Happy Birthday, Riley: Part One

It was Riley’s birthday on February 22—I can’t believe I have a 4 year old! We had a party for her little friends on Saturday the 21st, in the morning (princess themed, of course) and a party for the family on Sunday evening. We had a few cancellations/ no shows for the friend party, which I was a little disappointed about, but it all went well. We had crowns for them to decorate with stick-on gems and other bling, and we played “Pin the Tiara on the Princess”, using a 4 foot tall poster of Sleeping Beauty, the current favorite.

Since the party was just an hour long, we only had time for cake and ice cream and presents after that. I had made up little gift bags with all sorts of princess trinkets, and didn’t make any changes for the two boys who came. So they left with Ariel bubbles, Cinderella stickers, Snow White and Jasmine balloons, etc. They didn’t seem to mind. I got the cake from Harmon’s, mainly because I couldn’t resist. I took a picture which doesn’t do it justice. It had little plastic figurines on it: Belle, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. It was covered with that horrible processed frosting (that, unfortunately, I actually like) in the shapes of flowers, and I had them write, “Happy Birthday, Princess Riley”. It was beautiful.







Riley is such a fun little kid. She’s got tons of energy and enthusiasm and is so curious! Although she sometimes wears me out, I wouldn’t tone her down if I could. She’s in Sunbeams this year, and loves learning so much about Jesus and Heavenly Father. She says her prayers by herself each night, and actually pitches a fit if anyone else prays at mealtime. Her prayers are so sincere and heartfelt (albeit a bit long winded), and I’m so proud to hear them. If you are reading this, then she’s probably prayed for you! I’m so grateful to have her in our family; it really wouldn’t be complete without her.

She’s still a bean pole—tall and skinny, although she hasn’t gotten much taller lately. I think she’s not too much taller than other kids her age anymore. I think the doc said she in the 63 percentile or something like that. She’s only 32 pounds, which is only double Iris’ weight. Her doctor isn’t concerned about it, so neither am I. She doesn’t react well so change unless thoroughly briefed beforehand, so we get used to going over things in advance. She keeps us on our toes. But I’m really not complaining—like I said, I wouldn’t trade her passion even if I could.

Happy Birthday, Riley! We love you!