because you requested....

So, I've heard from a few of you that you want more photos (and that I haven't been very good about updating). Well, ask and you shall receive.

Recent ones of the kiddos. Here is Schuyler. Our new nickname for her is "sunshine".


One of Ms. McKenzie. I think we should nickname her "fire" for obvious reasons.



Mr. Eli. Not sure about his nickname yet? See how blonde his hair is? We are talking white!



Eli's first haircut. "Hey lady, what are you doing with those scissor and my hair?"



"Oh my gosh! Something just fell from my head! I'm not sure I like this anymore!"



How cool is Schuyler in her yellow ball-cap and yellow YMCA t-shirt! Yeah, she was loving it! Here she is at first base.



I think she is thinking, "Me, me, I'm ready to play. Where should I go coach?" Makes me think of that song..."Put me in coach. I'm ready to play, today. Look at me. I can be ceterfield!"



Okay, now that we've got the good stuff done, let's go to updates. Last weekend was our last hurrah before shool started. We went to our fiend's cabin for fun at the lake and boating! The girls went fishing for the first time. Schuyler caught 2 and Mack caught 1 - both little blue gill. They were thrilled. Daddy on the other hand, sat for an hour or so with no luck = (

Monday was "safe walk to shool night" or basically open-house. So, the kids and I walked/strollered up to Sheridan. Mrs. Judd is Schuyler's teacher and she is fantastic. We got to tour the computer room, library, music room and the cafeteria.

Tuesday a.m., Mack came to the realization that it was Schuyler's last day and she was quite sad with big tears in her eyes. Poor girl. I had been so concerned about how Schuyler would do at Sheridan and how Eli would do without his oldest sis that I never considered the effect on Mack. After all, they pretty much do everything together. Schuyler was so sweet to her. She gave her hugs and told her they can spend the whole day at school together and she would make sure Mack could sit next to her at lunch. She even went and got the 2 "prettiest" barbies she could find and gave them to Mack.

Schuyler had an awesome first day of 1st grade. Her favorite part was hot lunch = ) She thought that was pretty cool. She has been very good about telling me about her day... recess, writing a poem, practicing letters, and doing math.

Eli had his first eval on Wed. It didn't go as I hoped but I had high expectations. I was hoping we would go in and they would say all his behavioral issues are b/c he is pre-verbal. We have the speech pathologist and behaviorialist/psychologist coming to our house on Monday.

Schuyler lost yet another tooth Wed night. After being in bed for half hour or so she came and found me with a tooth in her hand. Now, not only is she missing her middle two top ones, she is missing 2 bottom ones. Not the middle ones, but the ones next to them. I believe they might be incissors? Such a cute little toothless grin she has.

times are crazy

Wow, the times are getting crazy with summer wrapping up! The kids finished VBS with a rockin' finale. It was so fun to watch both girls get into it singing the theme song "POWER".

Schuyler has her last t-ball game of the seaons on the 3rd. She went out with a bang, getting 3-4 outs and hitting the ball hard - once to the outfield! She lost another tooth on the 1st. However, she was disappointed the tooth fairy didn't make it that night = ( Tooth fairy came the next night and left a note = ) Grandma took the girls back to Hastings to spend time with their cousins for 4 days. Eli enthusiastically waived them good-bye. We asked him the next day if he missed his sisters' and his response was a very clear head shake no and the words "uh-ugh". He missed them at school but enjoyed the extra attention at home. He also got his first haircut on the 3rd. She took off 1 inch all around but it's not short. We like the longer boy haircuts and who can resist his curls. He is the epitomy of blonde - we're talking white blonde! I think we might be starting to hear a few words? Maybe done and mine!

Schuyler is on the brink of loosing another tooth. It's barely hanging on. Once it's gone, she will be missing both of her top teeth! Today she had Camp Sheridan. I have such mixed emotions. She was beyond excited and then to find out that she actually knows 3 of the children. 2 from her soccer team and 1 from the Montessori.

McKenzie is enjoying the fact that she has a play buddy right next door now. I think they will be two peas in a pod. She has also created a name that I think is hilarious - Princess Loria. It's pronounced liked Gloria but without the G. She is also very proud that she is now in a booster car seat = ) It was funny how empty our bed seemed while she was in Hastings. She is our child that still creeps into our bed around 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.

