Riley's Photo Shoot and Update...

So once we got home this evening, Riley spied a huge pile of leaves in our yard and wanted to play. I told her I wanted to get my camera, and she sure turned on the charm! She was so excited for "pictures in leaves," as she called it.

Here's a list of other tricks and sayings and interests Riley's been pursuing lately...

1. Elephants (which go "boom, boom, thomp").
2. "Cha Food" - or Chinese food. As we left the grocery store the other night, Riley pointed to our Chinese take-out place and asked for "Cha food." Too cute!
3. Necklaces. She loves to play with them, wear them, talk about them, etc.
4. Fraggles! Episode after episode after episode...
5. Undressing herself.
6. "Nastics" - or Gymnastics. We seriously practice her rolls and stunts to get ready for Thursday night all week!

I will try to keep the updates coming! Enjoy the pictures!

My AWESOME Husband...

I am married to a wonderful man. It's as simple as that. But sometimes, I find myself even more amazed with him than I am on a daily basis. This past week, he earned two honors, and I couldn't be more proud of him!

1. First and foremost, he was inducted into Thiel College's Athletic Hall of Fame. He is the youngest member of an esteemed group of athletes. Now, ten years after he graduated, Shawn still holds seven school records for cross country and track and field. I always knew Shawn was fast (I mean, he ran a 4 minute mile three separate times!), but I cannot believe how many races he won and how many records he holds!

2. Then, today we went to a District tournament for bowling for Shawn after he placed second in the area tournament. Even though he had a rough day on the lanes, I am still so proud of his 200+ average and earning the chance to compete at this higher level!

Go, Shawn!! We are so excited for your accomplishments! Way to go!

All decked out...

Check out Riley's new duds! I picked up a 3 dollar leotard for her at the big consignment sale at the fairgrounds in town (thanks for the heads up, Natasha!). How cute is she now? And think the leotard is making her a better tumbler, too; she was rolling like crazy tonight!

More pics and videos next week!

Oh, and stay tuned for an update about my incredible and talented husband...

Visitors...

This past weekend, my grandpa and brother drove up from Tampa to visit us! What a wonderful two days we had! This was the first time my brother has been to Gainesville since we moved down, and it was a blast showing him around town, trying out a few new restaurants (Peace Valley Cafe and Zaxby's), going to the park with Riley, and just hanging out. This May, he is going to be graduating from UVA, and then he will be relocating to the Big Apple to take an economic consulting job up there. I am so proud of my little brother! We definitely do not get to see each other nearly enough during the year, so it was a real treat to have two more days with him! Plus, he now has a fondness for quality short fiction, and I loved swapping short stories and discussing them with him. Oh, and did I mention we hit Dairy Queen twice in two days?? Riley was a big fan, too - chasing after her "Brun-den" and playing with his phone. It was great getting to see Grandpa, too! Thanks for an awesome weekend!! We miss you already!!