Riley's 3rd Birthday!

This by far had to be the best birthday party I have thrown! I was so pleased how all my hard work paid off! And most importantly so was Riley and she had a blast!

Theme- Dinosaurs

Colors- Green, Orange, Yellow

~Invitations~



We invited way less people then last year. Since more then half didn't show last year we only invited the ones we knew would show. There was a total of 27 people there with 10 kids plus 1 very cute baby!

~Menu~

Hot Dogs
Hamburgers
Macaroni Salad (Gan)
Potato Casserole (Nanna)
Salad
Chips
Pickles
Grapes
Dinosaur PB&J
Cookies

~Drinks~

Mots Tots
Water
Pop
Lemonade
Fruit Punch


~Cake~









Dinosaur Crossing



Foot prints! When you came down the driveway I had the theme music from Jurassic Park playing.



We set up the food in the garage. It was such a nice day! High 81 and Sunny!



Again we borrowed tents from my sister Jennifer and a bounce house from them which Brian's brothers and sister's had gotten for the twins first birthday.



Patio



Used her pool as a large ball pit! Borrowed from both my sisters and used what she has which was about 300 balls I'd guest about 500 balls didn't even come close to filling it!



All the tables had Riley's toy dinosaurs on them. I set out books and had printed and made paper dinosaurs I got off line.



In every room we had streamers hanging from the ceiling to look like Ivy and covering the doorway to the hall and playroom. There were balloon that Zach had blown up about 45 of them! Happy 3rd Birthday signs all around too!



For favors I got dinosaur stick books and tattoos. I also got Dinosaur masks and made each kid a dinosaur tail with extra material I had at home.
blown up about 45 of them! Happy 3rd Birthday signs all around too!




The Pinata really stood up tot he test! all the kids that wanted a turn got one. Gan had to help Riley bust it open and it still took a couple swings! Zach said he was impressed!




Of course the cutest decoration was Riley herself wearing some Dinosaur PJ's I found for her at Kohl's. She had green shoes too that were only 3 bucks from Wal-Mart but those didn't stay on because of the bounce house and ball pit.

She had so much fun and was SO good! She thanked everyone for there gifts when she opened then and then went around and told everyone thank you for coming and gave them a hug! It's very cute to watch on Video! My brother in law Mike (Mikey) taped her blowing out the candles and opening gifts so we could enjoy it with her and my friend Michelle's husband took awesome pictures of durning cake and opening gifts. A big thank you to both of them! I actally got to sit down and enjoy the party and talk to the guests! It was a great party and well worth all the hard work I put into it.

It was more costly then last year even with all the stuff I did myself. it was the food that cost so much! 99.02 for food, drinks and plates and things. A grand total of 160.75 and that doesn't include Riley's outfit, ice and the propantank! It will be a challange next year to lower that total!

On her birthday which was the next day I slept till 9:30am I had gotten a cold. I wasn't too bad durning the party but needed a box of tissues close at hand. But that evening I was dieing I couldn't breathe or anything! I took some of Riley's dimatap to help me sleep and felt better the next day. She played with her new toys and we took her to Chuck E Cheese. Gan meet us up there she was very excited to see Gan and screamed her name and ran into her arms when she came in the door. Then dragged her off to show her things! We had pizza for lunch there and then took her to 3 differnt stores to look for the rest of the Toy Story Gang. Guess we will be ordering those off e-bay for X-mas.

She wanted Denny's for Dinner and then we took her to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. Papa meet us there and she was thrilled to see him. She wasn't sure it was really him standing up agaist the wall but as we got closer her little face lit up and there was a scream of PAPA PAPA!! And her running to him!

She enjoyed the movie and again sat there and watched it SO nice. She didn't fall asleep in the car but was ready for bed when we got home. She got her Plush Buzz Lightyear and feel fast asleep!