Just a pic of Schuyler while she still had teeth = )

Poor Neglected Blog

My poor neglected blog! Sheesh. Where do I start? The girls have been attending Vacation Bible School at our church (VBS for short). They are having a BLAST. Tonight is the finale so we'll get to see them sing songs and watch a slide show of all the fun things they have been doing. Schuyler is in the same group as her best friend so it has been an extra special time for her. I was worried b/c they split apart the elementary students and pre-school students, meaning Mack wasn't with her sister. This actually worked well. The smaller worship area works better for the younger kids - they are not so overwhelmed and it's not near as loud. And, Mack has 2 of her friends from the Montessori. They are not in the same group but there groups rotate to the different activities together so she gets to be with them a lot.

Eli had his 18 month appt. As many of you are aware, he is not yet talking and has had some behaviorial issues which have concerned us. The doctor believes the behavior is a result of being "pre verbal" and once he starts talking the behavior will quite or at least decline. But, since he is not where other kids his age are, we are going through some screenings with him to rule things out. Lincoln Public schools will be coming to do an assesment and Mark and I are filling out a questionairre. Mark and I will complete this and our answers will be scored. Based on the score, we may need to have additional consultations or assesments done but will cross that bridge when/if necessary. Other than that, he is healthy, strong, active and tall! 90% for height, 40% for height.

A couple of weeks ago I got together with my good friend and fellow photographer, Holly. We attempted to get family pictures of the Riese's but some of the Riese kids did not feel the need to cooperate = ( We did enjoy the rest of the afternoon as mom's and kids went to the pool and dad's went for a round of golf! Here are a few from our session, all images courtesy of Holly Troxel Photography.

adjusting

Wow. It's been a long while since I posted!

Well, we had a good 4th of July. We went to a friend's cabin on the lake and enjoyed a day of swimming, boating, and tubing. All of the kids experienced their first boat ride and Schuyler even tried tubing! It has been so long since I have been tubing or boating. It brought back memories from when my uncle Ron would take us to the lake skiing. I remember skiing and tubing with my cousin. They would take us around the lake and try to get us to bite the dust - we were a little older at that point.

Eli started the Montessori the following Monday - the 7th. It has been a BIG adjustment for him = ( The drop-off the first few days were filled with a lot of tears. Then, with the suggestion of my husband, we tried something different. Instead of having the girls go straight into their room and Eli go into his, the girls (mainly Schuyler) have been holding his hand and walking him into his room. Things have got better and yesterday, there were no tears at all. As we guessed, his hardest time is when he can't see his sister's. When they are around, or when he is outside, things are fine.

On top of this, we were trying to adjust him to the toddler bed. He has good nights and bad nights. Sometimes, he wakes up with terrible night terrors where he is crying uncontrollably and will throw himself on the floor or bang his head against something. Nights like these I feel like I have an infant again but I feel so bad for him b/c he can't express any feelings = ( However, last night, despite his fight to stay up, once he was asleep, he slept the whole night.

I meet with the Dr. at the end of the month to discuss his speech and a few behaviorial issues. He is due for a vacination but we will discuss the other issues and see.

Mark was in a golf tournament this weekend. I think they won the calcutta and got 3rd in regular play but don't quote me on any of this! The girls enjoyed the new American Girl movie, Kit Kittredge, with Papa. And, I enjoyed a good girls night out on Friday!! Thanks ladies for getting me out of the house!

Pictures...

more projects...

What would life be without a project at the Riese household. Yes, we have began yet another project. The cement patio that was sloping into the house is completely out! Mark, with the help of his uncle, great uncle, and cousin have removed the patio. Our house is the talk of the neighborhood with a huge pile of dirt and a great big red roll-off taking up what was once our driveway. A big thank you to Aunt Diane and cousin Seth for helping watch the kids so the men could work.

The girls finished up their first round of swimming lessons last week. We are taking this next session off but both girls will be repeating their current classes in August. Mack is SO close to passing... just needs to do 3 seconds of floating unassisted on her front - she has the back side down. Schuyler needs to "master" her front and back crawl. Her class is rather challenging. This week we had no activities due to the holiday weekend! It was nice! I stayed at home with the kids Monday and Tuesday. We enjoyed swimming at Grandma's one day and a play date at our house with a friend of Schuyler's - complete with the slip and slide, baking cookies, and water color painting! What a fun time.

