The 4th

We had a sweet and simple 4th of July.

A little bit of sparklers...

A little bit of swimming (and Aubrey's patriotic "gun" salute")...

And a Daddy/Daughter date to watch the fireworks down by the river...

Thankful for so much...our country, our family, and new beginnings.

Coming Up for Air

This poor old blog.
So neglected.
I had to look back to see what the last post was about -- how sad is that?

So.
Time for an update!

We left Oklahoma the first week in June and went to Kentucky to visit family.

Wait, let me back up a second...

I had one last Mom's Night Out with my best friends in Oklahoma.
They gave me a scrapbook that they had all filled with pictures and favorite memories of us together.
I cried (hard) right there at the table at Othello's.
These ladies were sent straight from Heaven.
I miss them so much my heart hurts...

The day before we bid adieu to Oklahoma, Aubrey was going to see her best friend (Lauren) one last time. That morning her mom let me know that Lauren woke up with the stomach bug. When I broke the news to Aubrey she was beyond heartbroken. She had been working on a special photo album to give Lauren filled with pictures of the two of them since they were 1-year-old. We decided to go to her house and let them say their goodbyes through the window. It was the most heart-wrenching goodbye I've ever witnessed. Aubrey (and I) cried the entire way back home, poor Mina even started crying because of us! Best friends are so special -- it's devastating when you have to say good-bye.

Here was the front/back cover of the album (notice the broken hearts), and a snippet of what Aubrey told me to write on the inside. My favorite line: And I hope that you know I love you more than rainbows.

Goodness...it was such an emotional time!
That afternoon we packed up a trailer to take to Kentucky and unload long-term storage items (we really didn't want to bring EVERYTHING to Cleveland for one measly year!).

The LONG drive from OKC to KY has never been easy.
This was our first time to travel a long distance with BOTH girls and a 12 foot U-haul.
It was...an adventure.

And in case you're wondering what was going on in the photo above...

After over 13 hours of (delirious) driving, we rolled into Kentucky just in time for a gender reveal party!

My sister is going to have a baby boy! I'm going to be an aunt!
We don't have many boys around our family, so this will certainly be a fun change!

The rest of our time in Kentucky was crammed packed with visits and trying to find some time to just relax!

 

Before Daniel drove back to Oklahoma to finish up the rest of the packing, I wanted to have a celebratory dinner in honor of his completion of residency. To say we are proud of him would be a massive understatement. 

Because of timing and logistics, the girls and I stayed in Kentucky while Daniel officially graduated from residency. A fellow resident wife sent me this pic of the graduation. Daniel also won the RSNA Research Award. Seriously...the man is a stud!

There were five graduates in Daniel's class, and they each had a slideshow to chronicle their life up to this point. Here was the slideshow for Daniel...he's come a long way! :)

Dan Riherd from Ashley Riherd on Vimeo.

We kept ourselves busy while he was gone by going to Holiday World, for starters...

Aubrey and Mina had a BLAST. They each rode every ride that was available for their age/size.
I didn't take any pictures during the waterpark, but they both cried when it was time to leave. The true sign of kids having fun! :)

We also made our way to a nearby zoo...

(Aubrey's perfecting her "wink")

We even squeezed in some fun time with friends!

This is Miss Aubrey and Miss Vivian sharing a sweet hug while they played on the most incredible playground I've ever seen! Miss V's mama and I are childhood friends -- I'm sad we didn't get a picture together! Then again, it was blazing hot that day and we were both puddles of sweat after chasing our littlest ones around all morning!

Then we had a fun visit with my bestest friend since preschool Sunday School! Aunt Lay Lay!!

And last but most certainly not least...(before Daniel left for Oklahoma) our dear friend Ann Wade drove ALL the way to Owensboro to see us! Daniel actually planned it (Husband of the Year Award) and had her bring her camera. Check out her blog to see some of the photos she took! I am absolutely obsessed with them -- she captured our crazy little family perfectly!

And lastly, both my sister and I were together to celebrate our Dad on Father's Day!
I can't remember the last time this happened!

In fact, we were able to spend so much time together, we all started dressing alike... :)

It was the perfect couple of weeks to get ourselves geared up for the big move to Cleveland!

Sink or Swim.

With Aubrey being the ripe old age of 3, I thought this Summer would be a great time to start swim lessons. A friend referred me to a lady (Ms. Robin) who gives semi-private lessons from her home.

The way it worked was I took Aubrey Monday thru Friday for an hour to Ms. Robin's house. I was able to sit and watch along with the other moms. The one difference between Aubrey and the other 3-4 little fishies, except a few months in age, was that Aubrey was the only one who had never had swim lessons. These were seasoned Ms. Robin-trained fish.


