Happy Halloween!!

Last year before Trey and I found out the sex of our baby, my friend Toni bought Riley her first Halloween costume. Pottery Barn Kids was having a clearance on their costumes so we had to choose one that either a boy or a girl could wear. Toni and I both agreed that the devil was the cutest! So we dressed our sweet little angel up as a devil for her 1st Halloween. Riley made one cute little devil, if I might say so myself!!
I had Riley in the Halloween spirit all day long. During the day, before she got dressed into her costume, Riley wore her cool glow in the dark shirt. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but it has a ghost and a cat riding on a broomstick and says "I'm Boo-tiful!" The shirt definitely doesn't lie!!

Continuing on in our Halloween spirit, Riley wore her adorable Winnie the Pooh Halloween bib that her Nana sent. Thank you Nana! Can you tell she likes lunch time?!?

After Riley's nap and dinner it was time to get dressed up and head outside to greet the trick or treaters! Much to my surprise Riley actually did really well in the costume. She didn't like putting it on, but once she was wearing the devil costume she was giddy as can be!

Our neighbors came over to sit with us and pass out candy. Above are Heather and her son Ethan. Ethan is 4 months old and looking cute as a leapord. (Side note: this is the little boy that I mentioned in my blog "Adventures in Babysitting") Heather even got dressed up as a witch. There were actually a ton of parents dressed up taking their children around the neighborhood. Maybe next year for me...but I doubt it!

Earlier in the day, Trey went to the store to stock up on Halloween candy. He came home with six bags of candy. I told him he was crazy buying all that candy and he was sure we'd get rid of it all. I was sure that I was going to have some treats for a week or two! We asked our next door neighbor how Halloween is around here and he told us last year there weren't many at all, maybe around 20 trick or treaters. I got excited knowing I was definitely going to get to chow down on our leftovers!! Trick or Treat for me!!

The first hour we probably had about 10 to 15 trick or treaters come through. I was giving the kids 2 pieces of candy each, which I thought was plenty. Then, infront of the trick or treaters, Trey is yelling "don't be stingy, give them more!" I looked at him like he was crazy. So since there weren't very many kids coming around I did as my husband requested and gave handfulls of candy to each trick or treater. All of the sudden all of these cars and vans start pulling in on our street and mobs of kids are jumping out of the vehicles. A limo even pulled up and 14 kids jumped out. What??? Where are these people coming from? I'd like to mention that they were all locals too! They don't like the Hali's unless it's Halloween! Someone must have called their friends and told them to hit up our neighborhood because we got attacked by all of the trick or treaters. It was crazy, like nothing I've ever seen before!

I told Trey to get some pictures of all the cars lining our street and all the people spilling out of the cars. We were all in amazement. The pictures don't even capture the craziness of our night. Needless to say we ran out of candy in the midst of all these kids coming to our house. We were packing up and heading inside and the kids still kept coming up to us. Once we got inside I turned out all of the lights so that nobody would come to our house. Apparently that rule doesn't apply here. While I was giving Riley a bath the doorbell rang 5 different times. I was exhausted after this experience. I don't even know if I'm making sense telling the story!! Much to my dismay I was only able to sneak 1 little pack of my favorite candy, reese's pieces. Oh well! I guess that's God's way of telling me I don't need any chocolate!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Beautiful Skies

I can't help but laugh when I'm talking to family on Skype. It's so funny to see everybody(except Justin and Sara) in their nice warm sweaters. I watch the Today show in the morning and see how everyone is all bundled up in scarves and gloves and how cold it's getting back home. Then I walk outside in my tank top and flip flops and enjoy our nice 85 degree weather. It's funny to me because at night it hasn't even dropped below 70 and all of you probably have to warm your car up in the morning because it's dropped into the 30's or 40's. In a way I miss feeling that crisp, cold air. But then again it's nice to never have to watch the weather and just know I'll be fine throwing on a tank and capris.

