Friday, May 30, 2008

Highly Entertaining T.V.

I turned on the T.V. tonight just to see what was on and hit pay-dirt in entertaining television- The National Spelling Bee! Rick and I were cracking up at some of the kids and how nervous or excited they got. The kids were incredible, spelling some crazy-hard words.

The funniest moment came when the word was read, "numnah" and the whole crowd started laughing. The kid who got the word repeated it as "numb-nut" and there was even more laughter. He seemed pretty relieved to hear the word was actually "numnah" and not "numb-nut". That kid, Sameer, went on the win the whole thing. He had a pretty good sense of humor.

Fun stuff! I've already got my TiVo set for the Spelling Bee finals for next year! :)

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Success!!

Quite a while back, I wrote about wanting to work on potty training Riley. Well, we finally took the plunge on Monday and decided to dive in head first- we said goodbye to diapers! Riley enjoyed sitting on the potty, but when it came time to go, pretty much anywhere on the carpet was better than the potty! Between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, there were 5 "accidents" and 5 trips to the bathtub to be hosed down (she didn't care for that much). We had a little talk about how we don't go pee-pee on the carpet or in our big-girl panties, that we only go in the potty.

After a nap and dinner on Tuesday night, Riley camped out on the potty in front of the t.v. watching "Little Einsteins" and finally we had success!! I can't explain how excited Rick and I were to hear that little tinkle in the potty- we made such a huge deal out of it and Riley was so proud of herself! She went two more times before getting a princess Pull-Up on for bed. I was nervous to see how the next day would go because the kids would be at daycare for 6 hours. She did great in the morning before we left and went in the potty twice, but then had two "accidents" at daycare. She went just fine when we got home and even survived a trip to Costco without any accidents.

But, today was the best. She spent the entire day in big-girl panties, at home and at daycare, and not one single accident- not ONE! She started and ended the day in the same pair of Ariel big-girl panties. The Pull-Up she wore for her nap was even dry when she woke up. She tells us when she needs to go and sometimes adding an "I scared" and smiles like it's a joke, just before going- which is pretty cute! We know there is still a ways to go, but she is off to such an incredible start!! I never expected her to pick up on things so quickly, it makes me so proud of our little girl!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

18 Weeks...

...and definitely looking pregnant!



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Burt/Walters Reunion

For the first 14 years of my life, we lived in the same little house on Olympia Place in Kennewick. Between our family and the house next door, there were six of us kids all together- Michelle was the oldest, then me, Kevin, Jeff, my sister Robyn, and my brother Bryan. We were sort of like the Brady Bunch, three girls and three boys, and we played together ALL THE TIME. We have so many pictures and memories from growing up together, celebrating birthdays together, camping, having Easter egg hunts, trick-or-treating, and more camping. Such fun!

My mom and sister had the great idea of having a reunion BBQ so we could all catch up after all these years. Everyone was able to make it except for Jeff, his girlfriend, and their daughter Scarlett, who already had plans to be in Tacoma for the weekend. My mom and her husband, Jim, hosted the event at their new house in Kennewick which was perfect. The backyard is super kid-friendly and they have a pool- the best feature being the fence surrounding the pool for safety. It was wonderful to be able to let the kids run around the yard without having to worry about them falling in the pool. They even got to swim a little because the weather was so nice!

Standing: Kevin, Rick, Tyson, me, and Riley
Kneeling: Robyn, Cassidy, Bryan, Owen, Michelle, and Steve


Standing: My mom Diane, Kevin, Tyson, Rick, me, Riley, Michelle, Owen, and Sue
Kneeling: Robyn, Cassidy, Bryan, and Steven


Riley and Tyson playing in the pool- well, hanging out on the steps!


Riley had fun with the Nemo bucket and splashing water on herself.


Cassidy was a little fish, swimming for hours. She had a nice little sunburn to prove it the next day!




Tyson had fun emptying a full bottle of water all over himself!


The kids played in the yard until the sun went down- they were having a blast with Cassidy and Owen!


Owen is such a little cutie- he posed and said cheese for the camera!


The Comptons: Michelle, Steve, and Owen

Friday, May 23, 2008

Happy Birthday Uncle Bryan!



Today is my brother's 27th birthday and we're looking forward to seeing him tomorrow to help celebrate! For the next 9 days, my parents will have children aging 27, 28, and 29 before I leave the 20's forever on my birthday for the big 30's!

