the other night making cards and of course, I had to bring along my princess! She is such a mini socialite and even though she really wanted to make cards with us, she had a fun time chasing Elsie around and playing the Wii with Shelley's stepdad (and beating him at bowling, I might add!!!)

Play Ball at the Mall

We didn't actually play ball...there is this cute little play area (otherwise known as 'the area infested with an immense amount of bacteria where you avoid at all costs, unless of course, there is nowhere else to go and your kid is about to freak out, so you hope that anti-bacterial wipes will do the trick'), where I took Ronan after we perused the mall for an hour. He didn't want to jump on anything, but he did spend a lot of time with two of the characters in that area...just wanted to share some pictures of the little dude: He's looking at me for permission to enter the play area. Such a serious look...
He found a little nook to sit in and stayed there for a while...
Same little nook with the Taz -- he would get up, run over to me and then run right back to that same spot in Taz's glove...
(His shirt reads: 'I'd rather be lucky, than good.')

B-I-N-G-O...and I don't ever WIN- O!!!

This was our second meeting of the Bingo Babes at the local church and let me tell you, our group is a pretty lucky one! (These are the moms I've met through our Riley's gymnastics class -- our Therapy Thursday social hour.)

The first time around, I arrived completely prepared -- with a dauber in one hand, my lucky charms spread out on the table, and of course, a slice of carrot cake in the other hand. I mean really, who can resist a church dessert for only a buck!?! This time, though, all I had was my dauber and a photo and it brought me no luck...although I did have a slice of carrot cake AND a brownie!

Am I there to win money? Absolutely not! I'm there for the laughs, the friendship, and the anxiety that I am only one number away from winning. Last night wasn't so great for me --I was not even close. It came as no surprise to my friends, but I was genuinely happy to hear "BINGO" being screamed beside me and diagonally across from me (Kristina, it's me and you next time, girl!) Mandy and Kristina, part of the Bingo Babe crew.
Nikki and I sporting the bingo cards. Man, we are so hot.
And Mandy with her winning Shamrock S card. Poor thing had to split an $82 pot with two other people. Where is the justice?

Peace and Quiet

Ahhh, the sound of --- well, nothing! No screaming, no crying, no whining...and no noises from Ronan, either! Just kidding. I just couldn't resist capturing this moment with my two favorite guys.

Gasparilla 2008

This was our first time experiencing Gasparilla here in Tampa and we had a great time watching the big pirate ship come into port. We spent it at the Coast Guard base, where they had a shrimp boil and lots of beads to collect!
Ronan was getting in touch with his feminine side, helping Riley collect the beads!
How could a girl not need more accessories, right? While the pirate ship came in, there were lots of cannons going off and beads being thrown at us from the hundreds of boats below us. I'm pretty sure Ronan was having a good time, but you can't really tell from this picture...

Plug It In, Plug It In

Everyone has been telling us how different the second kid is, especially boys...and how completely different than girls they can be. Everyone couldn't be more right in this case. Ronan has us on our toes, ALL THE TIME. We just were able to build an enclosed lanai on our house and it has become one of our favorite rooms. It allows us to be outside, without being outside -- if you know what I mean. Just as we thought we completely Ronan-proofed our house, he gives us one more thing to worry about... the outdoor plug! Ryan caught him lifting up the cover and sticking his tiny little finger in that socket. And even after he gets busted, he thinks it is funny and flashes us his "I have you wrapped around my little finger" smile. How can you be mad at this face?

Rollerskating -- Or Sitting There With Rollerskates On

We went rollerskating a couple months ago for Riley's friend, Olivia's, birthday. This had been Riley's first time EVER on skates and being the mom that I am, I decided to sport my 10-year-old rollerblades. Nevermind the fact that the rollerblades were covered in spiderwebs, rusting at the screws and had survived 3 moves with us across the country -- those bad boys were going to be worn and I was going to show the world what a pro I was on rollerblades! Right....

So, we get Riley in her skates and it was truly, the funniest thing I had ever seen. She couldn't stand up and when she did, her arms and legs were flailing all over the place. She must've fallen dozens of times. And there I was, barely standing in my rollerblades (because I had forgotten how to do it) trying to hold her AND another friend up, in the middle of a rink. I don't think I have ever worked out as hard as I did that day. Riley decided to give up about 20 minutes into it and we took her skates off, took mine off and we watched everyone skate around. Being the determined child she is, she decided she wanted to put those skates back on and skate around on the carpet the rest of the afternoon. She eventually got the hang of it, but never got back in the rink... and now, she wants me to get her a pair of skates, "slower skates" she says. Uh-huh.

