oragano

We are moving...

2009-03-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

We are moving... the blog that is.
http://oragano.wordpress.com/

Bookmark it! Subscribe to it! Remember it! :)
http://oragano.wordpress.com/

Lets just call it RILEY's Birthday MONTH!

2009-03-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Another party?!?! We told you Riley is a PARTY ANIMAL!
When I was growing up my mom's side of the family... the Casagrande's would get together every month to celebrate the cousins birthdays. Now that the cousins are having kids... we want to keep the tradition going. This was a great family time! We all grew up together and enjoyed always having our cousins around. I never felt like an only child with this family!

Poor Ryan joined the family and would be quizzed on everyone's name as we would drive to family events... Now he is part of it all and being attacked by all the little ones. It was funny watching Riley's reaction as Juan and Luke jumped on top of her daddy!

Riley had a great time opening all her presents. We continued with the Nursery Rhyme theme and loved opening each gift to see the creative connections our family members made to the rhymes.
Only Kristy... she has Old Women who lives in a Shoe. Of course she got her a purse to go with her shoes! haha! We also are still laughing with Paula's bowl of baking goods to go with Patty Cake... Shireen and Jared's take on To Market To Market with a stuffed pig holding a gift card to the market and home store. The Leans had Jack Sprat... get it could eat no LEAN and they are the Lean family!! lol They are trying to make Riley fat with a picnic table and fun treats! We had a lot more exciting connections... just sharing a few.

Grammy and Aunt Ruth had fun too! Grammy even wrote Riley a nursery rhyme.

I know a little girl
named Riley she’s
sweet and cute as she can be
you see I’m her Nanna
she’s related to me!

Riley liked listening to better than she liked hearing Grammy sing I LOVE YOU A BUSHEL AND A PEK! Riley had the funniest reaction! But not as funny as everyone's face when Grammy and Aunt Ruth tried to tease us and say they were not going to make Macaroni for 4th of July! You can't do that to us Casagrandes!!!

Riley had a little help blowing out the candles from Juan...
But did NOT want to eat her cake...

Thanks to Grampy and GG for all the food and cleaning up for my party!! We couldn't have done it without you! The food was great I even ate some of it...haha! And Daddy really loved having a clean house! You rock! xoxo Riley

Thanks to all my cousins and Aunts and Uncles for coming to celebrate my 1st birthday with me!! xoxo Riley

Don't worry the birthday celebrating is still not done! We know we are spoiling her but we can't help ourselves look at that face! And besides with a small... I mean cozy house it is better spreading out the parties rather than one big party. Keep the party alive BABY!!

We LOVE to PARTY!

2009-03-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

Another Party? Oh BABY!! We really love to celebrate your birthday! Today lots of our friends came over to wish you a Happy Birthday! and to congratulate Mommy and Daddy for surviving the 1st CRAZY year of the rest of our lives... (duh duh duh... say it in a dramatic and suspenseful way!) haha!

Our house was taken over by about 30 of our close friends... how we managed to squeeze in our tiny house and move around? lol we are still trying to figure that out. But some how it worked!
We thought it would be fun to play up Riley's Nursery Rhyme theme to her party by assigning everyone a special Nursery Rhyme. We encouraged them to be creative when thinking of a gift for Riley and have it some how play off their Nursery Rhyme.

Some complained... Some laughed at us for our "creative" ideas... But all in all we have to say we have some very creative friends! The Cotes created their own version of Humpty Dumpty... The LaBets we sooo proud of their tree that goes with Rock-A-Bye Baby on a tree top... The Cuneos even did a little research about Pop Goes The Weasel (because of Tati's 1st grade teacher) and played off that! We know even through the belly aching they all really LOVED the creative play off the Nursery Rhymes.
Riley loved all of her thoughtful gifts but towards the end she began to get a little tired... so we had to cut the gift opening short for CAKE!
After a quick outfit change... our little DIVA!
See... we both are playing up the Nursery Rhyme theme with our shirts. Humpty Dumpty and 3 Men in a Tub... soo cute! haha!
Look at this AMAZING Hey Diddle Diddle Cake and cute Humpty Dumpty Cupcakes made by our talented friend Marisa! We had many guest feeling bad about taking a piece of this cake because of how beautiful it was... but after one person said it was equally as delicious... nobody had a problem jumping right in. We are so lucky to have an in house Ace of Cake baker!! Pat-a-Cake Pat-a-Cake MARISA please bake me a cake!! :)
No matter how many times we sing Happy Birthday to Riley it is not going to get old... to Riley that is. This is now her NEW favorite song!
Riley was too tired to dive into her cake... BUT she did eat it... off of everyone else's plate that is. (David followed Riley's lead to everyone's plate.)

As the night got later and later, Riley said NIGHTY NIGHT to all of her friends. She thanked them for joining her in celebrating her 1st birthday! She made sure to hug and kiss each one of them... Riley LOVES to give kisses!
But as tired as she was she did NOT want to go to bed. There was way too much excitement going on and she knew this time she really would be missing out on a party if she went to bed. It took a while but we managed to settle her down and keep the party alive...
The next morning Riley woke up so happy to find out that it all really wasn't a dream. She was super happy to jump right on one left over guest from the party. (Riley's new bean bag chair from the Fogelson's. They had the rhyme Little Miss Muffet... so I guess this is Riley's new TUFFET! Hey thats a great name for her new friend... Meet Tuffet!)

Thank you everyone for celebrating with me!! :) xoxo Riley

Happy 1st Birthday!!! (feel better soon!)

2009-03-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Poor Riley was all ready for her Casagrande birthday party on her actual birthday BUT...
the day before she had a fever so we took her into the Dr. to find she has a double ear infection AND the FLU!!
Then on top of it we were going to get a snow storm on her birthday!!
What a great birthday present for Riley. We postponed her party and celebrated her birthday by relaxing in our PJs all day.

I think Riley's favorite gift is her new microphone... she walks around singing on it all day. She loves to record herself and hear it back. We also gave Riley a kitchen set and golf club that are 2x the size of her... but she loves them! lol She will grow into them rather than worry about her growing out of it too quickly. Ryan also gave her toy cars so that she will feel part of his car searching... yes he is still searching for that special car.
GG and Grampy stopped by to spoil Riley with MORE gifts! We told you she would be reading by the time she is 1 with all the teachers in the family!
Thanks so much to GranDanny and Mo for sending Riley a LOUD drum set! We will be sure to call you up late at night to hear what a wonderful musician she has become. :)
Riley found out quickly about her new magnetic set... that sometime they don't "stick" together.
Move over Sid the Science Kid... Riley loves science too!
When it was time for cake... Riley put on her 1 is fun hat...
Clapped while we sang to her...
Then dug right in to her green cupcake AND icecream cake! YUMMY! (we are still trying to fatten her up... a little over 16 pounds at a year is HUGE! lol)
After cake it was time to play with her NEW toys... GG was excited to give Riley her first jar of peanut butter for her birthday. She can't have a peanut allergy with a GG that eats PBJ everyday for lunch!
I on the other hand was sooo excited to start Riley off with her first golf lesson...
Ryan listened on too... he wanted to get some good tips.
Tiger Woods has no idea what is coming his way. And Grampy is super excited to be Riley's caddy!
Riley golf is not a game that can ever master. She took that as a challenge... and lost! lol

Happy 1st Birthday Riley! We hope you had fun and feel better soon! :) Just look at it this way... we didn't postponed your party... we just turned March in your BIRTHDAY MONTH!! Let the celebration continue!

Playgroup CUPCAKES!