To Do List

Yesterday morning I typed up my To Do lists for the week. Since Riley's party is this Saturday I have to make sure I have everything I want done. It's a 3 part list one part is for the week and the other part is for Friday and Saturday the day of the party.

Zach just looked at me when he saw me printing out the list. I know what he was thinking OH GOD! After almost 12 years together he knows all about my list making obsession! I have to write it down I have to write it out all pretty and and cross things off my list.

The first time we moved I had my "clip board" and had everything timed out for what should be happening. It was a different move because we had to get stuff from my parents house and the from his parents house. It went nice and smooth. For 3 days before my wedding I printed out itinerary's for everyone! They thought I was crazy and yes I was and while things still happened at least everyone was on time and knew what they were so post to do. It made me feel better knowing I wrote down a list for when each of the boys were to take their shower and get dressed and leave so I wouldn't be standing there waiting for Zach.

Instead I stood in ran because someone didn't unlock the door at the church I was to go in but lucky my sister Hollie was there and got the door opened for me.

Anyways I LOVE lists makes me feel so much better! It's a short list compared to last year that's for sure! It was a two month long list of things that had to be done around the house!

Writing a To DO list also makes Zach do the things I had been asking him to do for 4 weeks right away! He understands you don't MESS with the list! For weeks I asked him to replace the kitchen fan light with the fixture my Dad gave us. It has 4 lights instead of 1. (He won't let me have 60 watt bulbs in the lights he said it hurt his eyes I said oh man this kitchen is dirty!)

Yesterday he put it up without being asked again! 3 weeks the Car Seat for his car had been sitting out side. Yesterday he finally put it in his car! And he finally helped me get poles out of the rafters in the garage that I had been asking him to for weeks.

See lists are goods they make me feel organized because I can't stand it when I'm not.

So Long Summer!

The lazy days of summer are coming to a close. School will start on the 24th and in the mornings we will here the kids walking to school and all the cars driving up and down the street. After school there will be more children walking home from school and cars lined up down the street waiting to pick the kids up. An Elementary School is right at the top of our street which is going to make it super crazy to get Riley to pre-school 2 days a week. Since they close part of the street and that's they way we have to go! We can go around to the next side street but that is the street the School is on so it's even busier then ours. Not sure what time School start since Riley starts at 9:30am I'm hoping school starts at 9am but I don't think so since the street is closed till 9:30am. The end of August is always going to be a busy time for us with Riley's birthday and School starting.

This October will be Zach and I's 5 year wedding anniversary and 12 years since we have been together! My dream of going to a Sandales Resort and getting re-married is not going to happen this year that's for sure. So we are planning a weekend getaway instead.

He also informed me yesterday that he has to go to Detroit for 2 days in September. I do not do well when he travels! I don't know why but every time he travels for work I end up getting sick! Wither it be my IBS or the Flu it just never goes well! I told him Riley and I were going with him I thinks he thinks I'm kidding but I'm really not! I have told him many times before that Riley and I were going with him! I take that back he went away for 3 days in July of 2008 and Riley and I did fine.

I haven't been feeling that well again lately and have been having IBS attacks again. I hate it! it always seems to start acting up in the Fall which I never understand because I LOVE the fall! I need to start taking the Probitics again if I can ever find the ones with the right amount that doesn't cost 30 dollars for 1 month!

I have to say my sister was right the Slim Fast upsets my stomach A LOT I didn't think it would but it really does. And with the IBS bothing me it is just not fun!

Dream

The other night or should I say day since i was napping I had a bad dream about Riley. I never dream about Riley. I know she is there but she is always with someone else in my dreams or she hasn't been born yet. Weird I know but the other day I dreamt we were at Walmart. It was a different store and it started snowing and the power went out. You could only use cash and I had none so i was putting things back when I realized Riley wasn't in the cart. I started screaming her name and ran down a center aisle. There she was standing there starting to get upset and then she saw me and ran to me. I was so scared and was shaking when I hugged her tight. She told me she had to go poop and decided to get out of the seat of the cart and got by herself! Like I said very weird dream!

