Derek Riley turns 28!

Friday was Derek's birthday and we had a fun weekend celebrating. Ingrid had fun picking out her Dada's card and couldn't wait for him to open it. (She loves cards. Is mildly obsessed with them. Especially ones with dogs, cats, or Elmo on them.) So Friday morning before we headed to work, Derek opened his cards and presents from Ingrid and me. She was ready to help!


Friday night we headed up to the Landing to hang with Ryan and Lauren. We visited and had great conversation. We met up with a couple of other guys and ate at Famous Dave's. Derek and I shared a full rack of ribs. They were delish. It was a joke with our waiter the whole night about singing and making a spectacle over birthdays. He quickly established that he doesn't sing or get too excited about anything. haha. He then went on to say last year his friends took him to Joe's and they made him ride around the restaurant on a stick horse and it was the worst birthday of his life. So he didn't like to make big deals about other people's birthdays. Derek was relieved because he wasn't wanting a big production. While he was gone to the restroom--Wade (our waiter)--comes out with this ice cream dish and a huge firework sparkler shooting out flames! It was so funny and unexpected.


Saturday, Derek got to together with some of his old high school buddies for the day. They had lunch, played golf, tried out our new pizza joint for dinner, and then hung out in the man cave. I was glad he got a chance to reconnect with some of his pals. Josh stayed with us Saturday night and Ingrid was super shy at first. You could tell she liked him, but was a little hesitant. Sunday morning when he came upstairs, she started saying "Hi Josh!" over and over. She loved him. He and his wife are finding out if their baby is a boy or girl today!!! Sunday we had lunch with my parents after church. They came over to the house afterwards for Derek to open his gifts. He had plenty of help once again.


My dad got the best gift of all! Derek opened his gifts and then my dad went to the door and said, "I think I hear Mike and Frank. I've been doing a little picking." (We love American Pickers.) He had found Derek this old metal cabinet that has a really cool rusted patina with old stenciled lettering and lots of storage. I can't wait to see what he does with it!

This pic was taken through the screen door. Windex anyone? Sheesh.
Here's a shot of the birthday boy with his lemon drop princess. Can you tell I'm obsessed with this dress??

We weren't done celebrating yet. We headed to Glenda and Daniel's house for supper. Ingrid decided to play with this little riding toy for the first time! She normally wants nothing to do with it.

She definitely got plenty of attention while we were there.

Derek got more good gifts and some yummy strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.


This is the only pic I got in the whole weekend. And of course it's in a t-shirt on Sunday evening. Out of all the cute outfits I wore. Drats. At least Ingrid looks as precious as always.

Week 1 Wrap-up & BTS

8/14/2011-8/21/2011 was quite possibly the longest week of my life! School has officially begun. It is in full swing. I had a pretty good first week, considering rules and procedures are my least favorite topics. I'm ready for this next week when we can get in a bit more of a routine. My class is totally adorable. Cutest kids in the world. And boy are they talkers! Wow. Most talkative bunch yet, I'm sure of it. I do have a couple funny stories from the first week. Here's the run-down of my top picks.

#1: We were going around the room and telling our name and something fun we did over the summer. E starts talking about how she got to go to the beach! They got to ride in a boat and saw dolphins, got to hunt for hermit crabs, built sandcastles, the works. After this great recap of her trip she says--very seriously--"There was one problem though. I went with my bubby, mom and my mom's boyfriend. And he has a serious problem with gas. It was really bad." I thought I would die. SO funny.

#2: I got an email from a mom with a funny story from her daughter. All my kids got to meet me at the end of their kindergarten school year. This girl's mom had found out she was in my class and had told her I was going to have a baby. Well, at the beginning of June, I wasn't showing yet. Now, obviously, I am. B came home and was shocked beyond belief that I looked so pregnant. Her mom said "I told you she was going to have a baby." B says "Yeah--but you didn't tell me they had already put it in her belly!"

#3: My kids love the fact that I'm pregnant and want to talk about the baby. One girl asked how the doctors knew it was a girl. I told her they have a special machine that can take a picture of the baby and that's how I knew. She said "Next time you go to the doctor, I want you to take me. I'll just sit in there and watch."