It's been rainy here lately. However, last night when Riley and I were going on our walk I got to see a beautiful sky. The sun was setting and the clouds just looked glorious! I had to run back inside to grab my camera so that I could share our view with all of you. It's the sights like this sky that make me feel better about being so far away from family and friends. Trey and I have been getting a little bit of island fever and sadly it's only been 4 months. So I'm taking advantage of these gorgeous moments and I am going to soak them up for the next 3 years.

Only Teething

I am happy to report that Riley doesn't have an ear infection. My instincts were wrong! The doctor said that her ears are bothering her due to the fact that she's teething. I was pretty relieved to hear there was no ear infection. Riley has been in a better mood the past two days. Last night she slept the whole night, which I greatly appreciated! She seems to be getting back to her giggly little self. Riley still has her moments, but what else would you expect from a baby who is teething. The doctor gave her some more tylenol because we ran out. Hopefully this darn tooth will come through and give my girl some relief until the next tooth starts to cut through.

Here are Riley's 6 month stats: 27.4 inches(90-95%) and 20.1 lbs(97%, almost off the chart). When Riley is standing she holds onto the sofa and balances herself. I think she'll walk before she crawls...she's ready to go! Actually, she'll probably be crawling within the next month or so. She got up on her hands and knees the other day and started rocking. So I'm sure the crawling is coming soon! Time to start baby proofing the house!

6 Months Old Today

Our baby girl is 6 months old today. It absolutely amazes me at how fast the time has gone. Unfortunately our little love bug isn't in the best spirits this week. She hasn't been feeling well with the teething and she has been tugging at her little ears. I think she might have an ear ache, but we can't get into the doctors until Friday. I've been giving her baby tylenol hoping it might help ease her pain. However she seems just as fussy after the tylenol. It definitely doesn't seem to be doing the trick. I really know she's not feeling well with all of her fussing and she's not sleeping through the night. That's the worst part for me! Mommy is used to her sleep! I'll keep you updated on how the doctor visit goes. Hopefully she'll be able to help our poor little pumpkin!

And yes...that is a tear beneath her eye! Poor baby!

Hokie Spirit

This entry is dedicated to Uncle Justin! This past Saturday we were cheering on the Hokies. We got Riley into the Hokie spirit by putting on her VT slippers that her Uncle Justin bought her while she was still in my tummy! Riley hates anything on her feet, so these slippers didn't stay on very long. Perhaps if Riley had worn the slippers the entire game the Hokies wouldn't have lost. Better luck next time VT!!

Adventures in Babysitting

I consider myself a capable woman who can pretty much take on any endevour. However, after this past Sunday I have discovered that I'm not wonder woman, nor should I ever try to be! I thought that I would be nice and extend a helping hand to our neighbor. She had to work and so did her husband so I offered to watch their son, Ethan, who is 3 months old. That's right, I was watching a 3 month old along with my precious 5 month old. I'm not exactly sure what drug I was on when I made this offer, but I promise to stay drug free from now on!

First of all, Ethan seems to always be crying. Even when his mom or dad is holding him, he's constantly fussy. I just figured when he's at our house he's just tired or hungry. Boy was I in for a rude awakening while I had him here. Heather dropped Ethan off around 11am on Sunday. Just as Riley was getting ready to take her nap a knock at the door woke her. Needless to say she wasn't going back to sleep. At first everything was going just fine. The babies were laughing at eachother and I was getting the biggest kick out of wathing them. About 30 minutes later I entered hell! Ethan just started crying, crying, crying. Nothing I did would soothe him. Riley who was just fine began to cry because Ethans' crying was so loud and obnoxious. So I decided Ethan needed a nap and put him down in the pack-n-play upstairs. Riley calmed down as soon as she couldn't hear him anymore. While Ethan was napping I finally got Riley to take a nap. As soon as she was asleep I heard the wonderful screech of Ethan. Oh yes, Mr. Cranky was awake and you better believe he woke up Riley. Just marvelous!