Slim Fast Diet!

Some time in the past couple months I have packed on a extra 10 pounds to my already over weight self. I was always thin as a child and even in my early teenage years but it seems like after I got out of High School my wonderful metabolisuim slowed and I started gaining weight little by little. I could blame it on having a baby but I went down to my pregnancy weight very quickly. Actually during my first trimester I lost weight and looked quite nice until I turned to the side and my belly started popping out.

But no my extra weight has to do with eating late at night, having mini pizzas for lunch everyday for over month, chocolate hostesses cupcakes and a slew of other bad eating habits. In January I went off pop it was very hard I was addicted to Pepsi in the wrost way. I drank no water at all! I dropped 8 pounds and then I started drinking only sprite or the clear pops. After sometime off being off all pops. Well I gained it all back plus some and I'm saying enough is enough it's time to get this weight off!

My clothes that were lose in the spring are now too tight, I can barley bend down because I can feel the extra weight in my legs. Like when I had retained a ton of water while pregnant.

So I decided the other day to cut all pop and juices out and only drink water. But to go even father I planned on getting Slim Fast and replacing one meal a day with it. Well after I got the cans which are not cheap by they way 10 bucks for 12 cans. I saw they have a new plan. It's called 3.2.1 You replace 2 meals a day with a shake of a meal bar have 3 snacks a day and eat one sensible meal.

I logged onto the site and I liked what I found. They have the water in take log they have meal plans for you list all the different snacks you can eat which are just not there snack bars and you can track your progress and all that. So starting tomorrow I am going on the Slim Fast diet. It's going to be hard and slow going and I think most of all the amount of money it will cost will be challenging but I need to get this extra weight off that I put on and then get down to a weight I'd like to be. Wish me luck!

Naptime Drama!

I am so over the nap time drama I go though with Riley everyday! For over the past month all I do is fight with her to take a nap! If she doesn't go to sleep fine (even though she needs that nap) but she needs to lay in there quietly! It never happens! Every since Riley was born she has always been a good sleeper at night and at nap sure there were days when she didn't nap and nights were it took her longer to fall asleep but the way nap time is now it's like a scene out of Super Nanny everyday!

Nap time has always been right after lunch 1pm. I turn on Enya for her (Use to be A Mother's Gift) and she would lay down and talk to her teddy bear until she fall asleep always with in 20 mins.

Now, after lunch when I tell her it's time for nap she starts the crying I don't want to take a nap. I tell her she doesn't have to nap but she needs to have quite time. She messes around in her bed, throws her stuffed animals all over, shrieks, kicks the wall, comes out of her room with the I have the potty, or some other excuses.

Nothing works when I tell her she needs to stop. Taking the stuff animals away result in her screaming like I'm killing her, and her talking back to me. I use to be able to get her too sleep by telling her if she napped we would go in the pool afterwards or play a game or something like that but that doesn't work anymore.

I do not like letting her read books because I believe she really needs to nap. If she didn't need a nap then she wouldn't be so cranky in the evening without one and when we go out later in the day she always falls asleep in the car. Hench she still NEEDS to nap. I don't think letting her read a book is going to help her fall asleep. But most days I give in after a while and let her read books.

Per other peoples suggestions today I put a movie on for her in the my bedroom. There are no little kids shows on during nap time right now because everything is Sponge Bob because of summer. Riley is not allowed to watch Sponge Bob I think that show is just awful and teaches children nothing besides how to act stupid! Anyways since we don't have a DVR in the bedroom I put on a movie. I told her she has to lay there nicely on Mommies bed and watch the movie or it will get turned off and she will have to go in her room. My hope was she would fall asleep like she did the one day in the basement.