Good stories, huh? Another plus of the week was my motivation in getting dressed. I tried super hard to look put together every day. No go-to outfits that I normally throw on. I actually put thought into my wardrobe. (I kinda had to though because my belly suddenly tripled in size this week. Weird.) I wanted to take a pic a day to document my outfits--that's how proud of myself I was. But that didn't happen. I was sooooo tired at the end of each day. More exhausted than ever in my life I felt like. Ingrid was also teething horribly and decided to get up around 5 each morning. Agh. Hard. This week will be a little easier I hope. Slowly transitioning back to the teacher life.

We had a great weekend. It was Derek's 28th and I have tons of pics. I will get to them this week for sure. Also, Ingrid got to play with her cousins and had tons of fun. I got some cute shots there too. Not nearly as cute as the ones Derek got last weekend though! He did a photo shoot of the girls individually. I can't wait to see the pics. Here are a couple of behind-the-scenes shots.


Amelia starts school today! We are wishing her lots of luck and hoping for a fun-filled day. Love you Buzz!

New Trick

Ingrid has a new trick she's pretty proud of. Saturday morning she decided to try to climb up on the footstool. She did it fairly easily. She just climbed up and had a seat. I thought it was so funny. She looked like such a big girl sitting up there.



It was so much fun, she's decided to do it every day since. Here she is Sunday after her nap, chilling and drinking her milk.

She's so fun.

"That was the best movie I've ever seen!"

Derek claims I say this phrase after almost every movie I watch. Maybe I do, Maybe I don't! haha. But I really did see one of the best movies I've ever watched this past weekend. I allowed myself another "break" from the crazy and went to Branson for the late showing of The Help. I read the book last summer after Erin recommended it to me. I was reading a lot those days when I had to get up to nurse Ing in the night. I fell in love with this book. I wasn't too excited when I heard they were making it into a movie because we've all heard that song and dance. And the movie is never as good as the book. Or close, even. But as I watched more previews of The Help, I was intrigued. It looked like the movie was going to follow the book really well. And you all know I was in extreme need for some fun last week with all the school prep. So Heather, Amy, Erin and I loaded up and drove to the 9:45 showing. And it was AWESOME. Seriously. Go see it. But read the book too. They can't fit everything into the movie. Here we are after the show. It was so epic I wanted photos.

Mary Beth did a great run-down of the movie. Check it out.

Help!

Today is my first day back to school with the kids. It seems so strange to think that last year at this time Ingrid was only 5 weeks old. It's harder to leave this time. But I got back in the routine with all my meetings last week. I'm finally ready to start. After a lot of hard work and a lot of help. I really couldn't have done it without the help of my family. My mom and dad worked in my room nonstop for me. Heather came up and helped this week. Derek made sure he stayed home with Ingrid any time I needed to be in my classroom. I'm so thankful for help.

Ingrid is definitely my little helper these days. Her alltime favorite "chore" she helps me with is laundry. She loves to take clothes out of the basket and put them back in and fling them around. This weekend we bagged up a lot of clothes and shoes for Heather to take home to Elise. Ingrid was in heaven. Here she is helping carry the shoes around.



Isn't she a hard worker? By the end of the day I will be worn out. I'm trying to prepare myself for that first-week-of-school feeling. Wish me luck!