2009-02-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

Another birthday party? Oh just wait this just the start of Riley's Birthday SEASON!! haha!
I know we had a Playgroup Bithday Party... but on the playgroup around your birthday it is only appropriate to have a little cupcake celebration. This playgroup we honored Sophia, Ana (the big 40!) and Riley...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! We love this song now!!
Don't cry Rylee... I'll share my toy with you and make it all better! Us Riley/Rylees better stick together!

Poor Will and Pike! Their moms wanted to see what they would look like... and if they really did look like boys... This will come back and haunt them one day. lol

OH NO!! See you can't look away with Riley! She is now a climber!!
This party was at Sophia's house... last time we were here we all got the BAD stomach bug afterwards. After we left this time we found out Riley go the flu and a double ear ache the next day... along with a few other babies. No more playgroup here! Just kidding... or am I???

School Photos

2009-02-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

Riley stopped in school today to visit. We were setting up a portrait studio to take photos of the Bethel High Alumni that work in the district to put on a wall in the NEW Bethel High School. Riley watched people get their photo taken and then came over and tried to climb up on the seat for a photo herself. We sat her on the seat and couldn't get over how still she sat! AND how she looked right at the camera with her little smile! Riley NEVER sits still... AND she really does get what to do with the camera in front of her! haha! She must have been watching us tell everyone what to do so much that she thought it would be easier if she just showed everyone! Riley is one smart cookie!! (and a ham in front of the camera too!)

You think she is ready to work for Bethel??

I CAN'T walk out of the room for 20 seconds...

2009-02-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

This is a reenactment...

This is why I can no longer walk out of the room for 20 seconds. I feel like I am back in the classroom begging someone to come and save me so I can take a bathroom break! She is not even 1 yet!!!

Dante's Christening

2009-02-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

Riley was told by Elizabeth to stay in the church during Dante's Christening. She was not to go in the baby room. Well... I was taking photos and Ryan was video taping. Marisa offered to play with Riley in the pews... haha! in the pews... Riley had a different agenda.

Riley walked around the church singing (or laughing really loud) at just the right timing today! It was too cute! Everyone was laughing... especially the Fusaros!

Nobody puts Riley in the corner. This girl is on the go!

Look at Riley's leg... intising Dante to eat his cake! lol

Notice in this photo the wall... see the red wine stain? Ryan, Gianna and Riley were playing and OPPS! Who bring a kid to a restaurant like this? lol And lets her run around? haha!

God Bless Dante! (Check back here soon for a link to the slideshow.)

Sharing with Pike

2009-02-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Riley loves her buddy Pike! She also LOVES his pacifier. Funny thing is Riley wont take a pacifier if we give it to her... only Pikes!
Poor Pike would rather listen to the story and keep his pacifier...
HAHA! Got it! :)
Look how proud of herself she is! Just think of it as she is teaching Pike to share. Oh Riley!!

Happy Birthday Grampy!

2009-02-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Grampy!

Happy Birthday to my Grampy!

He is the guy who comes and plays with me when my mommy goes to work!

He is the old man who only cares that I take naps when he needs his nap other wise he doesn't care if I take naps because he wants to play with me all day.

Grampy is the scientist who watches Sid the Science Kid with me and then takes me to the playroom to do our own science experiments.

Grampy has reports everyday when mommy and daddy come home on the new behaviors I am learning and what they can do to help me develop.

He is also the chef who creates new foods for me to try... I am a picky eater!

Grampy is brave and will take me to a free music class with all breastfeeding moms and a crazy singing teacher.

He also takes beautiful photos of me and my friends whenever he gets a chance.

Grampy is my reading teacher too... Your baby can read, really does work!

Grampy lets me fall asleep on him.

Grampy also got a BLUE Smart Car just for me and him... and it only fits me and my Grampy!

He also doesn't care when I make a mess in the house, on him with my food, in my diaper...he says a mess means we are having fun.

He is the best when it comes to showing me off and telling everyone he come in contact with a story about me. His boss even tells me what a proud Grampy I have!

Grampy is the best! I am lucky to have such a cool Grampy!

My 1st 1st Birthday Party

2009-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

More to come...
just a photo to show you what a cool 1st birthday party I had with my playgroup...

xoxo

2009-02-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

Daddy took Mommy to dinner in Little Italy for Valentines Day while I stayed home with GG and Grampy! HAHA! I tricked them to let me stay up till 11PM! I had so much fun chasing Brady around that we lost track of time. Oh Boy!
Happy Valentines Day! xoxo Riley

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Valentines Day!
xoxo Riley

LUNCH!

2009-02-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Yummy Yummy!
One day Riley LOVES to eat the next she refuses. One day Riley LOVES a specific food and can't get enough of it. The next day you can't bring the food anywhere near her. I know this is a common trait of a toddler... and it does make feeding time VERY interesting!

We end up taking a bunch of different foods out and introduce them to her slowly... if she likes it then we keep going with it for a while. If not we try again with another and even revisit what she didn't like a minute ago. She is like New England weather... you don't like it? Wait a minute it will change again. lol

Riley usually LOVES food with a lot of flavor. Meatballs, Pepperoni Rolls, Grilled Cheese, French Toast, Fruit, Humus, Yogurt, Pizza... But the key here is she likes to feed it to herself! She is a big kid now! lol She can do it herself! lol Spoon fed? Blah! Oh Riley you are sooo silly!

One thing we did find out that was working great for a little while... We were trying to ween her and get her to like Whole Milk. BUT Riley does not care for it much. She would rather play with the sippy cup. UNTIL we put a little chocolate syrup in the cup... MMMM! We will see how long this lasts!

Teacher Playdate

2009-02-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

SUPER RILEY!

Riley was so excited today for her friends to come over. Lorin, Kristy and Jill (all teachers) came over to play with their babies. We didn't talk about CMTs, the kids in our class (or former class) OR any of the school lunch room talk... We had a nice relaxing time sharing stories about the babies.

Riley LOVES little Liza! Kaelyn shared her baby sister with Riley today...
Jill had Avery all ready to play. But Avery would rather sleep most of the time. Lucky Jill! lol Enjoy it now while you can.
Handsome little Mikey loved being around all the ladies!
Riley took Mikey for a walk around the neighborhood on this random WARM day in February. The walk made us sooo excited that spring is around the corner. (I know winter is not done... we are going to have a few more snow storms!)

I love Mikey

2009-02-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

One of Riley's "little" buddies came over to play. Little Mikey isn't so little anymore. He is catching up on you Riley! Mikey came over today with a special shirt for Riley... it says "Daddy's Co Pilot." This summer Riley and Mikey are going to learn to FLY with their dads. Yes Mikey is going to learn to fly before he can sit up... his dad is an amazing flight instructor I tell you! :) We are looking forward to the adventures in the air that we will be taking with Mikey and Riley!

Maggie

2009-02-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

the pictures speak for themselves

p.s. Check back soon I will be catching up on the blogging... we have been busy around here!

11 Months

2009-02-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

How is it that less than 1 month I will have a 1 year old on my hands?

The funny thing is with her on the go I feel like I already have to deal with some "toddler issues." Miss Riley is already becoming Miss Independent. She would rather walk on her own then me carry her. She knows what she wants and will let you know by pointing and our favorite screaming while grabbing until she gets it. If you try to change her mind once her mind is made up... good luck! I guess we knew from the start that Riley is going to be a strong girl! She never liked being cuddled or held facing in. She wanted to look the world straight on.

Riley continues to be curious and test her own limits. Climbing up the stairs, walking down the step into her room and over the ledge to the play area. She is starting to climb and lift herself onto objects... or into toy baskets. This little girl is incredible! I lover to watch the new mischief that she gets into every day.

