Why I'm so glad that third ultrasound revealed GIRL!

Now that I have two daughters that have reached the "older" ages of 9 and 7, I know that "maturity" brings things like the capability to shower and dress and even do their hair all on their own in the morning, or audition and capture a role in the community play or make a mom proud with good behavior in school. But I also know that most of the time they stop saying things daily that you make sure to tell your friends and your hubby in the wee hours of the night before you both crash on your pillows.

Well, Ruby, age 4 3/4 (sob) is still in this phase of cutest things said and I know it's almost expired. So I just have to share! Here are the ones I can remember from this fall...I'm leaving out the quotes since they are all her quotes:

1. Mom my preschool teacher said today that we should go out into the world and praise God.

2. Mom did you know that I can do a sommer sault under the water without plugging my nose?....yea, God learned me that!

3. Mom does this (points to Carharts logo on her overalls) stand for jobsites?

4. Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me hump-sing good to eat. (something is always HUMPsing)

 5. Mom, did you know God is with you everytime you are afraid? big pause...Even when there's a bear!

And see, since I haven't been blogging much, I've forgotten all the ones from this summer, which makes me sad. Lastly, I'll leave you with something very silly she does right now. One day, Daphne did her nails, complete with cleaning out the beds of them with the end of a cuticle file. Well, that really impressed her. So now every once in awhile she slyly looks at me as she goes out into the backyard, and then I find her inside in a corner a few minutes later with a knife or something sharp. She goes outside and runs her fingers through the dirt just to have something to clean out of her nails. Besides her cute sayings and cute doings, I love to capture her on camera. She's beautiful. And I'm not sure when I found out we were having a third girl that I knew they could all bring such different joy and beauty to our family. Like her name, she really is a gem!

(ever since she was tiny, I knew that she had a different trait than the girls...the ability and desire to make people laugh...this last photo is her doing her thing!)

Best words for a mother's heart!

On Halloween I helped organize and volunteered in both of the girls' "Harvest Parties". As I walked the halls from one classroom to the other, I met up with a familiar teacher's assistant. She stopped me and said, "I have to tell you your girls are so cute." I was expecting to hear about Daphne's curls or Maisie's sweet smile but I heard something much better. She continued to tell me that everyday she has hall duty in the am, watching the kids come in the front doors. And I guess, EVERY morning, Maisie and Daphne abruptly stop in the foyer, give each other a huge strong hug, and then a kiss, and say their goodbyes before going opposite directions. The other funny image she painted was that they stop the rest of the traffic behind them, as all the kids sorta run into each other as Maisie and Daph stop in their own little world of sisterly affection! Oh, my word...so they do love each other! It made my day!

Why facebooking won out...

I guess my first real post back should explain why I've been bad at this lately. I have to go back.back.back. Blogging was like a best friend to me a few years ago when we were right in the middle of having babies and moving into a new house, and well I'm so glad I started doing it. Lots of good girlfriends did it too, and I think we kept each other sane with our reflective, funny, and constant journaling. And then facebook. One by one my blogging friends started blogging less and entered this other social media world. I was NOT sold. How could I keep up my blogging love and do that too? Why would I want to see friends that I had let go, to be real honest, to compare myself to? Especially when my self-image was at a all time low...NOPE, to share my little thumbnail of a picture did not sound fun! But then back in May 2012 I did the unthinkable and let go and joined! Telling myself it was for my family members, who, although were given my blog address time and time again...seemed more fixated on facebook and the ease of it all. That was back in June, and although I have still blogged occasionally and will continue to stubbornly do it for our family records and for my need to vent through writing....facebook won out. It won out, because I LOVE the automatic feedback. And I love quick snapshots into people's lives. And even yet, I'm not sure I'll be there forever. Sometimes my addictive personality, makes it so facebook takes up important chore and live in the moment time. So, I do give myself weeks off of it. For November though, I'm parked here, mostly with myself and my forced readers (who this gets emailed to) and come November 2022, I'll be so happy to come back to my blog records and see all my posts about a 9,7,4 and 1 year old in my life! All the facebook posts, they are just candy, but these blog posts..they are my sustenance.

I'm late, I'm late!...for a very important date!

