Finally...

Finally...a new blog AND some pictures of the kids. I bet many of you were wondering if the kids had been sold to pay for Mom's expensive jewelry habit... But alas, there was no selling of children, and Mom's expensive jewelry habit is also alive and well so you can rest easy.

Alright, alright...I know it's been a while since we've written a new post, but I thought we were on the bi-annual blog program. Anyway, we'll just chalk the past 6 months up to being buried in our new 2-child life with Lila-Jane, our now 6-month old beauty, and the R-man, who, as you can see from the pics below, finally got his locks chopped off (much to dad's dismay). I'll try to meld the last 6 months into an "uber post".

We successfully survived the new baby sleep deprivation ride from hell (thanks in large part to Mom being a trooper) and are seeing some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. All in all, none the worse for the wear, and Riley now has a baby sister to entertain, which he (and she) thinks is pretty cool. So without further ado, I'll do what you are all really waiting for...no, I'm not referring to THAT, you sick minded fool. I was referring to including some recent pics of the fam.

As you can see from these pictures Riley and Lila-Jane are already best buddies. The really like hanging out with each other and sometimes if LJ can't sleep we put her on the floor with Riley and it calms her down immediately. Dad would like to believe it's because they're both getting ready for many future days spent camping, but Mom says he's dreaming!

Halloween: Riley and Lila-Jane went out trick-or-treating with their friends, Liam and Gwen Tormey, and they were the hit of the party. Everyone loved their matching pumpkin costumes and the kids ate up the attention. They had a great time...right up the point of taking pictures after the fanfare was over.

Christmas: It's very different having 2 kids at Christmas...especially when one of them now actually believes in Santa and expects lots of toys. So, it was a new and exciting experience for all of us. You'll also notice we even got some of the white, fluffy stuff and because it melts quickly when the rain comes back, Riley and I took advantage of the opportunity to go outside and build a fine looking snowman, whom Riley insisted on naming Fred.

Riley turned 3 on January 15th, so we went and got his golden locks cut off. He didn't seem to even notice, but I know Dad was pretty sad over the whole deal. If Dad had his way, the R-man would have grown his hair until he starts driving at 12 (hey, that's when Dad started driving...). I'll show some before, during and after pictures from the momentous occasion.

Riley loves riding his bike (Dad can't wait to be able to ride together) and Lila-Jane is content to sit by and watch...

Welcome to RilaJane's Playhouse blog. As you may have guessed, this blog is named after Riley, and our soon-to-arrive daughter, Lila-Jane. We're glad you stopped by and we hope you enjoy reading about the (many to come, I'm sure) adventures of Katie, Joe, Riley, Lila-Jane, and the farm (Rosco, Sulli, Izzy, Ellie).

It's August 9th 2007 and there's a lot of excitement in the air about the imminent birth of Lila-Jane -- due date August 29th. She's doing a great job these days impersonating Aliens, with her exhuberant stretches inside Mom's packed-too-tight belly. I'm not sure who will be more relieved when she makes her entrance into the world -- Mom or her?!

Katie is ready to pop, both literally and with excitement about finally having a little one in the family who won't complain about wearing pink leopard print hats...not that she hasn't given it a valiant effort with Riley. But alas, it's just not as satisfying to dress a little boy like a little girl...even if his curly, golden locks do hang halfway down his back.

Riley is just starting to understand that he'll be a big brother soon. And we're trying to convince him that secretively feeding Sullivan and Rosco his unwanted green-beans under the kitchen table is not "sharing". Oh well...he'll learn the art of being a big brother soon enough. Some of Riley's precocious feats as of late include a crafty insertion of multiple match-box cars down the muffler of Mom's car -- followed by his repetitive claim that his cars "go down down in tunnel"; and a painful electrocution from "the big owwie" plug outlet in the wall. Needless to say, he's always game for a new adventure...and Mom/Dad are doing our best to keep up!