Give me a Break

In the midst of all the crazy back to school stuff it's hard to remember to take a little break. An actual break to stop thinking about bulletin boards, school supplies, curriculum, lesson plans, assessments, duties, nametags, books, etc. Lately I've been in school mode around the clock. It's what I think about when I wake up and what I think about when I'm in bed--trying to get a few precious hours of sleep. I'm so glad Derek suggested that we take a little break and head to Russellville. That's exactly what we did last weekend. It was a much needed break. We stayed with our friends Jonathan and Holly and their precious baby boy Leeland. Their house alone is so inspiring. It's older house with tons of charm and fabulously decorated. Holly is an artist and she and Johnny both love everything vintage. They actually picked up a special piece of vintage art on their last treasure hunt in Hot Springs. And that special piece was FOR US!!! I can't wait to show you what it is. I love it so much. I didn't get hardly any pictures from the weekend because Ingrid was a handful. Not in a bad way. She was good as gold. Slept in her pack n play upstairs for both naps and nighttime like a champ. But she was just so excited to be in a new place. With an inside dog!!! I think it was the highlight of her life so far. She never went more than two minutes without saying, "Hi dog!" They have a cairn terrier named Maggie and she is so loveable. Ingrid loved to walk/run from the kitchen, through the dining room, into the living room. And back again. Over and over and over. She kept me busy for sure! We had a great time together. One of the main reasons we all got together (Neil and Katie too) was to watch Down the Line, Derek's short film. If you haven't watched it yet--it is HILARIOUS. He did such a wonderful job. Especially for his first film ever. I'm so proud. The guys (and girls) laughed and laughed. It was a great premiere.

Saturday we went swimming and did a little shopping--again--no pics. Sigh. I wish I had some. Saturday night Ingrid was playing with Leeland and Eden and I ran into the living room to get my camera. Apparently Ingrid thought I ran to a different planet because she got so upset while I was gone for half a second and then wouldn't leave my lap to play. These are the best pics I got.




The guys managed to fit in mountain biking, ping pong, water basketball, and tennis. I think they had a great time. Ingrid and I definitely did. What a good break.

The Big Reveal--For Real

After much contemplation. And discussion. And prayer. (It will be her name FOREVER you know). We have chosen a name for our new baby girl. Drum roll please....

Liv Riley Henderson

I love it! I'm so excited. It's perfect. Liv will have Derek's middle name for her middle name. Just like Ingrid has my maiden name (minus the -s) for her middle name. So sweet. Ingrid and Liv. BFFs.

The Big Reveal

Have you been waiting and waiting for a name for baby sister???  I have. And this isn't it. Tricked ya! (This is Heather's favorite thing I do. Tricks. Heehee.) This is about a reveal though. I got to go to my first ever gender reveal party!! I've always wanted to have one myself, but couldn't get it together for either of my girls' reveal. So I was happy to go to one for someone else. Our friends Stephen and Elizabeth are due about a week after us. It's so fun to be pregnant with someone else. Last time I was pregnant with my bestie, MB, and nothing can compare to that! We were due on the SAME DAY for pete's sake. That was awesome. But it is nice to have friends pregnant at the same time as you. We have three teachers who are pregnant at my school right now. Yay for babies! Back to the reveal. Stephen and Elizabeth had a lot of their family and friends over to their house for cheeseburgers, chips and dips, and cake.

We were supposed to wear the color that represented the gender we thought the baby would be. Can you guess what we predicted?

Erin, Ingrid, and I were all guessing girl. And Elizabeth was guessing boy. The cake was the most important part of the party. We all gathered around as Elizabeth cut the cake. If it was pink--they were having a girl, blue--a boy. And it was...

Pink! They are having a little sister for their daughter Sophia! I am so happy for them. Here are the guys excited after the reveal.

It was fun. Maybe if we have another baby I can do a gender reveal party??? hahaha. I better not get ahead of myself. :)

Back to the School House

Today was my first day back to school. This morning I was feeling like this...

But it was a pretty good first day back overall. Thanks for those of you who were praying for an easy transition back. Of course I hated that fact that I saw Ingrid from 6:15-8:00 this morning and from 6:00-8:00 this evening. But not all days will be this long. I just kept reminding myself of that. We had a great motivational pep talk this morning by a preacher from a local church. He spoke all about finding balance.  This was just what I needed to hear because as a teacher, I struggle with that daily.  I give, give, give 100% of my time, energy, and heart at school every day and often have nothing left when I come home.  And that's not the way God intended my job to be.  I have to find a balance and not make everything at school personal.  He also touched on how teaching is definitely a calling from God.  We as teachers know that we will never make a lot of money, we will never get a "raise", or leave work at work.  But we all teach because we are called to do so by God.  He ended with a campus-wide prayer time.  I'm so thankful to work in a public school where we can start the new school year in such a way. It was a great boost this morning.