However as brave as she is she is beginning to enjoy cuddling... especially with a good book. She loves to play with her dolls. She has a few that she is always carrying around with her. She not just carries them, she takes care of them too! Riley loves giving her dolls kisses, rocking them, dancing with them, feed them, wash their face or blow their nose and put them to bed. It is too cute to watch.! Riley also loves to read books, sing on her microphone and talk on Skype. (if you have an account let us know... she loves it!)

Wow! Our little Riley is growing up! It crazy when you think about how much has changed in this past year. And to think we have another NEW year coming upon us in a month!

Church

2009-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Yeah Riley is really paying attention at church today...

Ryan and I met at a church youth group... We haven't been good and going to church lately. But we want to raise our daughter with a faith but how do you keep a baby quiet and still in church? Let alone Riley? And yes we went to the baby room... Any suggestions??

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

Riley was being coached by Ed how to run FAST to make the touchdown at the Guliano's house on Super Bowl Sunday. Too bad Riley forgot the ball while running to make the touchdown.

Dante loves watching Riley run circles around him... He says give him a few more months and he will join her in the football game and tackle her down!
Hey look at Katerina and Marisa... are they trying out for the movie Juno 2? haha! Lucky for us this is just a remake of Adventures in Babysitting!

Birthday Invite

2009-01-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

Time to plan Riley's birthday PARTIES!! Anything for the photo invitations... I made cupcakes and poured in the food coloring to make them really cool! Then let Riley go to town on them. This is take 2... I let her play with them and the frosting was so sticky that when she closed her eye she couldn't open it again. Yeah she did NOT like that, if you can imagine! So after a quick bath and outfit change here she goes again. And yes that is frosting she put all over the stove. You should have seen Ryan's face when he came in the kitchen. I had to give her a bath AND clean the kitchen. It was worth it! :) But I don't know, I think I may want to practice a little with her before her birthday on how to really eat her cake! haha! Anyone in the mood for FUNFEITTI??

p.s. Shhh... don't tell Riley but for her birthday gift we got her a play kitchen... so now she can make a mess of her own kitchen not ours anymore. As for her play kitchen... Ryan went downstairs to put it together after dinner. He said he would be back up in a half hour... 3 hours later... 80 pounds... 50 pieces and 150 screw Ryan came up and went to bed. He loves his Riley Roo!!

Iapaluccio Cousins

2009-01-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

When we go over the Iapaluccio house... the kids think Riley is one of their cousins. lol Riley loves Tyler! She follows this kid around everywhere! I am getting nervous with the two of them hanging out so much. Tyler is the kid who will just run and jump into the pool without anyone looking... he is a strong little dare devil. And I think Riley is joining him. The picture above is Tyler saving Riley from running away and playing with all the shoes... down below is Tyler showing Riley a new hiding place. Oh boy! HELP!

Jake is such a good big brother!
Kaelyn is learning to share her friend Riley with all her cousins.
See... told you these two are going to find their way into a lot of trouble.
Look at all the fun and craziness going on! And this is with no pool open... only a few more months!

Playdate with Mikey

2009-01-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

Mikey is here!! Mikey came over for his 1st playdate at our house with his mommy and daddy. He was great! He was such a good boy until... he spit up when his mommy was burping him. And it was just a normal spit up but Riley was walking right in the line of fire and well lets just say lucky for her she had her hoodie on and managed to keep "all" of her hair clean. lol Is it good luck when a baby spits up on you like it is when a bird poops on you?

Now I know my ABC's

2009-01-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

ABCDEFG... won't you sing with me!?! We teach the kids at playgroup now! It is no longer about the mommies... Playgroup now is soooo BUSY and we are all over the place. Remember when we used to just sit and chat while the babies slept all snug in their carseats? And then we would take them out to take pictures... Now look at us... group pictures are not so fun anymore.

Riley is crying because she was told to sit and she wanted to run around... oh boy can we say we are in trouble!! lol

My Cousin David

2009-01-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

Shoe shopping with David? Shh David don't tell your dad... or we can just tell him how rough and tough you were after getting your new shoes.

Riley and David went to Wesley Shoes in Southbury and got their foot sized for new shoes. Riley is a 3 1/2! WOW! Big feet! :) It was funny they did not have as many harder sole shoes in her size because it is not typical for kids this small to need real walking shoes... since the majority are learning to walk and are using softer soles the man said. Well we got our eyes on a few pair that we know we are excited for this spring and summer.

(even though our favorite shoes are not sold there... Riley Roos! Yes they have kid shoes called Riley Roos!! Isn't that great! We need to get little Riley one of every pair! We have 2 so far! Oh! And the box it says... Dreams start small! How perfect for our little Riley Roo!)

We also went to Southbury's NEW Borders and totally made a mess of the kids section. Goldfish and books everywhere! Opps. But they had so much fun reading all the new books on the shelves. Next time maybe we should just meet up at a library. Borders? a Library? Same thing! And Borders has a cafe to get that extra caffeine kick needed in that afternoon!

Baby Inauguration

2009-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Obama really did bring change... look how I spent my birthday! lol

Today was also MOMMY's Birthday. What a great Birthday present today... Bush's last day... I mean Obama becoming our President! :)

The babies were sooo excited to watch the inauguration today! Look how into the speeches they were! (Riley NEVER sits still! lol)

haha! look even Riley is trying to capture this historic day with Jodi's camera...

p.s. Go look at Sydney and Olivia's recap on the Inauguration on their blog!

The Birthday Candle

2009-01-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was little my Grammy has used the same candle to celebrate my birthday. When you look at the candle you may think it is still BIG so you can only imagine what it was like the 1st time we used it...

After Grammy's maccaroni and a yummy chocolate moose cake and playing with some of my old dolls that we found in the attic (we found my old American Girl doll that we are going to send to the hospital to get fixed up AND we found some of my old Kermies and Minnies... so exciting!!)... Riley went home and took a nice long nap. We pooped her out. I wonder after all the birthday celebrating is she going to get what is going on when it is her birthday?

Yorktown Pizza

2009-01-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

Riley and Dante traveled to Yorktown Pizza to visit Joe for the 1st time! They had fun playing with the BIG slices of pizza! The girls were great babysitting and watching out that Riley and Dante did not get in too much trouble while we were able to sit down and eat a delicious dinner!

Next time you are in the Yorktown NY area make sure you stop at Yorktown Pizza and ask for Joe!

Jump for Joy

2009-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

Kaelyn is jumping for Joy for her baby sister Liza!! (or is she just finding anyway to avoid a nap??)

Jolene and Mike

2009-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Jolene and Mike came to visit! Jolene and I went to Siena together. (Jolene crocheted one of Riley's favorite blankets for her.) We were so excited to get together! We haven't seen Mike since our wedding 3 years ago. He has been so busy being a Forest Ranger that only Jolene has made it up to visit over the past few years.

After not seeing each other for a few years... Mike and Ryan thought it would be great to spend the day watching a marathon on all of the greatest crashes! Mike and Riley were not feeling too well so it was nice to stay in and veg out all day. We had fun playing with all of Riley's new toy and chilling all day. Some days are ment to do nothing with friends.
We can't wait until next time... Riley's 1st Camp Out? Alaska?? Hmmm....

Who loves Mommy's NEW camera?

2009-01-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

Riley you thought you had the camera in your face before... haha! Now with this new camera watch out!! (look even Daddy had fun taking a photo with the new camera! yeah Daddy!)

p.s. Who will be the 1st person to book the 1st "official" photo shoot with the NEW camera? Can't wait!!

Babysitters needed!