5 going on 15

How do you stop your kid from growing up? Riley is going to be 6 this summer and it's just going too fast for us. I can remember the day we brought her home from the hospital, not knowing a thing about what to do with a baby, wondering what she was supposed to wear to sleep -- since you can't put blankets on them, but you don't want them to be cold and you don't want them to suffocate, so you can't have bumpers, but you don't want them to fall through the crib, even though they won't since they are too big, but they are so tiny at the same time (you get my drift!)



But now, I'm going from wondering what to do with my baby girl, to trying to figure out why my 5 year old princess has manifested into a 15 year old drama queen. Sometimes I forget she's only 5, and I have these "grown-up" expectations of her and I need to remind myself that she's still a kindergartner trying to learn the ropes of life. But I definitely forget it all when she, picture it, rolls her eyes and slams her bedroom door on me because she doesn't like what she hears.



She asked me the other day if she could change her birthday, so she could be 6 now. She also told me she would like to "play the piano and the guitar, but not at the same time." Luckily for us, she'd rather start with the guitar -- considering there is definitely no room for a piano in our house...unless we put it in the garage.



Ahhh, and another funny conversation to share...we've been trying hard to keep Riley on the right track with food, teaching her about trans fats, nutrients, and what's healthy. Yesterday, we were at a friend's house and there were tons of snacks available...to which the following conversation occurred:

Riley: Momma, I can't have a brownie, can I?

Me: No, Riley, you need to eat real food, like those veggies, or that mini pizza Shelley is making.

Riley: After I eat a carrot, then can I have a brownie?

Me: If daddy were here, would you be asking him that?

Riley: (in a whiny, but quiet voice) No.......

Me: What would you be doing then, Riley?

Riley: (in a mopey tone) Eating the carrots.....

Funny how she thinks she can walk all over me, and I'm the stricter one out of the two of us!

The Wiggles + Chicken Fries = a happy set of parents!

The first smile, first step, first haircut -- all momentus events in a kid's life. Here in our house, it's the 'first bite of something other than a french fry, pizza crust, cheerio or pizzelle.' Ronan has been mostly on the 'all you can eat carbs' diet, worrying Ryan and I that he won't grow properly or recieve the right nutrients. So yesterday, among the many attempts at getting him to try anything, we decided to give the Chicken Fries from Schwans (#518 in the catalog) another try. I mean who doesn't love a Chicken Fry, right? It's breaded, it's crispy, it's chicken and for goodness sake, it's in the shape of a french fry!

Ryan set it all up, placing Ronan's high chair in plain sight of the tv (I know, good habit) -- but Ronan is at his best when the Wiggles are on, so we turned it on, gave him a Chicken Fry and there he went! In a complete trance over the Emu song, he grabs onto a Chicken Fry, bringing it slowly to his mouth. While my back is to him, I know exactly what is going on, just by looking at the smile on Ryan's face as he whispers to me to turn and look, but not to make a sound to distract him from the delicious bite he has savored. So there...one bite more than ever before.

But today, oh today... I give it another shot during lunch and make him 2 Chicken Fries. I pull his high chair in front of the tv, turn on the Wiggles and place the 2 Chicken Fries in front of him. He smiles at the Wiggles and just sits there. Looks at me, then the tv, then the fries and back at the tv. About to give up hope, I start to eat my lunch. To my suprise, I look at him, and what do you know, a Chicken Fry entering the eating reservoir! The boy finished TWO, count 'em, TWO Chicken Fries! Ryan and I couldn't be happier. We talk about it like he took his first step. Except this moment actually brings us to tears because meal time in our household couldn't be more frustrating with Ronan.

It's funny, because I read my friend Ginger's blog (a good San Diego friend) and her little man, Brody, is only 2 months older than Ronan and eats like a machine. Ryan calls Brody the human garbage disposal because every time I give him an update about Brody, it's about how much the boy is eating and what he is eating. And all I could say about Ronan was that he wasn't eating. Maybe it's all taking a turn for the better!

Sorry for a "no picture" post. It's just the happy news we had to share!