And good news to all who've been wondering. Baby name reveal: coming soon!

Bambino Update and 13 months

Tomorrow I will be 24 weeks into this pregnancy. I really can't believe it. It has flown by just as quickly this time around. I've found it much harder to fit in my weekly belly shots. I have already missed three whole weeks! I have to do better. I will make a valiant effort. I'm feeling really good. I should probably be resting more than I am...maybe once school starts I will go to bed earlier? hahaha. Probably not! I got a good report at my last check up and have another one on Thursday. So far, my blood pressure has been great, I've gained 4 pounds, and my belly measured 19 cm. I've gained more weight and am measuring bigger than I did with Ing at this point. So maybe this gal will be a bruiser! She is very, very active. She loves to punch and kick and roll around. Her favorite resting spot is right on my bladder which makes frequent restroom visits a must. Not sure how that will work out once I get into my regular classroom routine. We shall see. I'm not in my maternity pants yet--but I will be soon. I went through all the clothes Heather sent back to me this week. So I'm ready to go! I'll share the belly shots I have taken since my last update at 17 weeks. I'm so sad I haven't gotten one every week. Agh!





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Dear Ingrid,
Since you have been sharing so good lately, I thought you wouldn't mind to share your 13 month birthday post with your baby sister. :) I can't believe it's already been a month since you turned one. But you have changed a lot in this one month. You are walking everywhere. Sometimes, almost running, and you scare mama to death! You are wild woman. You like to get into everything and play play play with toys all day long. You love the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. Especially when mommy makes the wolf "Huff and puff and blow your house down!" You almost always choose to be the pigs and I'm the wolf. It's a fun little game. You also love to sit in your polka-dot chair with your toys and give them bites of puffs and drinks of juice. I'm not surprised that you love to feed your babies because you are a food lover! You love to eat so much and I'm not taking one meal for granted because I know how quickly that could change. You have started eating meats this month and you've loved them all: hamburger, sausage, chicken, catfish, trout, and bbq pork! You still love all your veggies--especially your greens. But breads might be your favorite! You have a little bit of a sweet tooth and dive into pancakes and french toast and you loved your first popsicle! I have loved being at home with you this summer. It was just me and you on most days and we had so much fun and I have so many memories to cherish forever. Next summer we will have baby sister to add to our mix and have even more fun. I love being a teacher and helping other kids learn, but I really don't want to leave you every day, all day. It's making it hard on Mommy to want to go back to her job. You are so fun to be with every day. I love when you wake up and we cuddle in my bed. We got to do this all summer long. Lounge in bed with mama and dada and play KidZoo on my phone or watch snippets of Yo Gabba Gabba on YouTube. I will miss those cuddly moments in the morning. But I am so thankful that as I enter a new school year you will get to play with Gammy every single day. You learn so much at her house and you are loved beyond all measure. Even though I don't want our summer to end, I can't wait to see what the next month holds for you. You are my little Ingrid Cate. My perfect little mate.

Love,
Mommy

Shopping Extravaganza

Last weekend was fabulous! I got to stay at the Hilton Promenade--right over the Landing!--courtesy of the Statlers. We had so much fun. I've never shopped with such a fun group (aside from Mom and Heather) who could shop from sun-up til sun-down. I loved it. I made a list before we went so I would stay on track and not go crazy buying one ZILLION dresses that I don't need. Because that's what I usually do. I'm drawn to dresses. But I know how impractical they are when you are nursing--which I will be doing again very shortly--so I didn't want to get any unless they buttoned up. I stuck to my list pretty tight. So I feel like I did pretty good. Plus--I'm close to 24 weeks pregnant and that never makes it super easy to shop. So that helped my wallet a little bit. Friday night we stuck close to the Landing and ate at Joe's Crab Shack. Although it was super crowded and the wait was INSANELY long, my crab-stuffed snapper and crispy new potatoes made it all worth it. Oh--it was so good. Saturday morning we grabbed some breakfast at Starbucks (classic coffee cake and DECAF iced vanilla late) and headed to Kohl's. I hit the jackpot as far as sales go. For instance--I got a pair of black pants for 90% off!! Regular price $49.00, my price $4.90. Seriously?? Plus an additional 15% off that thanks to my printable coupon. Wahoo. I spent $66.00 and saved $157.00. My best save to date. For sure. We went to T.J. Maxx after that and then braved the heat at Tanger. We were starving when we got there so we grabbed a quick bite at A&W. That rootbeer almost saved my life. I think.




