Spring Break 2011

We went to Walt Disney World for spring break, and I am just now getting around to finishing the album from vacation. Please check it out! 

Walt Disney World Spring Break 2011

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal

We went to visit the Museum Center and Riley really enjoyed the Cincinnati History Museum this time.  Below is a link to the album that I made for him to remember his visit.

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal

Thanksgiving and Christmas

We went to Maine for Thanksgiving. On the Friday after Thanksgiving it was raining, but we attempted to go and see the lobster boats in Portland anyway. We ended up at the Children's Museum, and they had a replica of a lobster boat for the children to play on. Riley loved it and we had to drag him away. It was perfect for him because he loves the show The Deadliest Catch so much!

On Saturday we stopped in Boston to see Riley's godparents and cousins so that we could play LEGO Star Wars on the X-box. Riley was looking forward to this part of the trip for months.

For Christmas we spend the holidays at home. We put up the tree the Sunday before Christmas with all the Star Wars ornaments that I have collected and all of Riley's Jack in the Boxes. The collection that I started for Riley's first Christmas ended this year. So, he will have seven Jack in the Boxes for his own tree someday.

From Santa Riley got a LEGO CITY Set with the helicopter and fire truck and the heavy rifle blaster from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He also received a Wii from his grandparents and his own LEGO Star Wars game from his godparents. Riley also got the Captain Rex helmet and spent many days after Christmas playing Clone Wars with his dad. The theme of this Christmas for Riley was LEGO and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was very happy with his gifts.

The End of the Summer

In July we took a family vacation to Boston and Maine. Riley got to ride the T for the first time, and learned how to play the Wii. It was very fortunate that his cousin is also left-handed and could teach Riley how to hold the control. He became really good at bowling. Riley also enjoyed playing Lego Star Wars on the X-Box. He still talks about going back to Boston to play that game.

We also had good times at the beach in Maine and Massachusetts. The beach trips and playing video games were the highlights of our trip for Riley. We also got to meet Riley's uncle at the airport and seeing his uncle in uniform was very cool to Riley.

At the end of July the Lego store opened in our town. We went on the first day that it opened and stood in line for three and a half hours to get into the store. Having seen the store in Orlando, I thought that it was going to be a big store, but it is not. It is actually a very small space, but exciting for Riley nonetheless. Riley is really into Star Wars The Clone Wars Lego Sets and bought one that had a spider droid and a missile launcher.

In August we participated as a family in a 5K run/walk. It was a pretty tough course that we mostly walked and came in second to last. Riley walked the last half lap and did really well.

Riley also helped Mommy to set up her classroom. He was a great help getting all the milk crates out of my room and stacking them in the hallway. The stack was five crates long and six crates high when we were done. He stacked them all by himself with some help from a chair. Riley did it quietly and without knocking any over and making a big racket or mess. I was really proud of him.

We did end up finishing the Summer Reading Program at the library, and Riley got his backpack. I thought that he was going to use the backpack that we bought from LL Bean on vacation, but he decided that he wanted to use the library one instead.

Right before school started we had family friends come to town and bring their boat. Riley and his dad got to go fishing with the other boys, and Riley really had a good time out on the lake. All the boys and men caught one fish all day!

Riley's Sixth Birthday

This was originally published as Hawaii Day Seven: Riley's Sixth Birthday on Penny's Next Phase.

My son got to celebrate his sixth birthday on Maui. We started out the day with breakfast at Kihei Caffe where Riley got his favorites, French toast, bacon, and sausage. I was also impressed because Reese actually ate the same thing. She has not been eating much since we have been here, and her favorites are usually rice and pasta related.

After breakfast we traveled along the coast to see Kapalua, where the Mercedes Championship is being held the weekend after we leave, Napali, where we saw some whales off the coast, and Ka'anapali, where I believe that one of the Big Breaks was held. We stopped off at Whaler's Village for some shopping, and where Riley got a special birthday gift from his dad, a Hot Wheels Airport. We left Whaler's Village to go to Lahaina to have lunch. Ron and I have fond memories of Lahaina from our honeymoon when we had dinner at the Lahaina Fish Co. right on the ocean. Lahaina was very crowded because there was a cruise ship in port. We ended up eating lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, which says it is the original one. We ate on the second floor where it was open and you could see out into the ocean. (Earlier in the week, we discovered that the hotel that we stayed at for one night on our honeymoon is on the main strip in Kihei directly down the hill from my sister in law's house.

Once lunch was over, the kids had enough car riding and we dropped them off at home. My sister in law ordered a cake for Riley at the Four Seasons Hotel because it was the only bakery she could find that would make a special cake that tasted like mainland cake without having a grocery store cake. She said that most of the bakeries in the area bake a traditional Hawaiian cake that was spongy, and she wanted a homemade cake for her nephew/godson. The cake was absolutely beautiful, tastefully decorated and just right for a six year old at the same time. Riley really enjoyed the cars/trucks that came with the cake and finally being able to open his presents. He now has a complete collection of Thomas the Tank Engine videos as well as a new big wheel and more construction toys. We also had pizza at home for dinner which is what Riley wanted, pepperoni, of course.

The Two Lefties

We went to visit Riley's cousin last weekend. Riley was so excited to go and visit him. His cousin was very nice to him, and Riley even stayed the night with his cousin in his room both nights. I heard his cousin read books to Riley and let Riley play with is Lego game on the X-Box. They had a great time, and Riley is really lucky to have cousins to look after him.

This is Riley and his cousin trying to use their weight against the strength of a shark's jaws. The following is a picture from our lunch at Johnny Rockets, smiley ketchup brings back memories of a ketchup mess on the floor!

Amusement Park

Riley enjoyed the water rides more than the land rides. He liked the water playground and the wave pool the most. He also rode on a raft slide with his aunt.

We went on the Scooby Doo ride and I thought that Riley might be afraid because even though he likes Scooby Doo, he was not sure about the ride. It was a good ride in that he got so involved in shooting at things that he did not think about the ghosts and being scared.

Here are some pictures of Riley driving at the park.

Although he went on most of the land rides, it was so hot the day that we went that Riley was not very interested in the land rides, he just wanted to go back to the water park.

Fishing

We have taken up fishing as a family this summer because Riley really wanted a Rocket Fishing Rod: catch the fishes, not the bushes! His dad did not think that he would catch any fish with the new fishing rod because the bobber was so big, but the first time we really used it, it was the only rod that caught any fish!

Elmo Makes Music

Yesterday we went to see Elmo Makes Music. I believe that Riley really enjoyed the show, but he says that he did not like it. He really paid attention to the things that were going on, but I do not think that he is coordinated enough to sing and dance along with them. At home he likes to sing tv theme songs to his shows, but, like his mom, he is always a little off.

I encouraged Riley to take is binoculars with him to the show so that he would have something to play with and entertain himself with if he really did not like the show. He was looking through them backwards, with the big end up to his eyes instead of the correct way. I believe that looking through them the correct way provided too much sensory input and he was not able to handle it.

I was not sure that Riley would enjoy the show. I thought that it might be too loud and maybe even too bright for him. I remember taking him to the Playhouse Disney show at Disney MGM over spring break. While his sister danced, he laid down with his head in my lap. It was like he did not know how to act like the other kids, and he did not want to make a fool of himself.

Riley enjoyed the show; he is just too cool to admit it since Elmo is his sister's favorite character.