Ants!

If you live in Florida, then you know that our state is no stranger to ants - particularly in the dry months...oh yeah, and the wet months drive them crazy too. We have little (and big) mounds littered throughout our little neighborhood. Riley still insists on walking through the grass so I have taken the liberty to teach her about the dangers of ants.

I said, "Riley, those are ants, they will bite you."

She says, "Ants!" (Pronounced: AHHHH - nts)

But, as always, she has taken this new found knowledge to another level.

We cannot walk two feet down the road without her stooping down and inspecting the road, claiming, "AAAHHHHnts."

Then, there is dinnertime. I served her spaghetti sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. To which she yells at the dinner table, "AHHHHnts."

I am now rationalizing with a 19 month old that ants are not on her plate - just outside, thanks to our lovely Truly Nolen service provider.

Hanging out with Uncle Kyle

Reasons I love my Uncle Kyle:

1. He does a mean hair-do..and also let's me get dirty when Mommy insists I stay clean.

2. He saves me from falling out of a tree...

3. The tree that he insisted that I climb...even though I told him my legs were too small

4. But he does make me laugh - Uncle Kyle is heee-larious!

Love,

Riley

An update from a check-up

Riley and I went for her 18 month check-up today. She is technically almost 19 months, but who is counting anways? She's 26 pounds and 35 inches - long and lean. Here are the highlights from our visit with the good doctor.

Me: Why does she have all the bruising on her legs and arms?

Doc: It's probably due to her just being an active toddler. As long as she's not experiencing any unusual bleeding then she's OK.

Me: Am I a bad Mom for letting her watch Sesame Street?

Doc: (Laughs) No, under two hours is the recommendation.

Me: She wants me to hold her all the time and sit with her while she plays. What can I do to help her separate?

Doc: You are the center of her world, so rightfully she want to be close to you. Spend some time cuddling with her during quit time before you need to get something done around the house. Wait for her cue to get up or push you away, then get what you need done. Hopefully, her need will be met.

Me: Why does she only want to eat yogurt, fruit, and cheese?

Doc: Kids are picky, especially at this age. Keep offering her small, healthy meals at the dinner table and she'll get the idea eventually.

So there you have it - a quick synopsis of our day. After one quick shot, as she had both flu shots prior to the visit, we were out the door and headed to Planet Smoothie for Banana & Strawberry Smoothies for Mommy and Riley.

Here is a picture I took of Riley at the doc's office today.

Slacking

As a dear friend of mine pointed out to me, "You have been slacking on your blog." True, very true. But as we used to say at the Wine Festival...I've been in the weeds.

And those weeds make me unmotivated.

Riley now is accustomed to laying down in random places when she doesn't get her way. Not screaming or kicking, just laying down on the ground, looking up at us. I usually wait and then ask her if she is finished, to which she bounces up quickly and says, "K." For OK, of course. While this seems harmless and often amusing at home, not so bueno in places such as Walmart, the street, Moe's, and Ikea. One and half-year olds are tiring. Shes not even two yet!

Speaking of Ikea - my brother, mom, Riley, and I made a pilgrimage over to Ikea today. I could spend hours in Ikea if I could....please see prior paragraph for reasons why I cannot.

I am also painfully in love with Glee and Modern Family. What is also painful is that they are on at the same time. We may be one of the few families in the US of A that has yet to connect to the world of DVR. I saw a Glee shirt at ToysRUs on Saturday and I proudly exclaimed to Dan that I had found my first item on my wish-list for Christmas. (Then, promptly instructed him to buy it because I know No-DVR man would find a way to miss another opportunity like that).

Last but not least - school has me unmotivated. I am totally uninspired by my newest grad class - it doesn't move me to get on the computer or crack open a book after a long day. We are currently writing a literature review (research paper) on ONE WORD. ONE WORD PEOPLE. My word is whiteness. It's about how white people are perceived to have all the power in the world. You get the idea. Exhilarating stuff.

So that is it - my slacking on the bog is a reflection of the slacking in my life....so don't get offended. I think of writing, but there is always another TV show to watch or a word to research.

Daddy's Dinner

Last week, I was having a LOOONNGGG day. The kind of day where you want to curl up and sleep. Riley was in a rather grumpy mood, it was hot outside, and I was super sleepy all day.

I told Dan that I had to get out of the house.

My brother and I enjoyed a great meal at Blu Sushi and even had a celebrity sighting. If you count Ruthie from Real World Hawaii as a celebrity, you would be excited too. I finished my big night out with a trip to Target. I am wild and crazy.

Due to my absence, Dan was in charge of dinner that night. He stopped off at McDonald's on the way home from work and picked up two burgers for him and Riley. This video captures the burger thief in action!

Baby Genius

My Mom started saying that Riley was gifted when we was a tiny thing. She could "hear" Riley say words and thought we had a little Doogie Howser, M.D. on our hands.

Most parents would probably agree that their kid is smart. Riley says a lot of words, has a fantastic memory, and is very curious about the world around her. She loves reading and we enjoy teaching her just as much. Maybe it's the teacher in me...or the perfectionist, but who doesn't want their kid to be smart, right?

I know, people will say that we are pushing her or drilling her. But, I have not tried to teach her to read (yet), I don't have baby Mozart playing in the background when she sleeps (Dan thinks we should but I think it's a waste of time), and the Baby Einstein flash cards are particularly boring (for both of us). We let her lead us with in her interests and hope that she enjoys saying all of the animals in "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," just as much as she enjoys pulling Murphy's tail.

PS. Had to load the video onto youtube b/c it was too large of a file. If you have trouble viewing the video, click here to watch it directly from the site.

Trick or Treat

After a fun-filled evening at the Annual Mancini Halloween Bash , we are spending the day recuperating from the marathon event that is: Toddler Trick or Treating.

This year, the theme was Storybook Characters. For your viewing pleasure, may we present the story of Little Red Riding Hood:

There once was a sweet little Grandma, who by the way, loved her hair-do.

Little Red Riding Hood was on the way to Grandmother's house - today was Halloween and she was excited about all of the goodies she would collect in her basket.

She ran into a wolf - but no worries, for the manly woodsman was nearby. He caught the wolf and the day was saved!

Little Red was sure happy. She now could continue her trick-or-treating adventures.

Out-running the big kids, Red Riding Hood couldn't be stopped! She was everywhere -- collecting candy, frolicking and sweating in the sweltering Florida heat, and making sure to say "Trick or Treat" and her "thank-yous."

We really had a Happy Halloween!