Grinders

After football Riley joined back up with he Grinders, the day before his first tournament he broke his collar bone snowboarding....so he took 7 weeks off and is back at it. He is playing AA on the Green team and loving every minute of it! Nix got to come along for a few games today and was pretty into it as well....maybe he is a future catcher like his big brother.

Tackle Football

Dirt field

Riley built a jump at the dirt field this week on winter break with some friends....this kid has way to much energy. He loaded up my bike trailer with tubs of water, shovels and other tools and built a sweet jump and thankfully no trips to the emergency room!

LL Baseball

Still a little sad about the loss

The Durham Bulls

Coach Bond

Riley has been playing LL baseball for the Durham Bulls and a club team called the Predators. He has improved so much this year. He has been paying catcher for his LL team and catcher and right field for the club team. He absolutely loves baseball and it is so fun and exciting to watch. His LL team went into the losers bracket in the tournament and then won 4 games in a row to get to the championship game where he played his best friends team. The game was so intense and exciting. They ended up losing by 1 run...It was so fun! I sure hope he always loves baseball as much as he has this year.

He tried out for All-Stars and made the team...I don't think I have ever seen him as excited as when the coach called to tell him he had made the team. Part of the all stars season was going to be when we were on our family vacation San Diego so Riley got to fly home half way through to practice and play. Not sure what he was more excited about flying home or playing on the all start team.

Of note...as everyone knows I am the worst picture taker every, I have no pictures of him playing all-stars or pictures of him playing on his club team. Sorry Riley!

Pinewood Derby

Well not the greatest pictures but I left Ryan in charge as Hayley had soccer practice at the same time so this is what we got....This year's pinewood derby was a little last minute to say the least. The entire month since we got the block of wood Riley had said he was going to use one of his previous 2 cars and just fix them up a bit and with how busy Ryan was he was more than fine with that idea. The night before Ryan was leaving to go out of town Riley decided that it was against the rules to do that and he needed a new car....AHHHHH, Ryan was a little disgruntled to say the least but by 11:30 that night we had a new car which we have no picture of. It was a good car and raced well. The boys had a great time and another year of pinewood derby car making under our belt.

Stolen bike

Riley called tonight from Tanners (his best friend) hysterical....I could not even understand him he was so upset. When I finally got the story....his bike had been stolen from Tanner's garage! OMG...the bike he worked for months to buy after having another bike stolen. I could not take it he has been so responsible he will not even leave it outside while he goes in to open the garage to put it away. The next morning when Riley was saying prayers he said "let the person who has my bike ride it a little longer and then give it back"....only him....We decided to make flyer....and it paid off! Long story short...it was found at the junior high and he got it back. He was so excited....and the kid came over to give Riley a letter he had written to apologize and my sweet 10-year-old boy felt so bad for him he started to cry when he read the letter :-(. The kid was really sorry and hopefully will never it do it again but it was a great lesson on both sides and hopefully all my children realize how serious it is to steal and how many people are effected by each choice you make in life...

Pop Warner Football

At the beginning when we signed up and went to the first 4 hour practice I was trying to decide if I thought this was a cult or just something parents do to punish there kids....but now I have joined the club of ridiculously crazy people to put everything in their life on hold for 2 months of football season and I LOVE IT! I thought for sure Riley would get hit or hit someone and breakdown because he I know how sensitive my baby boy is but no such luck....he is a maniac out there! He played offense, defense and special teams doing kick off blocking and even punted a few times. This kid was made to play football he is a blocking machine. The made a play for him called special B...where they hiked it to him and he would run it. He was so excited and everyone was yelling different orders from the side lines "move up, get low, back up, etc", the ball gets hiked right to his face and he drops it....oh man I could have cried but they ran it again and he held onto and ran it through the gap. He absolutely loves it. For a few years he has always said he wanted to be a professional baseball player and now he is convinced he is going to play football for BYU that way he won't have to play on Sundays. He has loved every minute of this season....from the first month of 4 hour practices five days a week to 8 a.m. away games where he has to leave by 5:30 to get warmed up. We are proud of you Riley!

HARD WORK!

Over the last year Riley has had two bikes stolen. He has been riding his sisters pink mountain bike every where he goes and having to ask her each time. Since the bikes were stollen because they were left out and we really wanted to teach him to be responsible for his own stuff. We made a deal with him, we would pay for half of another bike but he had to earn half the money himself. So all summer long he has been working...babysitting, doing extra chores, mowing the pasture at Papa Bobs, waters peoples plants while they are out of town, etc. With school approaching and summer winding down he decided this week that he wanted to get the bike. He went to a few stores and he found one he really wanted. He counted out his money and was $36 short. He was supposed to go to papas and work but the monsoon storms put a damper on that. So he was bugging me and bugging me for something to do to earn money....so I told him he could wash out our big black garbage can for $5 and since it was trash day he could go down the street and ask if any of our neighbors wanted theres done too. This little job turned into quite the money maker...people were driving by asking if he could do theres. I think it was a bit harder than he thought it would be but he worked his little butt off for hours. He learned some great lessons today and I am so proud of him and what a hard worker he is! It always amazing me how motivated this kid is...he never gives up when he wants something. We love you Ribug!