It has been a big week for birthdays. Our nephew Michael turned 19 on Monday the 19th, our good friend Erin celebrated her birthday on the 20th, and my friend Courtney's birthday was the 21st! So, happy birthday to all of you! :) Rick and I had the pleasure of joining Erin and her husband Jeff for a little belated birthday get-together last night to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was an entertaining movie and a fun night out with great friends!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Oregon Zoo

For Mother's Day, Rick decided on the perfect gift that we can all enjoy as a family- an Oregon Zoo membership! We took the kids on Saturday and got a chance to enjoy the heat wave weather we got here in the Pacific Northwest. The kids had a great time! Riley couldn't quit talking about it and asking to go to the zoo again on Sunday. Here are a few pictures from the trip:


That is a polar bear swimming by the window in the background, he was swimming back and forth and doing his turns right where the kids were sitting. Riley couldn't stop talking about it that night while Rick was putting her to bed and asking about her day at the zoo. It was pretty cool!



Tyson and I looking at the elephants.



We took a break on the lawn for snack time and let Riley run around a little and play in a water mister they had to cool off in the hot weather. We're also trying to get Riley used to wearing sunglasses and Tyson a hat for a trip to Orlando in June- they're both doing pretty well with them!

Riley got a chance to be tall like the giraffe we were looking at while sitting on daddy's shoulders.



What a long day, Riley was SOOOO tired that she was falling asleep on Rick's shoulders as we left the zoo. Tyson had already fallen asleep in the stroller about an hour earlier.

It was a fun day and I'm excited to take advantage of the zoo membership over the next year. A couple of our friends who also have memberships made great points about being able to go whenever you want- there is no need to tackle the whole zoo in one day like you feel like you need to when paying full admission. We can go for an hour or two at a time if we want and just focus on certain parts of the zoo. Thanks Rick for such a thoughtful and fun Mother's Day gift!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

What a busy weekend! As you read the two posts below this one, you'll know that we had some serious redecorating done this weekend and I am an official college graduate. And on top of it all, we got to celebrate Mother's Day with my grandma, mom, and sister for the first time since I became a mom myself.

Rick started the morning by getting Starbucks for my sister and I, feeding the kids, and getting them ready for the day. We took time before breakfast to bring flowers to Rick's mom's grave, it was a tough first Mother's Day without her but I'm glad we got a chance to honor her on such a special day. Then it was off to meet my mom, Jim, grandma, Robyn, and Cassidy for breakfast at Marie Calendar's. We made our way back to house for some final decorating, opening of gifts and cards, and then they got on the road in order to get back to the Tri-Cities at a decent time. We had four generations of our family together, which is always a great time! I feel so blessed to have such amazing women in my life to share stories and experiences with and especially to learn from. I love you mom, grandma, Robyn, and Gayle!


Robyn, Me, Mom, and Grandma

On a different note, I have to admit something for all the world to hear. My shameless plugs in my blog about a trip to Disney World were only the beginning- I went on to teach Riley all about Mickey Mouse by watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and recording it on TiVo so she could watch it anytime, frequenting the Disney Store with the kids, teaching Riley to tell Rick she wanted to see Mickey Mouse this summer at his home in Disney World, and even buying Nemo and Ariel "airplane gifts" for a potential trip at Target's Dollar Spot. Well, my hard work apparently paid off- AND I have the most amazing husband ever! We'll be taking a trip to Disney World this summer either at the end of June or sometime in July. I'm super excited and I can't wait to blog all about it! I'm not proud of my actions or using Riley in my evil plot, but I'm still over the moon about getting another opportunity to visit Disney World with Rick- only this time with our 2 beautiful children!

It's official!!

I am a college graduate!!!!! Saturday morning, I walked across the stage at the Warner Pacific commencement ceremony and received my diploma. It has been a long two years, but with the support of my incredible husband, family, and friends, I made it! Although I'm not 100% sure what my next move will be, I have accomplished more than I thought possible by simply going back to school and getting my bachelor's degree. Here are some fun pictures from the day:


I know this is far away, but this is right after I walked the stage, with diploma in hand!

These are my "peeps"- the co-hort I spent every Monday night with for 18 months. They are amazing, supportive friends for life! (Oscar, CJ, Sarah, Me, Jeff, and Betty)

My biggest supporter and the love of my life! I couldn't have done with out you Rick!

My whole family made the trip for the ceremony, and here is a picture of my dad and Gayle before they made the trip back to the Tri-Cities.

Tyson really liked the cake!

Riley and Cassidy had fun carrying around the baby. They got along great and loved to pretend together.