We were revived and ready to go. There wasn't a chance to take a single picture more from here on out because we were SHOPPING. Seriously shopping. And we made a haul. Proof:

The only thing funnier than Heather almost suffocating from all the shopping bags was Mom and Kim trying to take a picture of it. Bless their hearts. It took them a while.

And were were all dying laughing again.

And ready for supper! At Cantina Loredo. MMMMM. So good. We ate and ate and ate. And still had room for the Mexican Apple Pie. Kaci and Heather had been talking about it all day. And it did not disappoint!

We gobbled it up and took a few snaps.


A lady sitting close to us noticed we were taking pics and asked if we'd like a group shot. Heather said, "How nice of you!" She said, "Oh, I'm only nice when I drink. Usually I'm really mean." Heather says, "Well, in that case, drink up!" Lady laughs hysterically.

Kac and Shelb kept finding the CUTEST dresses and belts in Apricot Lane and Francescas. And they looked gorgeous in every single one of them. We made them try each one on and model for us. I liked it best when they would come out in the same dress!

Are they models? Come on! Gorgeous. The pic to the right is of mom, Heather, and Kim being ridiculous and grabbing their stomach "flab." Which they have none of. But Kim kept trying to pretend she did all day. Bless you heart, Kim, bless your heart!! Thanks for the best trip ever. Let's schedule another one ASAP. I can't wait until next summer.

Anchors Away!

I love rompers. There are some really cute ones out right now. My sister can rock the romper really well. And I discovered this past weekend that my cousin Kaci looks quite cute in them also. A pregnant belly does not allow one to wear rompers in a fashionable way. But--my daughter can wear the heck out of one. Especially one with anchors and sailboats!!! This outfit was one of those "love at first sight" moments on Etsy. I had to purchase it immediately. It's from Hart and Sew. I'm so glad she finds all these great outfits for me to purchase! I think Ing looks precious in this one.

Mom and Dad got Ingrid this chair for her birthday and she loves it so much. She loves to sit in it with these four toys. These four are the ones she always picks: Meow Meow, Dog, Baby, and Bear Bear. That's what she calls them all. She loves to rock them and sing them songs and give them drinks of juice. This is one of her favorite things to play.


I love the criss cross straps!

Ingrid is everywhere these days. She never crawls a single inch anymore. Just walks around like a little toddler. And she's quickly losing a lot of her baby fat. :( I already miss all the chubby rolls on her legs. She seems to be getting taller and taller too. My little girl is growing up super fast.

Cramming

It's 12:30 AM and I just got back from school. Working in my classroom. Thank heavens for my mom. And dad. They were there working with me. I'm trying to work after Ingrid goes to bed so I can savor every second with her before school starts back. Cramming. I have so much work to do it my classroom. We have a new curriculum in every subject. I need to study, study, study to be prepared. I have 12 days. Cramming. I still have things I want to do before summer is over. Projects to finish. Friends to see. Time with my family. Cramming. I know once school starts I will be so tired by the time Ingrid goes to bed. And there will still be dishes, laundry, cleaning, and school work. I want to relish in every last bit of summer.

I got to fit in a visit with my college friend Sara this summer! She and her husband and precious 5-week old baby girl went on a little vacation to Branson. And I was so lucky to spend a few hours with them on their way back home. They made a detour to come grab some breakfast with us and spend a bit of time at our house. Ingrid was so excited to meet Anna Ruth!

And to her wonderful surprise, they matched! They both had on red with white polka dots. I thought it was too cute. And how adorable is Anna Ruth? Seriously? With all that dark hair sweet little face. I was smitten.

I got to hold her and rock her and it was wonderful.

Not to mention the great conversation and catching up I got to do with Sara. A big thanks to she and Brett for helping me cram one more fun thing into my summer.