The Riley Family

Kate, Jack and Anjie are all getting over colds and have some annoying allergies right now. The weather is crazy for this time of year - 91 yesterday! Today is back down in the 80s, then 70s for awhile. It has been nice, a long summer, but we are ready for some frost to get rid of all the mosquitoes and the allergens!!

Jack's vocabulary continues to increase nearly daily. Some new words include balloon, baby (and he will point to my belly), and Jake.

We went to the city to Cory's yesterday, and Kate had a wonderful time playing with her friends. Ben, Elena and Kate played tons of games, and could often be found chasing eachother around the house. Both Kate and Jack fell asleep on the drive home. A few pics at Picasa , but it was hard to get them together!

Here are some pictures from last week, actually on Jack's 17-month birthday! Can you believe he is almost 1 1/2?? Pics at Picasa. Jack's understanding and following directions improves all the time. He now sits down when he comes inside from playing so we can take off his shoes. He also loves to get clothes out of his dresser, but always comes back with a couple of shirts! If he wakes up in the middle of the night and comes into our bedroom, he almost always has a book with him. This just cracks me up... he is half asleep, but takes the time to stop by his bookshelf and pick something up for the 15 foot walk to our bedroom :). Kate loves preschool. It is so fun to hear her describe her day. Yesterday she got to use markers to make a picture, and they brought apples to school and did a few activities decribing, making pictures of, and then eating the apples! It seems like snack time is usually the highlight, or maybe music or movement. They have music on Tuesdays and Mo...

We went to the wedding of our friends Jeff and Ling this weekend. It was a beautiful outside wedding, followed by a lunch reception. We had a really good time. NEW! Pictures at Picasa.

Ah, sorry for the delay in posting. We are still getting used to our new schedule with Kate being in preschool now. She likes it a lot, and doesn't have a problem saying goodbye, but she is so much more tired and needy the rest of the time when she is home! Hopefully that will ease as we get further into the school year. Jack is learning more and more each day too. He has started letting the dogs in, which is a nightmare as Amy's dog Gritzy runs all around the house and is so hard to get back out. Jack will now come over and sit down when I need to change his diaper so I don't have to chase him!

Kate really seems to enjoy going to school. She has not had any problems saying goodbye before class, and just walks in and does her first tasks (hanging up backpack & washing hands). It is a little hard to get details about what they do, but we do find out bits and pieces of her 2 1/2 hours away from home. Although she always seems to remember snack time! At night she has been much more tired and a little grumpy, but that should lessen as she gets more comfortable with her new schedule.

Kate and Jack both really enjoy painting. Ok, so sometimes Jack still tries to eat the paint, but he does use his brush to paint too. Some pics at Picasa .

Kate went to preschool for the first time on Thursday! Her teacher's name is Mrs. Engle. There are 10 kids in her class. Anjie went with her this first time, but starting on Tuesday Kate gets to go all by herself. There is a hug and kiss station right inside her classroom door where Jack and I can say goodbye. Kate picked out a new backpack, and has been telling all of her friends about preschool. Hopefully Tuesday will go smoothly! Pictures at Picasa .

We went to the Naperville fair, the Last Fling this past weekend and had a really good time on all the rides. Pictures at Picasa .

Kate and Jack are both going to go as chickens for Halloween this year. We have the costumes, and they have been busy chasing each other around and clucking like chickens :). Pictures at Picasa .

Jack has really started talking a ton in the past week. He can say Jack, Kate, ice cream, water, and lots of other things too. He will point to people and say 'there' if you ask where someone is. He also knows where Jack is :). He will also point to his mouth, nose, head, belly if you ask where those are!

Last Thursday Jack decided that he was a big boy and didn't need milkies anymore! The day before he had been nursing literally all day, but starting on Thursday, he called it quits. We are struggling with nap and bed time now, but will get a routine down sooner or later.

Kate's first day of preschool is tomorrow, 9/6. We will go for a 1 1/2 hour structured program (Anjie too, but Jack will stay home with a sitter). Her first real day without mom is next Tuesday. Stay tuned for pictures!