Mack had her 4 year old well child check up last week. She is still 50% for height and weight. Dr. asked her to play catch and I think he was surprised at her throwing ability. I mentioned to him we would be back in a month since Eli is still not using many words. He decided to check his ears. Sure enough, he had wax the size of my pinky blocking both ears. He was hearing but probably muffled. We are hoping for a language explosion = )

Speaking of Eli, he is officially adjusting to his toddler bed. With either Mark and I home this week, we thought it would be good timing. It is proving to be a difficult adjustment but we are making slow progress.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th. We are heading to a friend's cabin with the kids for some fun in the lake and some and of course fireworks. We are truly blessed to live in a place with so many freedoms!

Look what Mack got for her bday!! Her first digital camera! I've created a mini me = ) And, a sweet picture of my mom and her!

birthday, Eli graduates, and a bump on the head

Well, how is that for an interesting title? We made it through all our birthday celebrations! I have one word to describe it "pinkalicious"! Yes, she got a pink dress, pink flip-flops, pink tank top, pink swim suit...among the other great gifts she is enjoying. Oh, how could I almost forget... the pink princess cake! Did you know a soccer ball cake pan can be made into a ball gown for a princess. Yep! It was pink too!

Miss Schuyler got a boo-boo on her head. We stopped over at a friend's house on Tuesday night. Their daughter and our 2 girls were playing downstairs when I hear a cry and their daughter racing upstairs saying Schuyler fell off the bed and is bleeding. So, down I run like a bat outta you know where. I see her cyring on the bed with blood in her hair and on her shirt. I scoop her up in my arms and yell for Mark b/c we all know this mom freaks out in these kind of situations. Luckily, my friend is a nurse. She takes control, cleans off the wound, applies ice and eventually stops the bleeding. We are fortunate this time. It's a decent gash and had it not been in her hair line, we would have probably gone to the ER. Actually, I still wanted to take her to the ER but my hubby talked me out of it, rightfully so (at least this time).

Eli has been visiting the Montessori. Tomorrow he will graduate from Linda's and begin the Montessori on July 7th, after the summer break. It's another bitter sweet moment. Linda is like my 2nd mom and I couldn't have asked for a better person to teach, love, and look after our dear Eli. I know this is not goodbye as the kids and I will continue to stop over and visit the babies. But, I will miss seeing her on a daily basis. Eli had an okay visit on Tuesday. He would not let me very far out of his sight. He did display some of his furniture moving and climbing abilities : ) Today was a bit better. Everyone was outside either playing on the playground or doing patio work... gardening, water work, washing windows, scrubbing work, crushing egg shells for the garden, cracking nuts for the animal feeders, etc... Half the time he didn't know I was there. But, Schuyler was right by his side introducing him to all the children and showing him the different work. She was a very proud big sister! Eli had so much fun, he didn't want to leave.

We are on the hunt for a new refridgerator! Ours is leaking. We know the style we like but are limited b/c of the width. I hope we find one very soon. Actually, Mark has done all the research and shopping around.

Since I have not got to any pictures of the bday party, I'll show you a little of what I've been up to. Soon, my family life and photography life will live separately as I'll be unveiling something new. But, until that time...

Happy Birthday Mackie-Doo-Roo

Happy 4th bday Mackie-Doo-Roo! We LOVE you! I know so many times when I speak of you, I refer to those challenging qualities. But, those challenging qualities will serve you well someday if we channel them correctly. That, will be up to us, mom and dad, and only time will tell! What are those qualities you wonder? The stubborness you had since the day you were born. Those days when you refused the bottle and would only nurse. I remember last year when you wore underwear, a swimsuit bottom and a skirt. You were bound and determined to wear a swimsuit! You have a flare for drama and a little fire in you. You also have a very kind and sweet side. You are the first to rub my back and take care of me when I don't feel well. You say things like, "I don't want Sadie to get old". You have a love for all things beautiful. Your smile can melt our hearts!

Here is a great quote I found, and how true it is!

"Even though you're not the oldest, Or the youngest, you see, Being in the middle is a really neat place to be! The middle of a sandwich Is the most important part, And in the middle of your body, You will find your heart. The engine in the middle Is what runs a good machine; And our family wouldn't be the same Without you in between."

We our going to take little miss muffet out for dinner tonight. On Sunday, she will have her friend bday party and the family bday party. She took oatmeal applesauce cookies to school to share with her friends. Updates and pics to follow next week=)