Sorry it has been so long since we've made a post. We've had a fair amount of craziness. We survived the holiday last week and I've included some pictures. Riley with Uncle Jess (my brother), my sister-in-law Ashley with Grandma Storey and Riley with Granpa-Great. They were both sporting their Osh-Kosh overalls. Riley's were a gift from Gran-Danny Cunningham. We had two good holiday meals on Thanksgiving but are quickly discovering that making two holiday meals in two different states in one day is not that easy. I think Tim and I were almost too tired to eat by the time we made the rounds but we managed as the scales are reminding me.
This week has been a blur. We've had play practice, music practice and unfortunately a funeral as Ms. May Ruth Sheridan from our church passed away. She was a wonderful lady and loved our family very much. We appreciated her years of service to the church. We've also been getting ready for the Live Nativity that starts tonight. Tim is chairman of the cluster of churches that puts this on and I'm in charge of our churches' scene so we've both been working on this. Riley has had a fever for a couple of days but we think we've decided she is teething. She has a faint outline of a tooth that is trying to poke through. I stayed home with her yesterday but she has been fever free so she is back at daycare today. Mom and Dad are coming in this afternoon to stay with her tonight and in the morning while we have our float in the parade (another activity this week) and then Tim's parents are keeping her on Saturday while we do a wedding and the second night of the Nativity. If you don't have plans you should make your way to the Expo Center in Murray tonight or tomorrow night between 6-9PM. We even have live camels. And I'll give you a hint, if you come about 8:15 or 8:30 there is usually almost no line waiting!
Maybe I'll have some pictures to post of that event next week.
We had a great Christmas this year. It was definitely busier than ever with Riley but we all received many nice things and were able to spend time with family and friends. I'm a little behind getting things up because I've been sick. I don't recommend a bacterial infection for the holidays but it has put me on my way to my New Year's resolution to loose some pounds. I got sick at my folks and they took good care of me. And of course they hated having to take care of Riley the whole time.
I've collected these pictures this week while I've been off from work for the holiday. Notice that when Riley rides on Tim's shoulders she likes to use his ears as a place to hold on. Anyone who has seen Riley's hair knows how wild it is. She has at least two swirls in the back that pretty much do what they want. During her last bath it got really wild with some help from a towel.
I took Riley this morning for her 9 month check-up. She was 27 1/4 inches long and 16 lbs 12 oz. That makes her 50% in height and 15% in weight. Everything else checked out ok. We went tonight to Needline to help pack the Christmas food baskets. We had 23 from our church there and it went really fast. I think they said we did about 600 boxes and it only took a little over an hour to do them. Glynis put Riley in one of the boxes and she was quite content to watch all the commotion around her. She was helping with the cranberry sauce I think. They will hand out the boxes tomorrow. The estimate they will give out 100 boxes per hour. The needs in the community have really gone up this year. We are very thankful for the blessings we have received this Christmas.
Riley had her first visit to see Santa this past Saturday night. Steve and Debbie Grogan have Santa visit at their house each year and invite their friends and neighbors to come and see him. Riley had just woke up from a nap and wasn't quite ready to visit with Santa just yet. She didn't mind having a group picture as long as mommy was holding her.
Now that Riley is cutting her first tooth we thought we might try some teething biscuits. I never knew anything could be so sticky and messy. I gave one to Riley at the farm this evening for her to chew on while I worked on some projects. I had to give her bath just to get all the sticky mush off.
I'm blogging tonight from the MSU library. We've implemented a new system and are providing after hours support for those who might be needing help using it. So far no one has stopped by for help. It is going to be a long night. The library is full though. Students are studying for their finals and the coffee from the coffee shop smells great. 
Sorry it has been so long since we've made a post. We've had a fair amount of craziness. We survived the holiday last week and I've included some pictures. Riley with Uncle Jess (my brother), my sister-in-law Ashley with Grandma Storey and Riley with Granpa-Great. They were both sporting their Osh-Kosh overalls. Riley's were a gift from Gran-Danny Cunningham. We had two good holiday meals on Thanksgiving but are quickly discovering that making two holiday meals in two different states in one day is not that easy. I think Tim and I were almost too tired to eat by the time we made the rounds but we managed as the scales are reminding me. 