2009-01-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Emma and Marissa came over to babysit Riley. They had so much fun with her... except when she woke up for a little while but Sid the Science Kid saved the evening and helped get Riley back to bed.

I used to babysit Emma when she was a baby... and now she is a big college kid going to Catholic University in DC. WoW! My little Emma is so grown up. (One day Emma will be saying the same thing when Riley is babysitting her kids! haha!)

NEW CAMERA for the New Year!

2009-01-02T15:04:00.001-08:00

My new baby arrived safely today! :) After a few hours of charging we were able to take it out of the box to play! These are just a few quick photos in the kitchen... These are all natural light (no flash) at 5pm... so basically just the overhead light in the kitchen. The ISO (film speed) is great! We are impressed so far! YEAH!!

Goodbye 30d! We will miss you! Don't cry... you are being sent off to a new home with a happy eBay family. :) OR is Riley sad because she is no longer the baby in the house? haha!

Uncle Seany and Auntie Jennie's

2008-12-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

We were sooo busy today... We ended the day with a little trip to Uncle Seany and Auntie Jennie's place. Look at them teasing Riley with her puppet. Who is finding more entertainment with the puppet here?

Riley quickly found that their place is not baby proofed. She found every wire, corner and door she wasn't supposed to get into. Curious little Riley! But don't worry babies are not on the horizon for Uncle Seany and Auntie Jennie while they are in CT. When they move to NJ and get a big house then they will baby proof it for Riley and her cousins to play safe. We will miss you guys when you move to Jersey!

MEOW!

2008-12-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

We went over after playgroup to play with Kaelyn and Liza. While Riley and Kaelyn were playing I took a few photos of baby Liza.
I was only able to take a few before we were distracted by Kaelyn meowing in the other other room with Riley. Lorin walked in to see Kaelyn and Riley playing with the cat food. Playing as in eating the cat food! There is one way to fatten Riley up. lol Needless to say Riley was Meowing all the way home!

(Look at Kaelyn watching her mommy clean Riley off... she so knows what just happened! Lorin and I had to laugh because we know this wont be the last of the girls getting into trouble. BFFL)

My friend Leah

2008-12-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

Play group at Leah's house today!! Leah had fun showing off all of her new toys. She did such a good job sharing. Riley the whole time we were there followed Leah around trying to give her kisses. She misses her friend Leah!

Merry Go Round

2008-12-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

We met Pike and his family up a few days after Christmas to do the dreaded exchange all your "favorite" Christmas gifts. Lucky for me I had none to exchange. Riley only had to change a size of one of her dresses... she is tiny but she is growing and can take 6-12 months now! :) While at the mall who can resist a ride on the carousal?!

How big is Riley? SOOO BIG!
Every time! Got to love it!

Grampy's Christmas Story

2008-12-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

Grampy wrote a Christmas book for Riley using the photos on his camera. Go check out the story... and remember this is written with Tony Diminico "HUMOR." (humor... if that's what you call it! haha! You can laugh at his jokes at your own risk.) :) We love you GRAMPY!!

Christmas Night... Santa came here too?

2008-12-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

GG and Grampy's card was right...
Who needs Santa when you have Grandparent!

Luckily we have photos and video to capture what really happened at GG and Grampy's house. All I can say is we needed to take a few moments to take a time out and regroup because being overwhelmed with presents can not even justify what happend Christmas night.

GG was teasing Daddy all night saying there isn't a lot of gifts for him under the tree and that they are all for Riley. We told her to forget about us and spoil Riley... well she did and then some. When we arrived we counted about 5 gifts each for Daddy and I and about 30+ for little Riley! We had to do 2 car loads! It was ridiculous. Only Grandchild Syndrome! Help us!

And poor Brady, she was feeling left out. Luckily Riley let her help her open the gift.
I think GG had more fun with Riley on this one... it is a little red riding hood poncho that says "Going to Grandma's House!"
HAHA! Look at one of Riley's favorite gifts she took out of Mommy and Daddy's stocking! She was excited that there was one for her too... seeing as she has 5 teeth now!
Thanks GG and Grampy for redefining SPOILING!

Riley ended the night with reading one of her Christmas books with Nauni! She loved it!
What a GREAT 1st Christmas! I know Ryan and I can say this Christmas was the best yet! Celebrating Christmas with Riley brought excitement to the day like we have never experience. Christmas with Riley also made us truly appreciate being around all of our family. We went to bed that night exhausted from all the excitement but at the same time looking back and wishing it wasn't over!

*We wish it wasn't over not just because we had so much fun but now we have to figure out were all of the toys are going to go! How does this little 15 pound kid have enough toys to take over the whole basement now?!!? Daddy is sad that this Christmas marks the moment he realized he really did loose his bar... it is now next to the washer and dryer. Poor Daddy... but at least he has room to play with Riley and her baby doll and all the accessories to come! haha! :)

Casagrande Christmas

2008-12-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Casagrande family. I never realized growing up how extended my family really is. The Casagrandes are my mom's mom's siblings and their kids. We grew up all together and never realized that we are closer with our 2nd cousins than some people are with their 1st cousins. And now Riley is going to be able to say that same statement about her 3rd cousins? Is that what the correct genealogy term?
Grammy and Aunt Ruthie

On Christmas morning we all went to my cousin Marci (Riley's Godmother) house. Now my mom's mom and Marci's mom's dad are brother and sister. Make sense how we are related? I never thought it was that complicated. :)
"GG look what Marci got me!! Do I look pretty?!?!"

Riley and my nephew David played all day. NON STOP! Riley did not nap nor get cranky for a nap the whole time we were there! They ran around laughing the whole time. They were so entertaining to watch. Well some of the guys found Elmo's Christmas more entertaining to watch... even when the kids were out of the room.

Lucky for us Alex and Chelsea were here and the kids LOVE them both so much!

Family is so important to us. I hope we are as successful with teaching Riley the importance of family as the generations before us were. Our whole extended family lives all within a half hour. We happily extending our family and developing new traditions. It is so unpredictable where we will all be in a few years but I do know we will always be together enjoying each others company as much as possible.

Riley is always ready to do... SOOOO BIG!!!
Poor Jay was trying to take a nap after lunch... Shireen is the only one who was truly successful at napping undisturbed.

This truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

We had a great Christmas will all of the family... just one more stop at GG and Grampy's house before the CRAZINESS of the Christmas excitement comes to an end. Riley LOVES Christmas!

David rocked Riley to sleep at the end of the evening... such a good cousin!

Did I mention... WE LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

SANTA CAME!! SANTA CAME!! We woke up with more excitement then Riley because she had no idea what to expect. She thought she was waking up to a regular morning. Little did she know when we walking into the dinning room (yes our tree was in the dinning room due to our little curious walker) that under the Christmas tree would be tons of gifts waiting for her from Santa! Tons of presents to Riley means tons of boxes and tons of wrapping paper to play with!
Until she opened her most favorite gift... her new dolly. She would not let the baby go! She kept kissing it even without us prompting her. She absolutely LOVED her new baby doll!
Ryan helped get Riley's baby doll out of the box when a piece of paper fell out with all the doll accessories you can buy to go with the doll. He could not get over all the different baby doll accessories there were. Oh Ryan... you are a daddy to a little girl who will teach you it all. Riley has already opened her daddy's eyes or should I say nose to the sweet smell of baby dolls. He also never realized that many baby dolls smell like a sweet vanilla. MMM! :) Lets give Ryan a few years and we will be blogging about Ryan and Riley changing that baby doll's diaper together. lol :)

It took us a while to open the gifts because poor Riley didn't realize that after we open a gift, it gets taken away from you so that you can open another one. Riley wanted to play with each gift and then open the next one when she was bored of it. We compromised... we opened the next one when Ryan's attention span ran out. lol I love you Ryan!