Boy Soout Day Camp

Riley and Tanner learning to shoot....side note $2500 fine for the parents of any child who shoots any kind of animal at camp....(glad I was there to remind my kid :0)

The boys making up there cheer....which they yelled periodically all day long.

All the boys on check in...before we got our awsome red piarte shirts.

Riley had day camp for boy scouts this week....Its three days from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day. They ask for each parent to volunteer to go one day....it didn't really sound that appealing...middle of the desert, 100 degree heat, dirt, dust, sack lunch with a bunch of dirty sweaty boys learning how to shoot Beebe guns but boy how wrong I was...IT WAS A BLAST! I went Thursday, it was the first day and WOW so fun...I have a whole new respect for "professional boy scouts" and water balloons. Basically you show up and each den has there own camp...we had 10 boys and we were den 25. You camp consists of a picnic table, awning for shade and a water spicket (water balloons are what camp is all about apparently). When we first got there the boys immediately started filling up water balloons...there were other dens all around us and they were having meetings and talking to their boys....my boys were in the bushes preparing to bomb anyone and everyone. I had no idea of the edicate for this type of situation so I run over and let the other leader know what is about to happen and she starts yelling...."IMMINENT THREAT, IMMINENT THREAT" and her boys scattered and the attack began....water balloons filing everywhere. We learned how to shoot, archery, swimming, knot tying, sports, bow and arrow, arts & crafts, not to mention the chronic water balloon attacks. It was fun to see Riley interact with his friends and to see how fun camp is for all the boys. They have a trading post where the boys can buy things and they had these old school slush puppies icee machines...yummy, I think this might have been the highlight of the day for me!

Rivercats baseball 2009

RIVERCATS....

Wow - The season has gone by so fast. Riley got drafted to the Rivercat this year. They had a great team with very good coaches. Ryan helped coach and Riley begged him to play almost every day there was not a game or practice....the kids is dye hard for baseball. There team was very competitive and a lot of the kids were from our neighborhood...including Riley's best friend Tanner which made it very easy for carpooling and. Riley played great and got a lot of good experience at catcher and third base. He practiced pitching a little but never actually pitched in a game. One of my favorite memories from this season was in our last game of regular season. Riley was playing third base a kid tried to steal and came sliding in from second the catcher threw to Riley and from the bleachers it looked like Riley tagged him out....the ump called it an out and that ended the inning. When he came into the dug out I heard him discussing something with Ryan and then he came out to talk to me....I could see the sadness in his poor little face. Real quite he says "I never really tagged the kid...I feel so bad for him. I wanted to tell the ump but dad said calls go both ways and some times they call us out when we were safe, that's baseball give and take." The poor kid felt horrible about it. I love how sensitive he is and how his life revolves around HONESTY and following rules. There team ended up making it to the semi finals and lost last night to an undefeated team. We were up 3 to 2 going into the last inning and they had some good hits which resulted in a close call at home for a 4 to 3 loss. Riley you are such a good boy...we love you very much and are very pound of the amazing season you have had.

Leprechaum trap

Every month Riley has to do a family "fun" project and this month he had to make a leprechaun trap....he was so proud of it and this month it really was a group effort (usually it is me making suggestions and then doing them while he sits and watches). Everyone added there advise and Riley made most of it will a little help, Paige even made a box for fun. Great Job Riley!

BTW - is that Ryan in the background still in bed before the kids go to school? Must be nice :-)

Feburary Pac Meeting

Riley is a Bear now...and he has really enjoyed scouts. This mont for pac meeting the theme was Amercian ABC and we had to make a cake and decorate it! Awsome...if you were creative which I am not. We decided on an outline of the United States wiht red stripes, he did a great job. We love you Riley bug!

A little side note for pac meeting...sadie loves it because she gets to eat a bunch of random things like a hot dog and not be in her high chair.

Alterations

This has got to be the funniest story that has happened to me in a long time...today I took Riley and Paige to get a couple of pairs of pants altered. They both seem to be growing bigger, just not taller, crazy bond genes :-) Anyway after they tried them on and the seamstress marked them, Riley calls me into the dressing room....a little freaked out, he wore the pants he was getting altered there? Hysterical...he had nothing to wear home. He had to streak out to the car from the place. So he is just chillin in his undies on the way home and there were a couple of kids on bikes from the school so I asked Riley if he wanted me to roll down the window so he could say whats up to his friends and he was so embarrassed...he said, "you are so dumb, just go". I was laughing so hard I could not contain myself....sorry Riley. In a few years, when I reveal this funny story to a girlfriend it will be much funnier :-) I dropped him off at home because I had to take Paige to tennis and I purposely pulled barely into the driveway so he had to streak across the driveway. Ryan was in the garage working on his dirt bike and was like, "what was that?" When I told him we were hysterically laughing....it was so funny. Riley I am glad you have such a laid back personality and you laugh at funny situations like this.

