Ode to Jack

Here are some recent pictures of Baby Jack who is 10 months old already! Honestly, this has been the fastest year for a baby that I have ever seen! I am sooo sad that he is growing up so fast, but he is doing so many cute things. He doesn't want to be apart from his mom lately, so when I make dinner, he plays with kitchen utensils on the rug. He is pulling himself up on anything he can and cruising around everywhere. It won't be long before he takes his first steps! He is the sweetest, cuddliest, happiest baby ever! I threw in the sleeping baby picture because I just cannot resist a sleeping baby. Sadly, I have to pull him up out of that happy state every morning to take the other kids to school. I love love love my baby Jack and am really trying to soak up my two last months of having a baby ever again. As soon as they turn 1 it seems that they are suddenly toddlers wreaking havoc around the house. Isn't he just adorable?

My Little Hugh Hefner

Lately, Owen has been so picky about his clothes. For a few weeks he would not take off his shoes for anything and now he will not put them on. If I try to put them on, the second I turn my back they are off again. So needless to say, we make a lot of shoeless trips. He won't wear a jacket no matter how freezing cold it is outside (and even though I spent a lot of $$ on some rad Quicksilver hoodies). And now he throws a major two year old tantrum every morning when it is time to get dressed. He wants to wear his "jammies" all day long. Wouldn't we all? And now to make things worse, he only wants to wear specific types of jammies. Last week he was all about the racecar jammies, but this week all he wants is his bus jammies. This morning he got some pooh from his diaper on his bus jammies and are therefore not wearable. I tried to convince him of some of his other cool jammies in his drawer and he threw them all over the room. Whatever am I going to do? Does anyone have advice for picky dressers?

Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony

So Connor has been really into Shel Silverstein's poetry and when he read me this poem, I couldn't stop laughing. So hopefully I brighten someone's day or can make you laugh too!

Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony

by Shel Silverstein

There was a girl named Abigail

Who was taking a drive

Through the country

With her parents

When she spied a beautiful sad-eyed

Grey and white pony.

And next to it was a sign

That said,

FOR SALE- CHEAP.

"Oh," said Abigail,

"May I have that pony?

May I please?"

And her parents said,

"No you may not."

And Abigail said,

"But I MUST have that pony."

And her parents said,

"Well, you can't have that pony,

But you can have a nice butter pecan

Ice cream cone when we get home."

And Abigail said,

"I don't want a butter pecan

Ice cream cone,

I WANT THAT PONY-

I MUST HAVE THAT PONY."

And her parents said,

"Be quiet and stop nagging-

You're not getting that pony."

And Abigail began to cry and said,

"If I don't get that pony I'll die."

And her parents said, "You won't die.

No child ever died yet from not getting a pony."

And Abigail felt so bad

that when they got home she went to bed,

And she couldn't eat

And she couldn't sleep,

And her heart was broken,

And she DID die-

All because of a pony

That her parents wouldn't buy.

(This is a good story

to read to your folks

When they won't buy

you something you want.)

Hope you enjoyed! There is a picture of the mom saying"Oh if she were only alive I would buy her a hundred ponies!" And the dad is saying, "Oh....what fools we were."

Anyone with kids has to think this is hilarious!

Owen after a hard day's work

Point Loma Lighthouse

In the eight years that we have actually lived in San Diego, we haven't actually seen all the sights or done all the tourist traps yet. So over Christmas we decided to go and see the old Point Loma Lighthouse. The kids really liked it and the views of Coronado Island and the ocean were really beautiful. We could also see the Navy base and boats too. They also have tidepools that did not have much to see while we were there. Anyhow, there was a lot to learn about the lighthouse and its purpose and is a fun little day trip if you haven't been there yet.

Having a Naked Day

This last holiday season was a blast! One of the most memorable parts had to be Owen's Naked Day. We were up at Grandma and Grandpa Siggard's house for the weekend. We were having the family gift exchange and going to go to church with them. Grandma was especially excited to have Owen come with her to Nursery since she is the Nursery Leader. Well Sunday morning came and we all bathed. However, right before leaving all we could find of Owen was a string of tossed aside clothes. When we finally found him and tried to get him dressed he was in a fit. We held him down and dressed him only to have the clothes ripped off again. Every time we tried he was like a Tazmanian Devil throwing limbs in every direction. Finally we gave up and left him home with Dad, thinking he would soon want to be clothed. Owen spent the next 7 hours in the buff. He was sliding down steps, playing catch and even playing the keyboard piano. We kept expecting our little diaper dependent toddler to have an accident on the carpet, but he never did. Right before dinner he brought dad his pants "clothes on". I guess we all just need a naked day now and then, Brittany's next....

Riesenberg Family Christmas

Christmas 2008 was absolutely great! We had Grandpa Tom and Grandma Chali down from Utah to help us celebrate! Unfortunately, they brought the cold weather with them. The week of Christmas was just freezing. Once they left to go back home, it warmed right up:) On Christmas Eve we decorated sugar cookies for Santa followed by our family's tradition of opening up one Christmas gift which is always a new pair of pajamas. That way the kids are sure to look good in pictures the next morning! This was Jack's first Christmas this year and like most babies, Jack was much more interested in playing with the wrapping paper than any toys. Owen is always jumping on the ceiling of the people below us, so we decided to get a personal jumpy house which, I will admit, has not solved that problem. He hasn't even jumped in it since Christmas! Next year we hope to have a white Christmas in Utah!