Riley even loved listening to Dominick the Donkey on Christmas morning. We relived our memories of the song and danced around the house singing our favorite Christmas song!

With all of this excitement Riley was able to enjoy a nice long nap before the Casagrande Christmas began.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

We started the day out at Ryan's parents house. Some people think it is crazy splitting the holidays and going to all the family houses we go to. But I look at it as... this way everyone is happy and everyone gets to celebrate!

After Ryan's parents house we headed up to Manchester for the CRAZY and LOUD Diminico family.
At first Riley didn't know what to take of the yelling (Thats how we have to talk when we are there to be heard... or to make your opinion stronger then the rest. Politics is always brought up at the dinner table! And when it isn't we argue over is All Spice... all spices or a spice called all spice... Hey we are Italian we have opinions and we like to eat and drink. Ha!).
After a while Riley fit right in to all the loud commotion. Clapping and singing in Italian didn't confuse Riley. She went right along with it! Besides Nauni has her own Italian... half English and half Italian... How do you say!?!

Riley's first Christmas Eve was full of excitement! Everyone packed in the living room to exchange gifts. It was great having the kids running back in forth from the presents to the dinning room waiting to open the presents. Julia was soooo excited. Auntie Laura was trying to tell her to be patient... Auntie Laura forgot that she was always the MOST excited about present time!

Even though we cut back this year among each other... we didn't hold back on the kids. Riley and Julia had a blast opening all the presents!
Luckily for Riley her cousin Julia was right there to help her open all her presents.
But as we predicted... THE BOX really was the best part! We really need to remember this next year when we are shopping for all the presents.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Santa Baby

2008-12-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to meet Santa a few times this Holiday Season... but between getting sick and the snow they all were getting canceled. The night before Christmas Eve the Cuneos called us and asked us to meet up at the mall with them. We have avoided the mall this Holiday season, so it was a tough time convincing us to go BUT Riley HAD to meet Santa! (or did she)

Riley only cries like this for a few people... We joke and say she has a hard time with OLD people... because it takes a while for her to warm up to her Naunis (my grandmothers) and now Santa.
So You know how I know you are OLD? If Riley cries like this for you! lol
Maybe next year she will love you Santa. :) (Well at least Dante liked Santa!)

Sooo BIG!

2008-12-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

How big is Riley? SOOOO BIG!

Anytime you say it you get this reaction! It is great. When we got her flu shot and she was hysterically crying... I asked... How big is Riley? And with tears in her eyes she still lifted her arms up and tried to crack her big smile.

Newsflash: Riley finally hit the 15 pound marker... finally! :) She really is SOOO BIG now!

I love to WALK!

2008-12-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready for Christmas. Riley is reading all of the Christmas books and we are talking all about Santa... the big day is coming real soon! I can't believe it is Christmas already! This year has flown by. I know we say that every year bit there is something different about this year. I don't know if it is having Riley here but ahh!! Christmas is just around the corner. We can't wait!

Christmas is the best! Getting together with all of the family! COOKIES!! The great decorations... our tree is in the dinning room this year away from walking Riley! The energy this time of the year is unlike any other. Did we mention all the Christmas movies at night? This is such an exciting time of the year. We are so excited and Riley has no idea what is coming. But she is enjoying all of her Christmas books and decorations around the house. AND singing our favorite... Dominick the Donkey everyday around the house!

Party Tricks

2008-12-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

Riley is so smart. It is so much fun teaching Riley different ways to communicate. When we say key words or phrases to her she really reacts. This is the beginning forms of communication. AND We LOVE our party tricks and she does too!

Wave Hi! and Bye!

AHH!! When she makes sounds and you mimic her... you can go back and forth like this having a conversation with her. Such a fun dinner conversation!
And our favorite... If you happy and you know it what do you do? CLAP CLAP CLAP! Riley is such a happy kid! :)
Riley also gives and blows kisses, dances by bouncing up and down and waving her hands and plays peek-a-boo. It is so cool to watch her communicate with us with all of these fun tricks. We are so proud of her!

p.s. Today she reached a new milestone... she can now bring herself to stand and walk in the middle of the room with no help! Go RIley Go!

day 2: SNOW DAY

2008-12-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Attempt 2 in the snow. This time Daddy did NOT wear a hat and we had a GREAT time in the snow! :) Riley loved it!

We love SNOW DAYS! We don't care that we will work until the end of JUNE...well remind us of all the fun we had in the snow when we are melting away in the non-AC classrooms! :)

1st attempt in the SNOW

2008-12-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

SNOW DAY!!! Don't you love being a teacher?!? :)
We took Riley out to play in the snow on the 1st Snow Day of the year. She LOVED it at first. She was falling in the snow, eating the snow and trying to walk around in the snow... that was all until Daddy came out.

As soon as Riley saw Daddy with his winter hat on it was all over. She FREAKED out! She was so afraid of him. He had to take off his hat and then we had to go inside just to calm her down. Daddy felt so bad that he scared Riley so much. Next time we go out NO HAT for Daddy!

I love to Read!

2008-12-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

If you are happy and you know it... CLAP YOUR HANDS! Riley loves to clap! She claps to songs, when you are happy and when she reads her books. She loves turning the page and clapping at the characters in the books. She is really such a happy baby!

GG has taught her to close her hands when she says "Say your prayers." She is praying that she can read another story before nap time! Don't worry Riley we can read a few more books before nap time. :) Happy Baby!!

warm WINTER day

2008-12-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

Warm Winter Day! Who would guess it is supposed to be a BIG snow storm tomorrow. But that won't stop us from enjoying a nice day outside. It felt like it has been forever since we were outside in the grass. Riley had so much fun re-exploring the prickly stuff on the ground. AND running up and down the driveway! She is getting FAST! I am not sure what is going to happen this summer when she really takes off!

Cookies... SICK

2008-12-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

DON'T EAT THE COOKIES!!

We thought it would be a fun afternoon to invite Pike and his family over and bake some Christmas cookies... little did we know what the day would bring.

After attempting to bake cookies... Leah and I took turns in the bathroom getting sick. Soo sick that I ended up in the hospital from what we thought was food poisoning from a play group the day before. But we later found out that it was a TERRIBLE stomach bug and Keri did not make us all sick at the play group. The stomach bug was such a strong bug that it infected everyone in the group and most of their families. Ryan and both of my parents got really sick from it. We were all home sick most of the week. We ended up quarantining ourselves because we were afraid to get anyone else sick as well as having a relapse like some the others moms in the group experienced. But on a positive spin from being sooo sick... I lost 5 pounds in 2 days and it looks like I am keeping it off. lol :) Hey you have to find the good in everything don't you!

find the phone

2008-12-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

Peek-a-Boo!
Riley learned to do Peek-a-Boo with her hands! HaHa! It is so funny when she misses her eyes and hits her head and then start hysterically laughing. She will do anything for the reaction. She loves attention!

She will also do anything for her phone! Especially when you clap and go crazy when she finds it. Yeah Riley!!

The Ragans have been ELFed!

2008-12-10T20:15:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Indian Jones meet Riley Roo

2008-12-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

Where is Riley??

Our living room is constantly being transformed now into caves and tunnel to create obstacle courses for Riley. She LOVES her phone... so putting her phone at one end of the room then using the pillows, couches, blankets and whatever else we can find to have her climb over, under and through just to find her phone has been one of our new favorite afternoon games!

Peek a Boo! There is Riley Roo!! :)

lights...