Here are the cousins after a long day and a fun bath together!

Our bedroom is complete!

My mom gave me the coolest graduation gift- she finished what we started with the new bedroom. She and my sister, Robyn, used their decorating expertise and created a wonderful room that Rick and I can truly call our own space. I previously posted pictures of our new furniture and bedding, but what they did with the rest of the it is truly amazing.






They also worked their magic in our family room...
Here is the before...

And the after...

Thank you so much mom and Robyn for all the work you did this weekend to make our house feel more like a home we can be proud of! We love you!!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Reality T.V. Junkie

Ok, I admit it. I am a reality T.V. junkie. I can't seem to get enough Biggest Loser, American Idol, Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor. Thank goodness for TiVo and my poor husband who must put up with my obsession- bless him for that! I can't wait for the rush of finales to be over so I can be free to enjoy the summer and not be a slave to crap reality T.V.! Having said that, I am loving this current season of Survivor!! There has been backstabbing, blindsides, unplayed immunity idols, more blindsides, and some really STUPID choices- and I love every minute of it!! Tonight I had to pick up my jaw off the floor when the episode was done. It should be a fun Mother's Day finale. Although my heart is completely into American Idol this season, I have been a fan of David Cook from the beginning so I hope to see him in the finale too. I know I must be really bored to be blogging about my television habits!

Riley has been sick for a couple of days, but on the recovery end now. It's always a helpless feeling watching your children (or anyone else for that matter) get sick. She's had a low grade fever and has been resting a ton, but we're hoping she's back to her old self by the weekend when my entire family is in town for graduation and Mother's Day.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Our weekend

It has been a fun and warm weekend here in Gresham and I wanted to share a few highlights:

We are officially getting a new kitchen, with work beginning on June 9th- and probably taking one to two weeks! New floors, countertops, cabinets, and most likely that's when we'll get the appliances put in too. So, instead of enjoying the new appliances on May 14th like I previously posted about, we'll have to wait another month. A wait well worth it when our kitchen is transformed!

Rick and I actually got a real date night last night, going to dinner at Outback (gift card money) and seeing a movie. We made a stop at the 6p.m. church service in between dinner and the movie to watch our sister-in-law Debbie re-dedicate her life to Christ and get baptized. It was an amazing moment and we were so happy to be there and witness it! Congrats Debbie!

Today we had another picnic lunch at Happy Valley Park and I once again I forgot the camera! But, it was a beautiful day for the kids to play on the toys and enjoy the sunshine. They fell asleep in the car and have been napping ever since- which means I should go get them up soon so they'll fall asleep at a decent time tonight! Hope you all had a great weekend too and were able to enjoy the great weather!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Cute moments


Riley playing mommy to her cabbage patch doll. She had her all wrapped up in a blankie and rocking her and giving her kisses on the forehead when I came in that morning to get her up.


Peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, hot fudge and ice cream... Tyson has discovered a new combination that could be sweeping the nation soon- green beans and ketchup!


A little cuddle time on the couch with daddy after had a long day at work.


Tyson found a great place to enjoy his cracker snack.

And here are a few other fun moments that I don't have pictures for:

I hadn't shaved my legs in a few days and had on my capri workout pants. Tyson reached out to rub my leg and gave me the strangest look, like "what was that?!" Then a huge smile spread across his face and he started laughing and rubbing my leg again and laughing and... you see the pattern. I'm glad my laziness could bring someone enjoyment!

Recent conversations with Riley:
"Riley, what would you like for dinner?"... "Ummm, oranges?"
"Riley, what shirt should you wear today?"... "Ummm, that one?" or "Ummm, pitty dess?" (pretty dress)
"Riley, what color crayon do you want next?"... "Ummm, boo one?" (blue one)
Notice the pattern here too? "Ummm"... and all answers sound like a question. Maybe she's preparing early for Jeopardy!?

This morning for breakfast, Tyson was being pretty fussy and Riley looked at me and said, "Titan bumpy?" I was confused for a second until she said it again and it all clicked- "Tyson grumpy?" Yep, Tyson grumpy today!

We let Riley sleep with books in her bed and this morning when I went in to get her she was saying "Izza, Izza" (pizza), which totally confused me. Then she preceded to tell me she was "making izza", looked down at her books and finally picked one up, put in towards my mouth and asked "try it mommy?" She had been making pizza in her bed and really wanted mommy to try it- I thought it was adorable and very good pretend pizza if you ask me!