Memory Lane

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

EVERYBODY PLAY! I want to see what memories are out there!

Rainy Days!

We had one more day of rain and this time it actually poured for about 25 minutes! Yipee! I thought I'd include a few cute pictures of Lydia playing in the rain. She got soaked but had a wonderful time doing it!

Summer Showers!

I love it when it rains in the summer time! When we lived in Albuquerque I so looked forward to the crazy summer monsoon rains in late July and August. When we moved to Pennsylvania they had record rains in July just two weeks after we moved there. It rained almost non stop for four days and flooded the bridge connecting us to town! I love the rain in the East because it is just like the movies. One second it is sunny then you hear a crash of thunder and it is dumping buckets in seconds. You literally have no time to run for cover. We have lots of funny memories about being out for a walk or out and about, then racing home in the rain completely soaked!

Of course living in St.George, summer rain showers are RARE! So when it was pouring on Friday night I just had to sit and watch it out the window. I tried to open the door but the wind was blowing so hard it started coming in the house. I even showed Emmett his first rain storm! Today it also rained for about 5 minutes! Lydia and I threw on our shoes and our rain jackets and went out to play in it. By the time we got outside it was only sprinkling but we still had fun dancing in the rain, catching rain drops on our tongues and Lydia even did somersaults in the grass. If only we'd had a puddle to jump in! Maybe next time.

That's Our Boy!

I can hardly believe that Emmett is already two weeks old! He is such a joy and while Dan can't wait for him to grow big so they can wrestle, I just want to freeze him like this forever. I forgot how much I love to snuggle soft new little babies. I love how good they smell and I love all the cute faces they make.
Emmett had his two week appointment Wednesday and is healthy as can be! He weighs 9 lb 15oz and is now 22 inches long. We couldn't believe he's already gained a pound and grown an inch since he was born! Hooray for Healthy Baby! Due to his gaining so well the doctor also gave me the go ahead to not wake him up in the night for feeding but to just let him sleep until he wakes up hungry. I was ecstatic! It is amazing what even just one more hour of sleep at night can do for you. I feel like a new woman!
Emmett is a sincere joy in our home. He is such a happy and content little guy. He melts our hearts with smiles everyday and impresses us with how strong he is. He actually enjoys tummy time (Lydia did not at his age)! He holds his head up really well now and when he's had enough he uses whatever strength is left to push himself up to his arms and then rock/lean all his weight to the side in order to roll to his back. We are all amazed, especially his big sister Lydia!
Lydia is the best big sister ever! She loves to hold her brother through out the day and is the first to come running when he cries. If only you could hear her high pitched squeaky little voice, "Don't Cry Emmett, Don't Cry!" then repeat it twenty times. I think sometimes her squealing it in his little face actually makes him cry harder but she thinks she's being the biggest helper so it's really rather cute! She also loves to point out that, "He has no teeth," or "He came out Mama's belly, "Look at his tiny toes," and "He's sooo Cute," are a few of my other favorites. The one that tops them all is when she comes over and hugs us all at the same time while exclaiming, "We're FAMILY!" Lydia really is loving this new baby and we have noticed a renewed interest in her baby doll. She likes to change "baby sisters" diaper while I change Emmett, or feed her baby "through my belly" (putting the baby doll's mouth up to her belly button) while I feed the baby. She even helps us give him a bath. We're so grateful she loves him so much.

Besides adoring her baby brother, Lydia continues to grow and entertain us daily. Her imagination is so rich and she keeps us fascinated at the things she notices and retains. She is like a little sponge. For example the other day we were counting the stairs as we walked down them. We finished at 13 on the last step. She then said, "Now we do it in Panish (spanish) Una, dos, tres, cinco, quatro!" So she was pretty close, but I was shocked, I didn't know she could count to five in Spanish. She does have a Dora book that counts to five in Spanish but we haven't read it for a while. It was darling and you'd better believe Dan was excited when she did it for him after work! That's his little Hijita. I think my other two favorite Lydi-isms of the week are discovering that when she asks where's my "keni" or for "keni bread" she's talking about Zucchini Bread. And my all time favorite is when she's feeling independent and tells me, "Mom, I do it all my byself!" We Love You Lydia!

Happy 4th of July!

So I'm a few days late but at least I'm still making journal entries. Who could have thought life with two children could be so crazy and yet wonderful! I have an increased admiration for all you mother's of two and more who make mothering look so graceful!

That said I wanted to post some pictures of my kids looking festive and reflect on what a wonderful 4th of July we had. I love Holidays because my husband gets the day off of work and we get to spend time as a family. I especially love the 4th because I love this great nation we live in. Yes, I am Proud to be an American!
We woke up on the 4th and Lydia looked out the window only to see an American Flag waving in our front yard (the ones the Scouts drive around and put up on all the holidays). She was so excited about "The Mamerican Flag" and pointed it out all day long. It also provided us a great opportunity to talk about our flag and what it represents. She was so interested in learning about the Pledge of Allegiance and how our nation won it's Independence! Teaching her about it made me stop and think about it and I sincerely felt grateful to live here in America and have all the wonderful freedoms I have. Truly, life is good! We spent most of the day together at home and then went up to Dan's brother's house for a fun BBQ. It was fantastic to be with so many of the Riding family and fun to see all the kids get excited about little fireworks like "pops," "snakes," and "sparklers!"
My mom bought these darling little 4th of July outfits for the kids while she was here and we tried dressing them up for some fun pictures. Below is a picture of how they really felt about taking pictures!
Are We Done Yet?!

We really love the clothes! Thank you Grandma!

Proud Wife with Bragging Rights!

So I've been wanting to make a post but have become so swamped with life as a mother of two that it is hard to find time to get on the computer. Emmett is sleeping (can you believe he is a week old today?!) and Dan and Lydia went out for some Daddy/Daughter time so I am taking a quick moment to brag about my awesome husband.

Not only is Dan the best Daddy and Husband in the world but he is also a really smart Pharmacist. This week he recieved word that an article he wrote was published! He wrote a really great article back in Pharmacy school and over a year ago one of his old professors, Joe Anderson, contacted him asking if he would be willing to have it published in a medical journal.

Unless you're into this kind of jargon it might be a little boring to read so I spared you from attaching the entire article. If you are into this though you will probably be impressed and I put the reference at the bottom so you can access it if you'd like! Either way I am so proud of Dan and all his education and hardwork to provide for us. He is so amazing and it is so exciting that he has something published! Way to go Dan!

_____________CURBSIDE CONSULT_____________
Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors in Patients With Renal
Insufficiency Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Joe R. Anderson, PharmD,* and Dan Riding, PharmD†
Abstract: Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists (GPRAs) are
agents that block the final common pathway in platelet aggregation
by inhibiting the binding of fibrinogen to the GPR on the surface of
activated platelets, which then decreases crosslinking of platelets
and thus platelet aggregation. Treatment guidelines recommend that
patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) be
treated with a regimen of antithrombotic therapy that includes a
GPRA to decrease the risk of ischemic events.
Copyright © 2008 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

ISSN: 1061-5377/08/1604-0213
DOI: 10.1097/CRD.0b013e31817a7de9
Cardiology in Review • Volume 16, Number 4, July/August 2008 213

Anderson and Riding Cardiology in Review • Volume 16, Number 4, July/August 2008