2008-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Naughty or Nice? lol
Riley is so curious about all of the decorations going up. Watching her watch us... I am interested to see if she is as curious as to watching them go down in a different way then they went up. Not our Riley! lol

Riley Book

2008-12-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

One of Daddy's students saved up her money and bought Riley the book called Adventures with Riley. Isn't it cute! Riley was so excited to eat... I mean read the book. She LOVES books! This was a great gift! Thank you! :)

Unkey Seany

2008-12-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

Riley didn't want to be carried by Uncle Seany now that she could walk. Even though she would rather be off on her own... Miss Independent. There are lots of cars in the parking lot heading back from breakfast and a little Riley Christmas Shopping... soo the good Godfather held his little ones hands to make sure she was safe walking to the car. (might I add, a little walk to the car is all a relative turn... to us a little is like a 5k to Riley)

Casagrandes

2008-12-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Finally I can show of my party tricks at a party!! Riley walked into the Casagrande cousins party at Dog and Kristy's place showing off her...
* How big is Riley... SOOO BIG
* If your happy and you know it... Clap your hand
* Blow kisses
* Give good kisses on the cheek
* High Five
* Dancing Riley
** did we mention... WALK EVERYWHERE!!!
We were so excited and proud that she is learning to do these tricks on call. It is so fun having her respond to what you are saying. And everyone at the party loved it!
Especially Daisy! Her favorite was when Riley was giving her good kisses!

Happy Birthday Liz!

2008-12-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

On Liz's Birthday we went to visit baby Micheal. We ate yummy chocolate cake in front of the kids (and Kristy... sorry it wasn't that good so don't worry haha!)
Meanwhile Riley was attacking Andrew to give him kisses. He loved it! He kept pulling her back for more. We are trying to teach Riley to play a little more hard to get. But she loves to kiss everyone... Hey we got a lover not a fighter on our hands.

Free Love from Riley

Liza Marie

2008-12-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world, Liza! Lorin and Jason added the newest member to their family yesterday. Little Liza joined little blonde Kaelyn with thick black hair! She was so cute laying there in the hospital room.
Riley was exploring Liza's room. She was hungry and shared a pulled pork sandwich with Lorin and I. (and she liked it! lol) She was tapping on the glass to see Liza and playing peek-a-boo with the curtain. Next to Liza, Riley is sooo big! (she is lifting her arms up right now as I am saying sooo big out loud haha!)

Yeah Liza!

sorry

2008-12-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ok I know I am totally slacking on the blogging this past month. It has been so crazy around here. Riley is walking EVERYWHERE! I have a lot going on at work both in school and with the photos and needless to say spending time withe friends and of course my husband... so blogging has taken a back seat for a while.

When the blogging stopped... Riley, Ryan, my dad and I were passing around a cold. It was hard to keep up with a blog while drinking cartons of OJ and making Chicken Soup for everyone (including Riley). But we were strong and are all healthy now. But once you get out of a routine of blogging it is hard to get back into it.

But I will start posting again from here in and occasionally go back and do some catching up from the weeks I have been busy baby proofing the house.

Silly Face Riley

dinner fun

2008-12-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

How big is Riley? SOOO BIG!
(side note I forgot to add about her Dr. appointment... when she got her shot and was crying I asked her How Big is Riley?? With tears in her eyes and crying as loud as she could she showed me... Soooo Big!)
Riley is also learning how to do:
Peek A...
BOO!
HAHA! She thinks it is sooo funny!
Don't forget about her other tricks, especially blowing kisses!
High Fiving! Yeah Baby Girl!
And Clapping when we sing: If your happy and you know it you...
Eating dinner at night has never been so entertaining. (Sorry Ryan we like hearing about your day too!)

9 months!

2008-12-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Riley walked into her 9 month check up... literally. From the waiting room she walked right into the office. She is on the move... watch out!

This active baby is still a PEANUT! She is just below the 5 percentile... weighing in at 14 lb 10 oz. She is 25th for height. AND... (Ryan is so proud because he will never have to do a paternity test now... he knows it is his daughter!) Riley is 90th for head! (that brain is filled with so much already! she is super baby!!)

It was so funny when the Dr. asked about what I am feeding her... so I started to backtrack and replied by starting with what Riley ate fro breakfast... Lasagna. Then last night's dinner... Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Pizza, Hummus, Pasta Fragoli... etc. Needless to say Riley is now on the diet of eating what we eat. She doesn't eat Baby Food OR from a spoon. Did you honestly expect our daughter to follow all the rules?

Baking in NJ

2008-11-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we traveled down to NJ to visit Riley's Great Aunt and Cousins. The kids took turns "babysitting" Riley and chasing her all around the house. We had a great time hanging out with everyone. Riley couldn't leave with out baking her Aunt Rene's famous cookies. Luckily the girls were there to help!

Santa is coming to town

2008-11-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

Santa!! The Friday after Thanksgiving Santa arrives on a Fire truck downtown Bethel. I used to go to this when I was a little kid. Now it is Riley's turn. We meet up with the Fusaros and saw many other friends waiting out in the cold to see Santa! What list will Miss Riley be on this year? Naughty or Nice? :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Riley had a great day with her Naunis and Grandparents. We ate plenty of food! Riley loved it all! Yum!

Riley was helping GG and Grampy in the kitchen! She is such a good distraction.

Our first Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble! The Holidays are so much better with you! They are more entertaining too!

Riley and GG taking a time out from the food to build a new house to hold us and our Thanksgiving Day bellies in! SOOO MUCH FOOD!
Riley and Uncle Pete! Riley is ready for her VT maple syrup!!
I LOVE MY GRAMPY!!
Both Naunis love Riley even though she took a little while to warm up to them. We don't know why she cries for the both of them. But she slowly warmed up to them by the late afternoon. Poor Naunis... they still love you!

Happy 1st Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow... the Ragan Family!

Ice Hockey

2008-11-26T07:32:00.000-08:00

Good Bye Danbury Trashers... Hello Mad Hatters!

We joined Pike and his family at our 1st Mad Hatters game of the season. We had a great time watching the fights and eating warm pretzels. Oh we also got kicked out of the luxury box... we ended up watching half the game from the bleachers. (this wont be Riley's only time getting in-trouble I am sure...lol) Hey it was all good clean fun! Riley and Pike had a great time trying to follow the hockey players and the puck up and down the ice. Go Mad Hatters!

8 month olds at a Hockey Game... fun times! The best part is Riley took a nap during the game for a little while. She is such a great kid who has learned to enjoy so many new experiences.

Mikey!!

2008-11-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Finally we get a playdate with little Mikey!! He is so cute! Riley is adding another cutie to her list of boyfriends. She is one smart little girl. She isn't ready to commit to her boys yet... she is waiting until they become men to choose. Until then she has lots of love to go around. :) haha! Now some love for Mikey!

Last time we saw Mikey's parents was the day before he was born a few weeks ago. He came early to surprise his parents! They were so happy to see him... but now they are even more happy to have him home with them. Mikey is doing great! He is growing bigger and stronger everyday. We are so happy for Mikey to be home and sleeping in his own crib.

Splish Splash

2008-11-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Bath time is getting so much more fun now that Riley really enjoys playing with all of her toys. She has her favorites... her duck book is by far her favorite bath toy... can you tell her parents and grandparents are teachers? She still likes her little tub. We have tried the big tub but the little tub still fits her and keeps her in a contained area. When she is in the big tub she tries to stand and crawl around after her toys. The little tub she just sits and sings while playing with her toys. What am I going to do when she is too big for this little tub? I guess being only 14 pounds does have it's benefits... I hopefully won't have to worry about the big tub for a while.