The first day went swimmingly (no pun intended.). No tears or anything. One day down, four to go.

I could tell the week was going to get intense. I had a sneaking suspicion this was the "grace" day. Sure enough, come Tuesday, it was jump-off-the-side-of-the-pool and put-your-face-in-the-water time. Basically Aubrey's worst nightmare.

Needless to say, Aubrey and I were both exhausted by the time Friday rolled around. Each day she would be excited about swimming -- What kid doesn't like getting in a pool? -- but then as we pulled up to Ms. Robin's house I'd inevitably hear from the backseat, "Mom, my belly hurts..." The girl went "twosies" every day at Ms. Robin's from Tuesday thru Friday. (If Aubrey ever gets constipated again, I think all I'll have to do is drive up to Ms. Robin's house. That should do the trick. ;))

So, back to the last day of swim hell lessons. On this momentous day, the kids were to jump off the side of the pool (going under) and then again submerge their head on the pool steps to retrieve a special gold coin. After completing those tasks, they would finish the last lesson with a popsicle and certificate.

Here is a quick interview with Miss Aubrey before going to her last day of swim lessons:


(I had promised we'd go get frozen yogurt afterwards, that's why she said "yodurt!" in the video.)

After getting there, she went to the potty (of course), and seemed in good spirits.

She walked right into the water. All smiles and giggles.



Blowing bubbles...



Being a good little listener and following directions...


Now, it's time to take the plunge. Literally. (my apologies for the annoying mom voice.)

And time to take a leap (or toss) of faith...

After that she would then go under to retrieve her gold coin and swim lessons would officially be over.
She did it, but I wouldn't exactly say this was the face of beaming self-confidence I had hoped for by the end of the week...

Aubrey, you did it! Can you muster up a smile?
This was her attempt -- a hand-forced, pitiful lip curl.

I started wondering if these swimming lessons would be the foundation for years of future therapy.
Luckily, after wrapping her up in a soft towel and talking it over, she seemed to cheer up.
Once it was all said and done, Aubrey kicked back her popsicle and drowned her sorrows in icy cold, sugary goodness.

I decided to end things with a follow-up interview before driving home...

I may have to play this video for her next year.
Oh, and I'll need to make a mental note to bring an extra roll of toilet paper for Ms. Robin's bathroom.
;)

My Aubrey Girl...

It's been awhile since I've written about my little munchkin.

Where do I even begin when trying to find the words to describe Miss Aubrey?

She is just...AUBREY.

Now, hold the phone...since when did she start posing for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition?

Okay, that's better...much, much, muuuuch better...

But honestly, our girl is growing up SO fast.



She is still in a constant state of discovery and questioning. She loves to conduct her own experiments and quizzes ME on things. She's definitely the Type A, I'm the Leader, here's-how-we're-going-to-do-it kind of girl.

While she does like a good, routine schedule -- she definitely knows how let loose.

She adores going to "school" -- and it's a good thing because she's starting preschool this Fall.
{How can that be?!}

 

She has some serious moves and loves to dance. She's teaching herself ballet in the evenings. It's the cutest thing ever. She loves music and is always making up songs -- I tried to get her into a toddler Hip Hop dance class (dancing + rhythm) this Summer, but it didn't work out with our schedule. I'm hoping to get her in during the Fall session. Get down girl, go 'head get down...

She is a good eater -- when it comes to things she likes. She's not too hip on trying new foods, and it's a struggle most days to break the PB sandwiches and chicken nuggets habit. We've been doing smoothies in the mornings where we slip in lots of good green veggies. It helps me sleep at night.
Naps are kinda hit or miss. She stays in her room for 45 minutes of "rest" time each day.

Aubrey asks me all the time when she can get a pet. When I asked her what kind of pet she wanted, she answered, "A dog, a cat, or a little dragon." I think we'll stay pet-free for awhile.

She would live outside if we let her. She's been begging Daniel to let her camp out. We may try this in our backyard at some point this Summer.

Speaking of Daniel...these two are quite the adventure duo. She relishes explorations with Daddy. I'm often left in the dust. Or soggy ditch...

Aubrey doesn't like to pray, despite this picture. She likes to sing to God. We have some deep theological conversations, especially in the car. Her questions are so interesting and such a window into her mind and heart.

Aubrey is my little BIG girl. She is 43" tall and weighs about 43 lbs. She wears size 5 clothing, and I just her bought her size 12 sandals.

There are so many moments during the day when I feel completely overwhelmed with the love I have for my sweetie girl. Aubrey, I'm SO thankful God picked me to be your mom!

Sunday Snapshot

Yep, it's hot.