Riley - 5 months old, Kayla - 4 years old

Well, Riley has reached 5 months tomorrow and is chugging along. He is starting to eat rice cereal and chewing like crazy on anything he can get his hands on. He's sleeping 10 hours every night. He loves to sit in his activity chair and bumbo. I wonder where this bumbo was when Kayla was little. He loves to sit in the bumbo and play with any toy he can grab and keep in his hands. He doesn't enjoy tummy time, but when he is on his tummy he can lift up his head and smile. He can roll from his stomach to his back. He grabs his bottle and pushes it away when he's done. (So, unlike Kayla who would eat until she puked. Can babies be bulimic?) He loves to smile and giggle especially at his big sister. She can always make him laugh in the back seat of the Lexus.

I'm working really hard to make my own baby food. I am really enjoying it. We've started Riley on brown rice cereal. Brown rice is really tricky to get to the right consistency. I've been working hard to nail down a good recipe. He loves it though. I can't wait to start introducing other veggies and fruits soon. I'm definitely taking it slow this time with Riley. I want to be sure his stomach can handle the food. I'm also looking for a good recipe book so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Kayla on the other hand is a sponge. She is learning things left and right. She can write her name, and it actually looks like her name. She can spell the word of the month, TWO. She is loving her dance class, but nothing beats spending time at Grandma's house. She loves to play outside with the basketball hoop Uncle E gave her for her birthday. She still loves to play baseball with daddy. She's definitely a girl through and through, not sure where she gets that. Must be from Mike. She loves to play with the many dolls she got for her birthday. But, she's also got a little of her mom in her, her teachers tell me she's a tomboy and loves to run around with the boys. She's a little athlete. She can hit a moving ball with a bat, and can even shoot one handed on a 5 foot tall basket. Mike and I are starting to teach her responsibility and the value of a dollar. She is given "chores" to do around the house and earns a little money every week. She got used to "buying something" every time we went to the store that we knew we had to teach her about money. She is smart that one. She remembers everything and she will even reason with you. I guess its payback for how I was with my mom.

All in all, life is really good right now. Work is stressful, but everyday I can't wait to pick up the two kids and head home to play, cuddle, and give them tons of kisses.