I love Fall

2008-11-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

I can just imagine what my little scientist was thinking when outside walking through, eating and touching all the fall leaves...

It was so much fun to walk on the crunchy leaves outside! I tried to eat them too! I don't get why my mom always took the leaves out of my mouth, I wanted to experience everything about the fall. The crunchy colorful leaves would crumble in my fingers when I would close my hands. I had to do it over and over again to try to understand what was happening. Fall is such a great time to explore outside!

Officially Walking

2008-11-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

It is hard to know when you can "officially" say she is walking. I mean I know she is taking a few steps... but can you classify that as walking?

But now I think we can "officially" say she is a walker! 8 months old... go RILEY go!

The Feliciano Family

2008-11-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

The Feliciano Family was up visiting from Washington DC and they took a few moments to stop by so I could capture their time together. We had a great time playing around Newtown all morning. Natalia was full of stories! She is Miss Personality!

Click here to see more of their photos together...

Who's the President?

2008-11-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

My dad tried to teach her to say Dennis Kucinich but her boyfriend Pike taught her this.

Go Obama! Yes We Can!

Rylee

2008-11-04T19:23:00.001-08:00

"The Other Rylee" from Riley's play group and I had our own play date without Riley! lol

Check out this slide show and see how cute Rylee and her family are. This was an extra special photo shoot because it was her home for her 1st year of life. I know they have had many great memories here and will be back to visit all their new friends after they move to Cincinnati this spring.

I know I can say I have enjoyed watching Rylee grow so much since we meet them when the girls were only 2 weeks old at Mommy group. The 2 Riley/Rylee have had so many fun adventures together and they are only 8 months old. Check out "the other Rylee's" blog and continue to watch her grow.

The Cooke Family

2008-11-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

When photographing an 18month old... you don't run the shoot... you run after the 18month old who runs the shoot!

Check out the slide show of the Cooke family!

Casagrande Halloween is BACK!

2008-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Remember back when we would have the yearly Casagrande Halloween Party??? Well (in a creepy voice) It's Back!!

Riley ate Grammy's Maccaroni for the 1st time and LOVED IT!!!!
Mummy Wrap time!! Ha! Our parents made us play these games... now its our turn to share the laughs with our kids.

Poor Riley has no idea what is going on.

We decided that it was time to turn it back onto our parents who started these traditions. The son in laws did a blind taste test to the GRANDMOTHERS with the different baby foods that their grandkids eat. (well maybe not Riley because she doesn't like baby food) But the best part during this game Aunt Ruth fed Paula peaches mixed with Tabasco and she had no idea! Oh if you could have seen her reaction!!!

The Casagrande Cousins...pretty scary! haha!

Learning to walk

2008-11-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

We are in BIG trouble! She just turned 8 months old and is already taking steps and throwing herself at the toy she wants. When do we consider it "walking" as apposed to taking a few steps. Oh boy! I thought I had a few more months! Yeah Right!

Baby Halloween

2008-11-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

The baby group all got together for a little (15 families... that is 30 adults and 16 kids... little is a relative word) Halloween Party. Jodi (super mom... she is the one with the twins... and was able to manage throwing this party, so next time you feel overwhelmed think of her) threw this fun party. All of the kids and families had a great excuse to use the Halloween costumes one more time. We had a great time with the entire crew.

Its funny that Riley is only 8 months old but because of her we have made some great new friends. :)

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos of our Halloweenie!! Doesn't she look cute on her 1st Halloween! :)

Halloween Night

2008-10-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

After getting back from the schools we took a quick nap... then it was time to go TRICK or TREATING! A few of Riley's friends from playgroup stopped by to go to Main Street.
We came back from Main Street to do our neighbors and meet up with a few friend. As we came back Mallie was taking all the candy from our house! We ended up leaving a bowl of candy... we were going to just leave an empty bowl and everyone would just assume the people before took the last piece of candy... lol But we were nice and left a bunch of candy!
HAHA! One of our friend's kids was a Soccer Mom! Ha! He used Ryan and Riley as a prop for his costume! Gotta love it!
The party continued back at the Fusaro's NEW house (they have a closet bigger then our living room!!). Riley was up all night having a blast! She LOVES Ed and his nose! Happy Halloween!

A+ for the Halloween skunk

2008-10-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

First stop Head O Meadow kindergarten to see GG and her partner in crime Chrissy. GG brought Riley around school to see everyone. We missed snack time! :(

After Riley passed kindergarten she moved right up to 3rd grade! Riley brought daddy lunch and got to meet all of his CRAZY students! She passed 3rd grade with flying color and moved up to 4th grade where she got to have TiTi and Annabanana as her teachers! Unfortunately they thought she was cute... but looks can't keep you in 4th grade in New Fairfield. It was time to move back to good old Bethel!

Riley loved Johnson School! Grampy took her to all his favorite specials... PE, Computers, Media and Art. Unfortunately like her mommy, Riley couldn't hold a tune and Miss Carpentier was sending her back to Rockwell!

Maria and Riley (Big Riley) were there to greet her and take her through the Halloween Parade where Riley did the Monster Mash! She also saw Rocky the Ram and gave him (or was it a her today) a big Rockwell silent cheer that they could hear all the way back... oh well you Rockwell people get the point. lol

One would think with all that craziness the day would be done and we could go home and nap... NO WAY! Its Halloween! We still had trick or treating and a party to go to! :)

Riley's 1st STEPS

2008-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

On Halloween we were getting ready to go Trick or Treating at all of the schools (GG's, Daddy's, Grampy's and Mommy's). While I was getting ready I saw Riley take a few steps from the music box to her lion. I quickly grabbed the camera and was able to capture it! Now remember she wasn't even 8 months old when she did this! SUPER BABY! :)

Go Riley Go!

future babysitters

2008-10-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

We ran into Riley's future babysitters while apple picking and then at the corn maze. I think these girls are pushing us out so they can come play... I mean babysit Riley. These beautiful young ladies were our flower girls at our wedding... and before that I used to babysit them. Now start singing "The Circle of Life" because now it is their turn to start to babysit little Riley.

However I have to let their older sister get a chance first! I started babysitting these families when I was 11 years old. I went over with my little business cards and backpack full of toys ready to be the best babysitter. I may have taught the kids to quickly get into bed when their parents were driving up the driveway. I may have taught them to "fake sleep." I may have made a mess of their house doing craft and baking cookies. But I was the best babysitter and have big shoes to fill when these girls start babysitting Riley! :)

Bethel Trick or Treating

2008-10-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

Riley and (one of her many... shh don't tell them) her boyfriend Pike did not let the rain stop them from getting candy as we went Trick or Treating downtown Bethel.

Leah and Justin decided that they were going to be my campaign manager when I run for Selectman of Bethel... after being stopped every few feet by someone I knew. Tina Fahy will be out of her Palin job as soon as Obama is elected :) So... maybe she will be up for my TV appearance. Wait.. first I have to sell my house in Newtown and move back to Bethel.

even Mommies need a night out...

2008-10-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

All we need to say about this evening is that Mommies deserve a night out. Mommies love their babies! We have a great time hanging out throughout the week. However sometimes we need a night to let loose. :) We had a blast! This was a great night for the Mommies!

Riley and Dante

2008-10-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

You never saw Riley looking sooo big! lol Riley likes feeling big when hanging out with Dante... everywhere else she goes she is the little peanut.

2 Big sisters, his mom and dad and visiting Aunt all get a chance to cuddle with this little guy... but there better be time for all of the others that are waiting in line for a piece of this cutie! Riley gets so excited to crawl up to Dante and see how tiny he is. She can't wait for a few months to they can run around driving everyone crazy.

