:: Always Side-by-Side ~ Buds for Life ::

:: Redneck ::

There is no denyin' it...

Even living in South Asia can't take the redneck out of this boy-

He was BEGGING for his white tank and loves his camo shorts...

And a slice of pizza to go with it :)

 Then he decided this look was even better...

That MIGHT have been when we lost it!

BIG OL' BELLY

REWIND: *Welcome Lucia Rose*

One great bonus about being in D-city to have Riley, was we were able to have our friends stay with us on their way home from adopting their little girl, Lucia Rose, from China.

Which means.... we were some of the very first folks to meet this precious girl!!!
Welcome to the family, Luci :)

Cutest little cheeks EVER!

...:::* Riley Joanna ~ TWO MONTHS OLD*:::...

 On April 27th, 2013

Our baby girl, Riley Joanna, was officially 2 months old!

Memories & Milestones

• A precious smile has already begun to form on your face, and we LOVE seeing it (4/11)
• You have started coo-ing (4/20) and love some face to face interaction, and looking into our eyes you little social bug!
• 4/2 met Nana & Pappy for the FIRST time when they came to spend a couple weeks in South Asia with us!
• Went to the theater to watch "The Croodes", you AND your big brother's first movie on the big screen. (It was supposed to be in 3-D but the glasses didn't work. Lol.   What can ya do?)
• We both learned that you are not a happy girl when Mama drinks caffeine or eats red beans :(
• Still an ALL-Star sleeper... Fall asleep at 10 or 11 and sleep until 3 or 4am.  Go girl!
• Still SO happy on that belly of yours
• Getting lots of love and attention from our American and Indian friends
• 4/25 Met Grandpa Dale for the first time on his trip to South Asia
• starting to outgrow your newborn clothes

Dear Riley Jo, 

our precious little girl~

Your smile melts our hearts these days.  

Every time we lay eyes on you we are reminded of what a BEAUTIFUL gift from the Lord you are to our lives. We delight in how incredibly perfect He knit you together in my womb, and we're incredibly grateful for how He continues to grow and sustain your life.

Our prayer is that he will not only grow & sustain your physical ADORABLE little body, but that His spirit would cause a desire for Him to well up within your soul.  

One day, we are praying that you would KNOW Him and His tender love & mercy.

Looking forward to each coming day with you!

~All Our Love~

Mama & Papa

And an extra special squeeze from your Big Brother:

 

I think it's clear to see that you adore him as much as he does you!!!

. Nana & Pappy- Part 3 .

 My love and I were able to get back on the bike together thanks to Nana & Pappy!

(1st time in a while)

Love riding around with this guy :)

Yet again- Levi retaliating against the "getting ready" concept.

He thought it was play time all day- every day when Nana & Pappy were here :)

It was worth giving in to those requests when these hugs were what you got in return.

Love his sweet spirit!

In the meantime, Riley turned into Super-girl :)

We also took a trip to the ZOO, and saw Lions, and Tigers, and Bears....

OH MY!

We hadn't gone to the zoo yet (and we've lived here a YEAR now!).  

It was more like an animal reserve you could drive through.

It was a BLAST!

Black bear:

 A cute little boy taking it all in:

 Checking out the Tiger with Nana & Pappy:

Turtle pond:

 I love capturing these moments:

Nana was Riley's right hand gal all week!

The weather had continued to heat up the entire time they were here, but that evening the weather was PERFECT and the sky was BEAUTIFUL!

Almost felt like we were at the beach ;)

And how long did the animals peek Levi's interest? 

I'll let you decide:

 Can't keep this BOY away from his cars and dirt too long :)

Then Bruce & Craig struck gold...

we found DEER!

Do you think he was excited? ;)

They spotted antlers- can't take that excitement out of him...

 even when he hasn't been hunting in almost 2 years!

We tried to look for the crocodiles, but they didn't make their appearance.

 The scenery was still quite beautiful to look at:

"Pappy & Mama"

(as Levi is saying over and over while I write this post)

Love this guy :)

I think Levi enjoyed it

(whether he was focused on the animals or his cars... well that's beside the point)

Some sort of birds had filled these trees:

 Wait just a minute... we spotted the antlered deer once more on the way out.

You BET we stopped!

hehe

 Then the LION made his grand appearance:

 He was HUGE, but you would never be able to tell by his roar... 

We were pretty sure he was suffering from asthma.

(Just use your imagination, I'm sure you can enjoy the humor)

hahaha.

Had so much fun taking this little guy through the zoo with Nana & Pappy!

 One afternoon, my sweet Momma sat at my feet while I fed Riley and painted my toe nails. 

It was such a thoughtful treat!

Well... then Levi was jealous and thought the polish was so FUN to touch once it dried.

SOOOOO we went ahead and put some clear polish on his big toe

(Shhhhh- don't tell)

Looks like I caught two people admiring little Riley Jo:

 

 

 We had a little photo shoot for Riley :

(Notice any similarities????- 

My mom brought my baby picture and it was CRAZY how much Riley looks just like me at her age!)

The cute dress my Aunt Cheryl made for her

along with the blanket she crocheted and the monkey she sewed:

Thanks Aunt Cheryl!!!

 

Someone felt left out, so he had to squeeze in a shot or two of himself:

 Riley was blessed with so many AWESOME gifts and adorable outfits from family-

So here was our little THANK YOU photo:

 Yep- she's my girl!

After Pappy put in all his "work" hours, he realized that our house was lacking one thing that he considered "essential"....

A LADDER!

So guess what? 

He and Mom got us one- YAY` Thanks so much.

I've already cleaned my fans (they were nasty), put things in storage in a MUCH safer manner than before, and I know there is still endless fun in store now that we have this ladder.

Levi thinks it is just great to CLIMB!!!

Thank you- Thank you- Thank you

 3 Generations:

Irreplaceable moments with Pappy:

 My least favorite part... Saying "See ya Later" at the airport.

I could do without this part :)

As difficult as "good-byes" are, I will forever treasure the memories we made and time we spent together during the two weeks they were here.

"COME BACK REAL SOON Nana & Pappy!"

Love- Levi & Riley