Well after a little while I hear the door open she drags the cat in there, then it's the potty bit and then she messing around on the floor. next time I see everything on my night stand messed up and the movie went off and she went in her room. There was another hour of fighting with her. Way didn't I give up and let her go play you ask. Well i will tell you because then she will think she can get a way with it! She then will think oh if I talk back to Mommy she will let me out, if I kick the wall enough I will be allowed out, if I shriek and scream loud enough I will be let out. After me going in there every few minutes telling her to stop that behavior and to lay in her bed quietly and yelling at her when she talked back she me or laughed at me or went ahead and did what she pleased as I'm standing right there she did finally fall asleep!

Tomorrow I'm going to try something different the movie thing is not happening so instead I thing I will give 10 mins to sit in her room and look at books. After that time then it will be time to get in bed and take a nap. Maybe that would help who knows but I'm so over this fighting everyday!

My G.I. Doctor says I need less stress yeah right I have a toddler!

Back to School

Everyone has been talking about back to school lately. I cannot believe that summer is almost over! It didn't even seem like we had much of a summer this year because it has just been SO hot and humid we have spent most of it in side! Some summer that is, I've said quite a few times this summer might as well be winter for as much as we are getting out! As much as I detest winter I am starting to look forward to fall! We are in need for a cool down and I love everything fall!

Although this year I am a bit saddened. I realized today that the Minear household is going to be entering the The Back To School scene this year and at least for the next 15 years! Riley will be starting preschool the end of September and even though it is only 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours we will be in that September to May scene of being in school and only having the summers off.

My little baby is no more! And at this point right now I feel like I could cry! She will be 3 in less the 3 weeks and all the little baby stuff is far gone! This spring and summer alone she gave up her last too baby things Diapers and her Patty!(Pacifier) She's been a toddler bed since October and has now can ever reach to turn lights on and off and open the fridge. She's always been smart but these little things that enter her more into the big kid zone is more upsetting!

Guess I will just have to start getting use to it. On another note my friend told me about a huge sale Office Max is having on back to school supplies. 5 cent crayons 1 cent folders things like that so I might have to check it out and start a back to school bin too save for when Riley doest start need school supplies. Plus I really just love office supplies!

Our Beautiful Yard!

(Before we moved in)



(August 2009)

I have never been much of a gardener. Usually I can kill any plant just by looking at it. I didn't plant anything in the front last year we didn't have the time. My Mom did put some Snapdragons and Allisum on the side of the house last year and I'm pleased to say they came back this year very nicely. I can't wait to see if the Mum blooms or not it has gotten really big! See it all the way down on the end.



Earlier in the spring Zach and I layed mulch down and put in Malibu lights (Solar). My Mom gave me some Wheat Grass and a small Burning Bush I put those in early spring. My Mom also brought me some Cone Flowers from her yard and we out those in. Then I got some flowers not many just a few. I believe thay are Pansy's. And put them in at 10:30pm a Saturday night in June while my Mom sat on the steps and watched me. I am pleased to say that they front looks wonderful! I didn't know the Pansy's would multiply! They got huge these were just 2 or 3 little flowers when I put them in!

The Wagon on the one side was my sister Jennifer's she had gotten one Christmas when she was little and all three of us played with it. I sprayed it red again and put the potted flowers my Mom and Zach's Mom gave me in it.








In the backyard there isn't much but my Mom gave me some Day Lily's they did bloom earlier in the summer very nicely! Just a few weeks ago I dug that area out and put a boarder around it and put in some bagoins. They were on clearance and it made the are look less bare. We moved Riley's swing set to the bottom of the yard.

We also planted a Weeping Willow tree sometime after Father's Day. We also have a very tiny little maple tree growing! In 50 years it will be wonderful!



(The camera was in the basement and when I took it out side the lens fogged up!)




