The Haircut

Each year Dave has the boys grow out their hair during the winter months to help keep their heads warm while skiing. Torin's hair was getting longer than it had ever been. When I picked him up from school last week I looked at him and said man your hair is getting long. While we were walking home he told me that his hair was getting in his eyes at school so he had cut it. I took another look at him and realized the reason his hair had looked so long was because his bangs were shorter. He did a pretty good job considering he didn't have a mirror and he was using kid scissors. Needless to say his dad was not happy. Torin begged for mercy and in the end his punishment seemed fair. He had to pay for a professional haircut the next day and he is no longer allowed to have scissors in his desk. Here is a look at Torin's handy work.

Anyone who knows Brianne has most likely seen her with her fingers in her mouth. She is four now and has no desire to give them up. When Riley was born I was determined that he not suck on his fingers so I stuck a pacifier in his mouth. I figure it is easier to take a pacifier away than fingers. Riley has loved it. The only draw back is he needs assistance getting it into his mouth. He decided to take matters into his own hands.

This week he has started doing this.

Same fingers different hand. What's a mom to do?

Riley had his 2 month check up yesterday. He weighed in at 10 lbs. 8 1/2 oz. and 22 3/4 inches long. The doctor said he is looking good. Here are some pictures of him with his loving siblings.

Riley and Collin

Torin, Riley and Brianne

Torin and Riley

Riley and Brianne

Riley at 2 months

Christmas in California

We spent another Christmas in California. It seems to be a new family tradition. Fortunately my family celebrates earlier in the month so we got to enjoy the fun with cousins before heading to warmer weather.

Of course we spent time at the beach. The kids enjoyed digging in the sand and chasing the water.

Our Karate Kid. Torin will not stop talking about taking karate lessons. He wants karate lessons and a guitar for his birthday.

The boys exploring at a science museum.

This year we went further south to San Diego. We were all thrilled to go to the zoo. Torin and Brianne were worn out at the end of the day. Torin declared that the zoo was "too big".

Fun at the Aquarium.

Our hotel in Irvine was situated between several strawberry fields. The kids thought they were cool. My cousin Amy who lives in Orange County says they have a Strawberry Festival later in the year. Strawberry Shortcake makes an appearance at the festival. I am extremely tempted to take Brianne down for the celebration.

Missing from all of the photos is my extremely patient baby. Riley was such a trooper. He went 7 hours without eating on our drive to Cali. I carried him in his wrap during all of our outings. He spent most of the trip asleep. He enjoyed our trips to the pool and tub time the best. He is going to be another water baby.

Free Throw Competition

Collin was selected to represent his school in a district wide free throw competition. He was so excited to compete. He took third place in his age group and has a nice trophy to show for it. I think this competition has sparked his interest in playing basketball. This year he is really looking forward to playing and practicing. I can already see improvements in his ability over last year. Way to go Collin.

Update on Riley

When we came home from the hospital Riley's bilirubin test was looking really good so he came home without lights. I had to take him in for another test the next day. Unfortunately they jumped extremely high so he has to be under the lights now. Thank goodness for the invention of in-home bili lights. He actually sleeps better in this suitcase than he did in his crib the first night home. When he is awake we can take off the mask as long as we watch him to make sure the blue shield stays in place. That is our fun "play time" with Riley. It is great to watch him as he looks around at his surroundings. We took him to the doctors this morning. He is looking great other than the jaundice (bilirubin). We found out that the jaundice is related to the E antigen in his blood. I still can't believe we made in through nearly the whole pregnancy without any complications. I am very grateful for the modern technology that gave us the information we needed to know there was a problem and then verify that his lungs were developed so it was ok to induce labor. It is much easier to monitor now that he is born. We have been very blessed. He is such a good, patient little boy. It is amazing how quickly you can't imagine life without your new little one.