It is funny looking at the both of them and seeing what a difference a few months is at this moment. It won't be long before we won't be able to tell who is a few months older... but right now... Riley look at the little baby Dante!

pimp my ride

2008-10-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

MTV is going to be calling us to be part of their show Pimp My Ride because Riley has the best set of wheels around! We got so many honks and waves as we walked to the grocery store today. I told Riley they were honking at her in her new snazzy wheels but I like to think they were honking at her hot mommy.

Good Bye Ice Cream Shop

2008-10-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

It was a sad sad day... the Newtown Ice Cream Shop hung up their "Gone Fishing" sign today. We will miss our favorite little Ice Cream Shop.

Remember when a large soft serve was bigger then Riley. We will miss walking to get ice cream. We will miss friendly conversations with the owners who we became friends with. We will miss seeing Riley's 1st trip to get ice cream photo hanging in the shop. Remember Andrew's ice cream cone sent to the hospital. Remember Mia Cote dragging us to the ice cream shop down the sandy road? We will miss you Newtown Ice Cream Shop. Thank you for all the delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Avalanches.

Now that the Ice Cream Shop is closed... watch this pregnancy weight really melt away... haha!

GG!!

2008-10-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Can we saw GG spoils Riley?!?!

We went to visit Grammy in Bridgeport today. It was soo funny... I never seen Riley like this. All she wanted was GG! Whenever she walked out of the room she would cry. Whenever she put her down she would reach back up for her. She would crawl across the whole room just to get to her. Brady, Grammy and even me (until she was hungery) were nothing compared to GG. GG spoils her Riley!

Big Sister in training

2008-10-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Kaelyn loves Riley! She wants to hold her. She wants to treat her like her baby doll. Kaelyn doesn't understand that Riley doesn't think of herself as a baby... she wants to be up and running around with Kaelyn. But lucky for Kaelyn, she is bigger then Riley and hugs her and loves her just like she will her new baby brother or sister! :)

Children of the Corn

2008-10-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

We really do have the best baby play group!

Today we went to Mclaughlin Vineyards to go wine tasting as part of our play group. HAHA! Are we a Connecticut playgroup or what! But seriously it is a beautiful vineyard in Sandy Hook... yes Sandy Hook as in Newtown... as in it took less then 5 mins. to get to this Vineyard. There are so many amazing opportunities in this area that sometimes we forget to enjoy our local resources. This was a great chance to fully enjoy Fall with the babies!

After a few samples of wine... we ventured to a local corn maze with the babies. Did we really think that getting lost in a corn maze was going to be a good idea? We ended up finding clue 9 (out of 30) and using the emergency exit. We were afraid of making the sequel to the movie Children of the Corn. It was slowly becoming a horror movie... the small corn maze paths with strollers filled with hungry babies who needed naps. Yeah that sounds likes like a horror movie to me! haha! We had a great time at play group this week!

Pizza and Wings

2008-10-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

As a teacher... Friday nights becomes a pizza and relaxation night. We need a chance to unwind after a crazy week in the classroom. Some of our favorite New Fairfield teachers joined us for yummy Pizza and Wings. At the end of the night

Liz and I ran out to get Ice Cream to finish off the evening the right way! There is only a few more nights of the Ice Cream shop!

Blue Jay Orchards

2008-10-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

After a long weekend of weddings... we decided Monday is all about Riley! She had a great time with GG and Grampy all weekend. But we were excited to have our time with the Riley again! We meet up with Riley's friends at Blue Jay's to go apple picking.

We had a great day! All the mommies and daddies enjoyed apple picking and playing in the pumpkin patch.

We decided going to Blue Jays was soo much more fun with Riley. We have been going to Blue Jays for years... since we were kids. But going with Riley was defiantly the best! She loved chewing on the apples and touching everything. Awww... Riley's first fall! :)

WE LOVE BLUE JAY ORCHARDS!

Unkey Seany and Aunt Jennie's Wedding

2008-10-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Unkey Seany and Aunt Jennie are married!!

These are just a few of the photos of Riley from the wedding that Rachel took. You can see more of the photos of the NEW Mr. and Mrs. Ragan on Rachel Henderson Photography.

Thanks Rachel and Brian for capturing this special day!

Riley is sad that Unkey Seany was dancing with Aunt Jennie and not her. But she got over it as soon as Unkey Seany came over to say Hi!

Like Mommy Like Daughter... Riley is enjoying her first time dancing on a bar. :) haha! No more dancing on bars for you! Quick Daddy get your beer before she knocks it over because she is a crazy dancer!!

Ciao! Riley was pooped out after dinner so GG and Grampy took her home to her warm bed. Thanks GG and Grampy for enjoyed a fun weekend with Riley while Ryan and I were involved in all the wedding festivities. Ryan said he owes you some Brady-sitting for all your help. :)

motor boat

2008-10-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Practice singing Motor Boat, Motor Boat...
Our crazy wedding weekend will not keep us out of the pool! We will just take a quick swim before going to Unkey Seany and Aunt Jennie's rehearsal dinner. (p.s. you will not be seeing any photos of the rehearsal dinner for a reason! haha!)

Teething

2008-10-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Put something in my mouth! Anything! I need to chew on something... more teeth are ready to pop! AHH!

Please anything... cold keys, dirt, fingers or crunchy fall leaves... I just need something to bite down on!

Gotta love a teething baby!

my buddy Andrew

2008-10-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

We missed our buddy Andrew! Life gets so busy... and we know that is not a good excuse not to see our friends for a while... but sometimes life takes over.

We couldn't believe how big he has gotten! Andrew is the same weight as Riley now. Tiny Riley won't let that get her down as she cruises in her lion walker around Andrew. :) haha!
We had a great time hanging out with Andrew. But we know it won't be too long before we see him next because closing day of the ice cream shop is coming up and we need to "celebrate" (if thats what you want to call it) Closing Day of the Newtown Ice Cream Shop. Can we say Avalanche?

daddy made it to swim!!!

2008-10-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of our daddy! After a night celebrating Unkey Seany's bachelor party he woke up and was able to make it down to swim class! He is that devoted... or he just really likes swimming in the YMCA's pool? hmmm... Daddy's girl!

Welcome Dante

2008-10-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

See Tatiana? Tati is the one all the way to the left... she was in my 1st grade class a few years ago. During that year her mom helped out 2x a week... SUPER MOM! Tati's sister and father also came in to help often. At the end of the year the Cuneo family invited us out to dinner with the Fusaros and Gulianos. From there an "entertaining" friendship developed. :)

The friendship was now taken to a new level. After getting the girls out of school to go to the hospital... I was invited in to be part of Dante's birth. Yes! You read this right... I was invited into the delivery room! This was most unreal experience! Watching from different view then last time I was in the delivery room was amazing!! WOW! I really am speechless...

Riley was so excited to meet Dante! She is usually the considered tiny with friends... hopefully she has him beat for a few more months. :)

Good Morning 7 month older!!

2008-10-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Riley! Can you believe you are 7 months old now!! WOW! Old Lady!!

When waking up to you this morning... and a few times during the night... I had to laugh at our new sleeping habits. I could sleep for hours and was the hardest person to wake up... 7 months ago. Your dad was a sound sleeper and nothing could wake me up... 7 months ago. 7 months ago we slept through the night...

Now I am eating my words when I used to say my baby would be a good sleeper and sleep through the night. I can't believe I am actually getting used the the middle of the night feeding. I can't wait until I can sleep through the night again BUT I hear that once you become a parent you never sleep the same. You are worth it! (and that is coming from someone who LOVED to sleep)

Sleep is for the weak!