The lawn was just over run with weeds but Zach has done a wonderful job and getting it too look nice! It was doing wonderful before we hit that very hot and dry spell but he is getting it back! Trees like to grown in places they shouldn't in our yard like the side of garage and the side of the house were the draining pipe is! Zach poured gasoline on the one by the garage and weedkiller on the side of the house. I believe the on on the side of the house is holding strong! We cannot dig them out because the are pressed right next to the house and garage and they have big pretty big trunks. The house set empty for a while and the yard was not cared for at all except for cutting the grass.

But we took HUGE strides this year in getting it too look nice and I Am Very Proud!!

Dinosaur Pinata

Every time Riley and I went to a party store to look at things she saw a Pinata and loved them! She told me she really really really wanted a dinosaur one! She talk about how she's going to get her bat and hit it and all this cool stuff will come out.

Well you know those things that you beat with a stick and bust open are anywhere from 20 to 40 bucks! I think not! So I searched google and the only thing I could find was either a dinosaur egg or one were you use a stuffed dinosaur as the mold. So I'm resting the other day laying in my bed listening to Riley screech and romping around doing anything but napping and it hit me. Why can't I make the body out of a balloon that's the only part that needs to be stuffed.

Yes...thinking.... YES!!! I can use a balloon and make the legs out of toilet paper holders and the neck out of a paper towel. So I got up and searched again on google this time the ehow site finally loaded and it had that way to make one!

So I blew up a balloon taped 4 toilet paper rolls to the balloon. Then I taped a paper towel roll bent the top a bit and took some brown packing paper and taped in all around to make the head. Took some more brown packing paper shaped it into a cone bent it a bit too make it look more "tail like" and taped it to the Balloon. And Walla! Dinosaur!



Next I paper mached the dinosaur. I got out the newspaper cut it into about 2 inch strips mixed up some "paste"
2 cups Water
1 cup Flour
4 TBPS Salt (to keep mold away)
a few TSP of Cinnamon (to make it smell nice!)

I tried to let Riley help but she couldn't get the extra paste off the paper so she went and played. I didn't about 4 layers and then let it dry over night. I was upset the next morning that it was still wet so I put a fan on it and it dried really fast. Cut a hole in the bottom popped the Balloon and took it out.


I told Zach sticking my hand in the Dinosaur was much nicer then sticking in a Turkey! I stuffed it full on little dinosaurs, mini candy bars and mini Cheez It packes with toy story on them. (Gotta have toy story!)

Taped it back up and did another 4 layers of paper mache. I had some trouble after this and thought I was going to have to start over. I either didn't put enough layers on the first time or I should have just done more layers the first time and then been done. The head, and tail started to come off the body and one side was dented in.



I was so upset! I mean really this had taken me DAYS to do and I didn't want to start over! I tried tape it didn't work then I stepped it up and got the Duct Tape. Let me say I LOVE Duct Tape. It fixed the problem and it was good to paint!

Per Riley's request I painted it green with pink spots. Just used some of my craft paint I had at home. I think it looks awesome and all it cost me was time and $8 bucks for the stuff inside!!

The basement is clean!!

I did start on it last week I got the table cleaned off in the utility room and cleaned cat poo off the carpet. I when down today cleaned more cat poo off the carpet and clean the whole thing!

Everything has a place and it all clean and organized. I painted the wall in the corner by the cats box with water sealer because when it rains really hard it was getting damp over there. It looks wonderful down there!

Riley has been a mood today! Of course no nap so after a while of her in her room I let her out. She wanted to come down stairs with me and since the cat poo was cleaned up in the morning she was able too. She played for a while and then feel asleep on the couch watching TV. I was nice she was asleep so I was able to get all the trash up stairs then took a quick shower and then started dinner. When Zach came home he went downt here to do eBay stuff and she woke up.

How I had the energy to clean the entire basement and make a new dish for dinner I will never know! Now I need to decided what to put in Riley Pinata and get that stuff so I can finish it up!

Zach: I will try really hard to keep the basement looking like that.
Me: You better!
Zach: But it might not stay THAT perfect.
Me: It better at least till Riley's party!!

He did the smart thing and walked a way! LOL