Did you know that in November all bloggers are challenged to blog daily? Well, they are...and I have tried a few times to do it. But inevitably, I get started a few days late. I don't know if it's the peer pressure that gets to me, or if I'm characteristically a tardy gal, or if I'm just really busy here and I have to wait for a break in the chaos to get started. Well, today is only DAY 3 in November and I'm jumpin' in with both feet. Gotta fill you in on life at the Riddles, and since I probably have no readers left (bloggers became facebookers a couple years ago)...this will most importantly catch me up on our family story...best recorded, where?...in BLOGland! To not leave you without a picture....here's a favorite one of late:

Daphne had a really fun 9th birthday party. My favorite part about it was the relationships she has with the older girls she invited to be the "stylists" at this make-over party....Lacey, Malorie, Bethany and Kayla. These ladies have been our amazing babysitters probably for 5 years?!? (these aren't even our only babysitters either...seriously God blessed me with a clan of young ladies who love my girls) They've seen my little girl grow up and been a part of our family. They made this party! The little girls got their nails, hair and make-up done and the "big" girls helped me plan, pick up pizza, take pictures, etc etc. The little girls were in heaven. I loved the part where they all huddled around Daphne as Malorie applied her fake eyelashes. Once again it took a village to pull off a party at the Riddle house! (I did feel a little OLD at the night's end...the girls from 18 to 21 were talking about their engagement rings, wedding dresses, college courses, and senior pictures...I was a wee bit jealous of their clean slate futures) But...I'd never go backward.

A couple summers ago we were enjoying an oldie Reba cd and realized that this song was about a baby girl that weighed exactly the same as Daphne did when she was born.... so it automatically became hers and my song.  All the girls love it and I love the lyrics.  So true. 

6 pounds and 9 ounces, lookin' up at me 
 Like I have all the answers I hope, I have the ones you need  
I've never really done this, now I know what scared is
Sometimes, I'll protect you from everything that's wrong 
Other times, I'll let you just find out on your own  
But that's when you'll be growin' And the whole time I'll be knowin'
You're gonna fly with every dream you chase  
You're gonna cry but know that that's okay  
Sometimes life's not fair but if you hang in there
You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good  
We just have to believe things work out like they should 
 Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me You're gonna be
I'm afraid you'll have to suffer through some of my mistakes 
 Lord, knows I'll be trying, oh, to give you what it takes 
What it takes to know the difference between getting by and livin'
‘Cause anything worth doing is worth doing all the way 
 Just know you'll have to live with all the choices that you make  
So make sure you're always givin' way more than you're takin'
You're gonna fly with every dream you chase  
You're gonna cry, but know that that's okay  
Sometimes life's not fair, but if you just hang in there
You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good  
We just have to believe things work out like they should 
 Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me  
You're gonna be
Someone's everything  
You're gonna see  
Just what you are to me
You're gonna fly with every dream you chase  
We just have to believe things work out like they should 
 Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me  
You're gonna be, always loved by me

Henry had his first birthday last weekend.  It was a glorious day.  I just knew if I kept having babies I'd eventually get some things "just right"...ha!  Honestly, the experience helps a lot but it's just as hard in different ways.  BUT, in preparations for Henry's special day, I did take all the other parties we've thrown into consideration and it turned out pretty perfect!

We invited just family, which nowadays is quite a crew with lots of first cousins!  We planned an easy menu...hot dog bar with lots of toppings. I ignored pinterest, which although offered many a fabulous idea for a John Deere themed party, completely overwhelmed me!  I bought a new dress the week before the party so that I knew exactly what I was gonna wear and feel good about getting in some of the pictures.   Mike took the girls out to breakfast and to a couple job sites the morning of the party so I could concentrate on cleaning without new "kid messes" appearing underfoot.   I cleaned like a mad panicked woman, like I always do, thinking even family would judge me for cobwebs, but of course, never do!  My mother in law suggested I concentrate on just downstairs, which proved the wisest tip of the day.   I did however get to making the beds and tidying the birthday boy's room....that seemed a must to me!  And then the most simple thing I've learned but still have a hard time adhering to, is to prepare to be done with the cleaning an HOUR before the party.  So many times I clean right up to the last minute and am dashing into the shower as guests arrive.   Not this time!  I even got on make-up.

Finally, and you all are gonna like this learning curve of mine....at the very end of the party,  a few of us went out for a cocktail.  All my sisters were invited, but only Becca and cousin Jill could make it.  We left the kids with the husbands and high tailed it for the rooftop bar at McMenamins.    I just knew that I was going to be pretty sad about Henry's milestone...last baby...big huge year of mommy-ing, and that even more than the birthday cake and streamers, I was going to need this day to be a little about ME.  I honestly cried a good portion of the time I cleaned the house when I was all alone.  Good, therapeutic, blessed mama, happy tears.   So, after a really fun time with family, I was ready to just sit and sip a lemon drop on a beautiful September eve. 

Thanks to everyone who made Henry's day wonderfully wonderful.