Take a woman who works full time at one job ... add in two growing children, an ever expanding small business and the holidays ... do you know what you have? A mommy that hasn't posted on her blog for almost 2 months!
*blush* Isn't that horrible? I feel so bad that I've missed posting about Paige's 2nd birthday party, Thanksgiving, visiting Santa, Christmas, New Years ... it seems the list just goes on and on! I'll try to give you a condensed version of an update ... but don't be surprised if you need to take a potty break half way through.
RileyRiley is ... well, Riley is an ever growing sponge that frustrates me to no end some days and leaves me speechless other days. He's doing well in school. We had fall conferences and got a great report on him. He fooled the teacher into thinking he didn't know his colors that well ... when they kind of quizzed him one day he claimed he didn't know what color red was. *insert a huge eye roll here* Red is only my favorite color and we have it all over our house. He knows what color red is. When his teacher told us that I looked over at him like "Say WHAT?" ... and he just smiled and looked down to the floor. Stinker.
One of his big battles with us currently is the fact that he thinks he needs a tv in his room. I guess someone at school has a tv in their bedroom. He thinks we're just horrible parents because we flat out tell him no. Thankfully he's still young enough though that he doesn't have a GREAT grasp on how long a year really is ... because when he asks when he can have one, he still seems to be satisified with the standard, "When you buy your own house, you can have a tv." :)
Hockey is going well for him. He's skating has improved by leaps and bounds and there have only been a few times I've heard him say that he didn't want to go to practice. I think it's done a lot for his determination. If you're at one end of the ice and the coaches want everyone at the other end, you need to figure out how to get down there ... you can't just give up. Dad's not going to be able to walk out on the ice and help you out. I was really worried about that after the first couple of practices. He's one of the youngest, smallest kids on the ice at that time ... some of the other kids who have been in it for 3 years are just flying around him but it really doesn't seem to bother him. *phew*
PaigePaige is our sensitive soul in the house. If she thinks she hurt you she'll melt down in tears and need to snuggle ... meaning that if she's poked you in the eye to the point it's stinging, you have to just close your eye and console HER. Forget that your eye feels like it's on fire.
Speaking of colors ... she's currently in love with the color pink. Santa gave her the "Pinkalicious" book for Christmas and ever since everything she talks about has something to do with pink. I'm not quite sure what to think about this. I'm not really a "pink" kind of girl.
Anyway, she started talking kind of late compared to Riley and just when I was beginning to think I needed to look some info up on the topic, she took off with her language skills. She will now say just about anything. When we correct her pronunciation by breaking words up she's really good about repeating them correctly. It's fun to watch it click in that little brain of hers. Currently her two most favorite phrases (and cutest to hear) are "Help me" and "Come on!" ... the latter being said while usually patting her leg like we're dogs. You can't help but chuckle. Oh, and I almost forgot, but her other word that cracks me up is "CUTE!" Everything is cute ... her hair, mommy's hair, her shirt, the way I set the dinner table the other night ... all "cute, Mommy!"
Riley and Paige Together
We're starting to have to seperate them a little bit at times while playing ... but for the most part they really play well together. I think Riley likes that there's someone more his age to play with and Paige just thinks it's cool that he WANTS to play with her. She mimmics his actions so much at times. Riley has this little "Awwwwhh" that he does when we tell him he can't do something. Well, Paige has picked it up and it's like we have Riley Jr. when we tell her not to do something.
Don't worry though, it's not all peaches and cream at the Knudson household. Riley likes to blame the mess of scattered toys all througout the house on Paige and Paige likes to get little shoves (or at times ... a bite or two) in on Riley. I'm sure it's just a sampling of what teenage years will look like for us.
Christmas Christmas was good. We have Riley convinced that Santa got him mixed up with a good boy down the street ... he got way to many presents for being on the "maybe" list. He believes that so much that he tells others the same thing. :) We're evil parents. Ha ha. Star Wars was big for Riley this year. He's into anything and everything Star Wars. His imagination is amazing to watch as he plays with all of the action figures. The way he uses our furniture as different kinds of jails cracks me up. Paige is just starting to "get into" certain types of toys ... but the winners this year seem to be My Little Pony's with their dress up clothes, the giant princess castle that my mom got her and some princess dress up clothes.
Our daycare was closed most of the week after Christmas so Ryan and I decided to take some time off to spend at home with the kids. I'd been so busy in the fall with photo sessions that we hadn't really taken time off together. We managed to do a few fun things ... went bowling, did some shopping, went to a movie (Paige's first ... thankfully we went during her naptime and she fell asleep ... I don't think she would have lasted the whole movie otherwise) ... stuff like that. Riley and Paige had a sleepover at Auntie Deb and Uncle Stacy's one night with cousins Katelyn and Jack. Katelyn didn't appreciate Paige's attempt to snuggle in the middle of the night though. :) New Year's Eve Riley was the biggest party animal in the house ... he went to a party at our neighbors while the rest of us stayed home.
Ryan and IRyan is doing well. He's starting to think about his last class for his MBA that starts in February. After that, he's DONE! It's hard to believe that it's been 3.5 years already since he started the whole process. I remember thinking at the time that he was out of his mind, but I'm really proud of him. I'm not sure I'd have the energy right now to go back to school.
I'm doing well. I managed to take some time off from photo sessions between Christmas and the New Year which was much needed! By the end of November I was worn out from doing quite a few sessions for Christmas cards/presents. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it ... but it was just a lot to handle with Gloria Dei and the family.
So there you have it. That's loosely what I would have sent out as our Christmas letter had I ACTUALLY sent something out. I designed and ordered cards and everything ... they're really cute if I do say so myself ... but they never made it to the mail. Oh well, it was just that kind of year I guess.
