Birthdays, New Life and Spring

Riley's 4th Birthday Party!

 4? Is that right? Wow time is flying. 

So far it seems like a really fun age.  Riley is really growing up, she is my little helper and it is fun to see her working out solutions to her own problems.  Sometimes it's something I would think of and other times it's just really funny. I hear some wild ones some days. 

This year she was old enough to help me plan the menu for her party and help decorate in preparation. She loves decorations!  Every day for a week she asked if today was her party.  Her sense of time isn't really developed yet. She was really excited for everyone to come over. I think that is her favorite part of the whole event! It's sweet. One of those things that I just love about Riley.

Preschool
Riley is officially enrolled to start September 1st. We got AM sessions from 8:15-11:15 4 days a week. I thought that would work best with the other kids' nap schedules. She is really excited!

Walking 
 August has upgraded his signature August Scoot to a walk most of the time. He took a lot of encouragement but is now doing really well.

Bird Feeders 
Riley and I found some large pine cones on one of our walks and thought it would be fun to make some bird feeders. Unfortunately we had more fun making them because our birds wouldn't touch them.  I thought birds were supposed to like peanut butter and bird seed. Oh well, we had fun and I saw a squirrel enjoying it one day.

 



Riley and August coloring. They have been playing really well together lately. I used to hear a lot of screaming then crying and now I hear more running around and laughing. I think they have finally struck a balance between August getting a little older and Riley being a tad less controlling.

 
Garden
Riley and I planted a garden. She has been enjoying seeing the progress of the plants and seeds growing.  They have been growing fast now that temperatures have gone up and we have been getting plenty of rain. 
The strawberry plants Stacy gave me last year are doing well also. Yay!  I planted them in my spot where things don't do so well just to see what they did and I am pleasantly surprised.



Baby 4 Update  
      I will be 19 weeks this Friday and so far I think everything is going great. The baby is supposed to be the size of a large mango and about 1/2 a pound. That would explain why I suddenly feel so much bigger and getting to experience the now daily joys of feeling him/her kick.  We have our 20 week ultrasound next week so wish us luck. Hopefully he/she is growing ok in there and there are no complications.  We are still not going to find out the gender and will just be surprised when we get to meet him/her for the first time.
        I am finally feeling ok, morning sickness is gone but for some reason last week I managed to get a cold and pink eye at the same time (probably due to not sleeping much in Ottumwa prepping for garage sale ... oops). I am usually fine as it was just a little cold but something about the cold, pink eye and being pregnant and I was wiped out. Oh well, feeling better now and getting back to my normal high energy level, I really missed that and I am sure the kids did, too.
     Riley is getting really excited, we have been trying to prepare her for the fact that she could have another brother or another sister. For a while she was really hung up on getting a sister. 
     I have also been indulging in some pre-nesting nesting and Riley and I rearranged her room to accommodate for August moving in sometime. We reorganized and now there is a spot for another toddler bed to fit and 2 drawers in the dresser for his clothes. She talks about it a lot and seems really excited for him to move in. Let's hope this isn't more exciting for her in theory and also that some actual sleeping takes place!

I love all my kids and am excited to add another to the family!

(post actually written by Chelsea on Keenan's account, because life.)