Trey happily left for work and told me to have fun! He definitely wasn't any help! He thought I was crazy to begin with and just to prove his point he called my mom and his mom because he found it amusing to watch me try to juggle two infants! After 5 hours of handling 2 babies I was ready for a caramel apple martini. Too bad I didn't have one, but I sure was ready for one! Ethan definitlety cried about 90% of the time. Riley didn't like that one bit. She's not a crier unless she's tired or hungry. And even then, it's not a bad cry, it's tolerable to listen to. Ethan got picked up around 4:30. I was pleased at the fact that both babies were in good moods at this point. I didn't want Heather to pick up her baby and him be crying. That was my biggest fear! Needless to say, I had all the birth control I needed during those 5 hours. I don't know how people deal with multiples! My mom would've definitely had to quit her job and moved to Hawaii with me, because I'm not so sure I could've handled it! Of course I'm sure it would've been different if they had both been my children. I mean Riley's an angel, so I'm sure if she had a twin he/she would be the same way! Yeah right!

Anyway, Trey realized what a good baby we have. She's got a great tempermant and wonderful personality. We cherish and adore our little love bug! I mean, we can't help but smile everytime we look at her adorable face and chubby little legs. We are blessed!

One Year Ago...

It's hard to believe that it was one year ago today Trey and I exchanged our vows! I remember the day as if it were yesterday. Especially due to the fact that my sweet little girl was growing inside of me and woke me up at 4am to make a trip to the toilet. Was it nerves or was it morning sickness? I guess we'll never know! It was such a fabulous and beautiful day for us. Who knew that we'd now be living in Hawaii with our daughter enjoying paradise(as many people call it here.) It makes me wonder what will be going on in another year! Thank you to all of our family and friends who shared our special day with us. It wouldn't have been the same without you!

Super Trooper

I had to take Riley to get her next round of shots on Tuesday. I was not looking forward to this at all. I just kept thinking about last time and how she cried for probably 20 minutes after the shots were over. Of course for the entire day prior to taking Riley for her immunizations I was completely anxious. I guess I just felt bad knowing what was coming and feeling guilty that my little sweet girl had no idea. Tuesday morning we got to the immunization office and signed in. I sat down and had Riley on my lap, bouncing her around as we waited for her turn. There was a little girl before Riley that was getting her shots. She was probably 4 years old. Well that little girl screamed so loud I think you guys back on the mainland might have heard her. Riley didn't like that sound. Her face was priceless. Riley jumped and grabbed onto my arms and just nuzzled her face into my chest. It was pretty funny. Next up was Riley. So I take her over to the chair and sit her in my lap. I pull up her dress so that her chunky thighs were showing. Her thighs got swabbed with the alcohol and then came the needles. She had to get 3 shots this time, 2 in the right thigh and 1 in the left thigh. I just held her as tight as I could. After the first shot Riley was crying. Then shot number 2 came and she got louder. And even louder with shot number 3. After her bandaids were put on, I put her binky in her mouth and gave her a big hug and kiss. As soon as that happened Riley was fine. I was amazed at how well she did and how quickly she calmed down. Her crocadile tears only lasted for a couple of moments this time. Riley is one brave little soldier! I was so proud of her. I was also glad to find out that her next immunization isn't until January! What a relief for me!

I always hear how grouchy babies are after their shots. So I am always expecting the worse for the rest of the day after Riley's shots. I'm one lucky mom because Riley has always been in a great mood afterwards. We got home and Riley was giggly and just as happy as could be. We played outside for quite awhile and just enjoyed the rest of our afternoon without any crankiness. Riley's such a good little girl. I'm such a lucky mom!

Major Cooldown

Every morning I watch the news which always includes the weather. All the forecasters keep talking about here is the major cooldown. We've got a cold front moving in. Let me tell you, it's the warmest cold front that I have ever experienced. Our highs are staying right around 80 and our lows are around 70. In the evening with the tradewinds blowing it feels a bit cooler, perhaps around 65. I know, I know, your jealous! Just kidding! Since it's been a little cooler in the evening I put Riley in pants and a sweatshirt for our walks. I attempt to put socks on her feet but she hates them and kicks them right off. Of course it's not really even cold enough for her to need them, but I drape a blanket over her feet just in case her tootsies get chilly!

Riley still loves her walks. It never fails that when we get back to the house Riley is passed out. Fresh air does a baby good!