New Jeans $25
Alterations $10

Riley streaking across the parking lot PRICELESS

Note from Riley

So this morning I was doing my every morning activities, laundry, picking up breakfast, making beds (remaking them after the kids did them), blah blah blah...you get the idea, I am sure no different from every other mother out there....I go to Riley's room to put away some laundry and there is a pile of clean folded laundry and a pile of shirts that needed to be hung up with a note written in blue crayon saying, "can you do it thanks". I was home by myself, Sadie was napping and I was hysterically laughing. The laundry was from the day before and I remember asking him to take it to his room and put it way. I am a chronic not writer, I leave love notes in lunches, honey do notes for Ryan, lists of chores for the kids and notes all over the house to remind me of things....wonder where he got this idea?

Fall Baseball

What a bunch of posers...


The big hitter..how cute are those tight pants!

Wow, another season has come and gone! Riley played for a minor team this go round called the Diamond Backs. They were a great team, I think they only lost 2 or 3 games. Riley played catcher every game and he did great. He also played short and second. He had this funny routine every time he came up to the plate...not sure if this is exact but from what I can remember he would tap the bat on the plate twice, point to the outfield, swing the bat around once and then take a practice swing...wow this is a lot of work for a walk...because about 70% of time that is what happens in kid pitch minors. He had a great time and we really enjoyed watching him!

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY!

Freedom Skate Shop gift card! He was so happy.

Ridding the saddle at Texas Road House.

Just a little embarassed :-)

I cannot believe I have a 9-year-old...WOW, where does the time go. I can remember giving birth to this 8.8 oz baby boy 4 weeks early. All of the anxiety and worry about having a our first baby vanshied when we saw his little round face. Riley you are an amazing young man. I love how sweet and sensitive you are. You are always willing to help out!



Birthday wish list:


1. Wheels and barrings for his skateboard.


2. 2-pair of jeans.


3. Old skool black vans.

For his birthday Riley wanted to go on a three skate park skate tour...which means he wanted to skate at three skate parks in one day...he took a few of his friends skated all day and then grabbed some food with the boys on the way home. I forgot to take pictures of his party but we took him out to dinner on his birthday to Texas Roadhouse and I got a few pics there.

Sunday Service!

Riley is preparing to move from wolfs to bears in scouts and one of his achievements was to complete part of his faith in god booklet for church...one of the goals in this book was to do a service project for someone else. So last Sunday we decided to pick up trash for our neighborhood. We all got bags and rode up and down the main street in our neighborhood. All 4 of us picked up big bags of trash. Although sometimes it feels as if these little activities aren't making a difference in my children's life, I have hope that one day they will prove me wrong with an act of service all on their own!

Boys will be boys!

Ryan and Riley are constantly messing around....growing up as an only child for 12 years of my life, I am not used to so much teasing and pranks but Riley and Ryan are always at it. They snap each other with towels, throw balls at each other while running through the house, try to trip each other with pillows, etc. Its as if I live with two 8 years old not just one. Anyway Riley officially got one up on Ryan tonight....Ryan went in to kiss him good night and tuck him in (yes even though he is 8 we still tuck him in and give him a good night kiss...oh how sweet, I know:-)) and as Ryan leans down Riley rips back the covers and squirts Ryan in the face with a cold water bottle....it was hysterical. This then turned into an all out water fight right at bedtime. The girls heard the commotion and came down the hallway and Riley got both of them as they walked down the hall with the remaining water in the bottle. This kids is very creative...it looked like a regular old Kirkland water bottle with the lid on it but he had poked a hole in the top so he just squeezed it and out came the water. We love you Riley Bug...you are a funny guy!

Who are they?

As I am sure this is just the beginning but I have to say I think it is kind of fun. I love the madness and the drama now but in a few years I am sure it won't be as funny! :-) All was calm, Sadie was napping, Riley was at a friends, I was doing laundry, Ryan was doing what he does on Saturday afternoons, nothing (just kidding babe!) and the girls had a few friends over doing crafts and singing/dancing. As I was hanging up laundry in my closet I saw a group of boys run in front of the window...shirts tied around there heads so you could only see there eyes...hysterical. Who thinks of that and how in the world did they get them to stay on? I probably don't want to know what they are scheming up :-). So they snuck by my window, very sly, and started to spy on the girls...when they girls realized they were being spyed on they started running and screaming and then spying turned into chasing. It was great! I made the boys pose so I could take there picture.

Dog bite

On Sunday as we were packing up to come home from the cabin. I was coming from the big house with some garbage bags and Riley came running from the side of the bunk house screaming holding his chest...I have never heard him scream like that before. When he finally stopped crying, he lifted up his shirt and told me that uncle Jimbo's dog had bit him. I felt so bad for Riley...the picture did not do this horrible incident justice. After a few minutes he calmed down and and let me look at it a little better. There were some good teeth marks and it was already bruised but only broke the skin in one spot. Uncle Jim felt horrible.

On the way home I was trying to cheer Riley up and asked him if I could take a picture for the blog just joking with him and he said no, but the next day he let me! Thanks Riley.