Welcome Ellie Dawn Jones

Our little Ellie joined the Jones family on Friday May 28th at 1:18pm. She weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces at birth and has a head full of dark hair. She probably has more hair right now than Riley has. So far she is eating great and sleeping really well. We arrived home from the hospital Sunday afternoon and have since begun the process of incorporating Ellie into our life. Riley still doesn't know what to think of this little person that squeaks and cries but he is interested in her and even wanted to give her her bottle this morning. I think he will be a wonderful big brother.

This is one of the first pictures in the hospital with our wonderful midwife Cheri. Ellie decided to come really quick after Cheri broke my water at 12:15. She went to lunch with her daughter and we had to call and interrupt that lunch because Ellie was ready to come by 12:45. Cheri made it through traffic and back to the hospital just in time to deliver Ellie.

A few hours after Ellie was born we caught her sucking her middle finger. This is something Griff did as a baby too we are told. Since then she just likes to suck any finger or fist she can get in her mouth. :-)

All dolled up and ready to go home. It is hard to believe Riley was even smaller in this carseat.

Ellie, waving everyone a friendly hello after her first night at home.

And here is a cute picture of Riley this morning while he was brushing his teeth with Daddy. We are really enjoying being a family of four.

Building Blocks

Recently while I was getting ready in the bathroom Riley opened the linen closet and got out all the tissue boxes. At first the were just all over the floor but eventually he started stacking them. So, I moved the boxes from the bathroom into the living room and he has been building towers and knocking them down all day long. This is such a fun age and I am enjoying every last day get with just Riley at home.

Shake Your Booty

A while back Riley's friend Levi was over and the both were in quite a funny mood. They love this little farm on the frig. Riley loves loves loves dancing and this video is great proof.

He Got It!

Let me first preface this post with - I am NOT a professional videographer. I am a Mom who loves to brag on her son and share his life with family and friends.

Riley has this giraffe toy that makes a whistling sound. The only thing is he has never been able to make it work...until today. Griff and I were working in the kitchen and all of the sudden we hear a sweet little whistle sound come from the living room. He had done it! This is just a brief snippet of Riley's new accomplishment.

Pennsylvania Grand Canyon Trip

Last weekend Griff and Morgan backpacked the West Rim Trail of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. It is up by Wellsboro, PA, an absolutely beautiful area. It just so happened that they chose a weekend which included rain, high winds and snow, but they had a wonderful time. Betsy and I survived at home with our kids with the help of friends and family while the men were away. I am glad they got the chance to go, but I was really glad to have Griff walk through the door Sunday evening.

The hikers after their first night in the wilderness. They think a bear went through their camp early in the morning because there were holes ripped in the garbage bags that were around their backpacks. Thankfully the bear couldn't get what he wanted and left without incident.

The beauty of northern Pennsylvania.

At the end of three days of hiking they were a little sore. But they made it home safe and sound and with some great stories.

Oh the Fun of 17 Months

Riley finally has enough hair Griff could manipulate it into the cutest little mohawk.

Griff is preparing for backpacking trip this weekend so to get "in shape" he put Rile in the Kelty backpack and went for a long walk. They both really enjoyed themselves, though I don't know how much of the walk Riley really saw.

His new favorite video is "Praise Baby". It is a great DVD I would highly recommend full of great worship songs with random graphics and scenes to keep a kids interest. It isn't near as annoying to listen to repeatedly at Barney or some of the other Baby Einstein DVDs. He loves listening to music and dancing. In this particular picture he is taking it easy and watching the girls dance.

Griff is Such a Good Daddy :-)

Riley is now 17 months and weighing in at an impressive 20 pounds 10.5 ounces. These days are filled with lots of fun and new adventures. Yesteday we checked out this great playgound near us called Daniel's Den. It is designed so kids with disabilities can do everthing the other kids are doing. It was great but I took him in the heat of the day and all he kept saying was, "hot". So, we will have to go back in the morning instead. We also got a library card and put it to use by checking out our first Thomas the Train DVD. Riley is just starting to get into these. I think he enjoys the music more than the actual show but it keeps him entertained for a little bit. He occasionally will say, Mommy, baby, no, and hi. He loves the slide at the park but hates the swing. He loves strawberries and blueberries but won't eat meat if his life depended on it. And he loves playing with Daddy outside as these pictures show. He is a great little boy and we are completely enjoying each day we have together. Soon his little sister will be here and will forever change life but for right now we are enjoying lots of one on one time with our little Riley-bear.