We got snow in Hotlanta!

The backyard

For the first time this year, we got snow!!! Snow in the South is a big deal, but not to us Northerners. I actually don't mind the snow now since I know that it will be gone within 24 hours instead of around for months. We told the boys that we were going to get snow and they were so excited! When it started, we told them to look out their windows and they couldn't wait to go and play in it! Grant kept telling Riley, "It's snowing, Riley!"

Here are some pictures of the boys playing outside.....

Riley catching snowflakes on his tongue

Grant and his snowball Daddy made him, which he wanted to bring inside.

Daddy and Riley starting to make their snowman.....

The snowman, which Grant wanted to bring inside also.

Riley launching a snow ball at Daddy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting crafty....

I got crafty tonight!!! Yeah me!! I have been memorizing Scripture with Beth Moore and then found some posts on SplitCoastStampers that use Scripture as a focal point to your cards or scrapbook pages, so I decided why not!!

Here is what I made....

This 6x6 scrap page is for a few challenges on SplitCoastStampers.....the Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge and His Holy Name Challenge. For His Holy Name challenge, we are given an attribute of God to study...the first challenge was HOLY. I looked up verses and decided on Colossians 1:22. My plan is to put the pages from the challenges in a vertical album and showcase them somewhere in the house.

I have had this American Crafts paper for months now and did not want to cut it but decided this was a great project to use it! I will be trying to use it instead of hoarding it! :)

You will be seeing more pages like this!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Alexis

What happened!!!

Looks like Grant has gotten over the novelty of being a big boy and going on the potty!!! This week he did not want to wear underwear or sit on the potty. It crushes me because we went to the Mall of Georgia this morning and before we left I changed his diaper, when we got home at 1pm he was dry...I know....shame on me for not changing him while we were out but we checked and he didn't need to be changed... and he did not want to sit on the potty! I tried to bribe him with M&M's....which is his reward when he goes....but he really protested about it so I let it go. BUMMER!!! He was doing so well and now he doesn't want to go!!! Oh, well......maybe he will be potty trained so he can got to VBS (Vacation Bible School) this summer....aiming high!!! :)


Do you see how interesting my life has become that I am blogging about potty training!!!


I actually did do something crafty for my MOPS table.....I made them all Scripture Memory books but I forgot to take a picture before I handed them out. They were belated Valentine's gifts since I was a slacker and started them the night before our Valentine's Day meeting.

Ok...I have nothing else to say except Goodnight Y'all!!! ;)

Looks like we're potty training....

Grant seems to be ready for potty training...which causes some excitment and yet I am not sure I am ready for it. Last Thursday...or was it Tuesday.... I mentioned to his pre-school teacher that he had sat on the potty and actually went so they put him on the potty all morning and he STAYED DRY!!! I was shocked and very proud of him. Today, Daddy asked Grant if he had to go potty and he said yes and went again.....as I write this I realize that this is just exciting for me and no-one else....and since I was getting Riley from school while Grant went down for a nap, I am assuming Daddy had him go before nap and he woke up dry...needless to say he went when I got him up!! It's exciting since I am finally coming to the end of diaper duty!!! Not to mention, not having to tote around diapers and wipes!!! Wooohoooo! But, again I am not sure if I am ready for the work that goes into potty training. Grant is definitely ahead of Riley....though I am sure we probably could have Riley trained by 3 but were moving. Riley was actually trained pretty quick once the move was over. So we will see!!!!! :) We do have to work on pulling up pants.....he can pull them down ok....

Anywho......see how exciting my life is......

My little guy is 5 today!!!

5 yrs old

I cannot believe my little guy is 5 today! He really isn't little anymore! I told him he couldn't grow up anymore since it makes be sad, and he told me he has to, meanwhile his little brother kept telling me not to be sad! He will be in kindergarten in August and I just cannot believe it!

I still remember when I thought I was pregnant with him....it was the end of April in 2003, I was working at our church (Grace Fellowship) and I was on my way home from work , driving on the Northway, when I got a whiff of the fresh cut grass. Prior to having Riley, I did not like the smell of fresh cut grass, I guess maybe that comes from growing up near the city and not in the country (which is what I thought the Capital Region was when I got there for college, which later became what I called home). It smelled sweet and I really did not mind it as much. When I got home I told J what happened and that I thought it was strange. I think I waited to take a test out of fear that I wasn't pregnant since we tried for 1 1/2 years and I had a miscarriage that March (I remember being on bed rest and watching the beginning of the Gulf War, which was also the time that B was pregnant with Cammie and Christa was pregnant with Jared, and little Miss Ashley was born) but we were so excited to find out out we were going to have a baby!!! :) It was finally our turn...we were the only couple in our group of friends who weren't pregnant or didn't already have a baby and I wanted to be pregnant so bad!!!! We decided to wait until we had an ultrasound to tell everyone, friends and family, our news which also happen to be J's 30th birthday and we were having a party from him. We had our first pictures of the baby and I gave them to my mother to look at and she said to me as she was looking at them, "Why are you giving me pictures of Kristan's ultrasound." She obviously didn't get it until I told her to look at the name on the ultrasound picture. Then of course, she started to cry! Little did I know that both of my parents (who are divorced) were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first grandchild.

My OB was great but a little on the neurotic side. At each monthly visit I was reminded that J was a big guy and I was on the petite side so I needed to watch what I ate (stay away from carbs and sweets) or else the baby was going to be a big one! I really didn't listen....it was a frequent occurrence for me to get bread bowls from ABC for lunch (remember those days Roo) and eat it all or have a candy bar! :) I loved being pregnant until the last few weeks, then I was ready for this baby to get out!!! The week Riley was born I had gone in for false labor and as I was getting discharged, the nurses had my OB on the phone and she asked if I wanted to be induced and I said yes!!! Being induced gave all of my family that lived out of town a chance to be there. I called Mama Yo (as my kids called their grandmother) and she made arrangements to be there at the hospital and Pee-Paw (as my kids call their grandfather, thanks to their cousin Kaitlyn) to fly in from Memphis. We got early since I had to be there for 6am and remember J and I looking at each other and saying that the next time we came home there would be three of us instead of two (we were so ready for us to be three).

Labor was fine. During this time my mom arrived and was visiting with us, J explained all the machines I was hooked up to and they were looking at the machine that monitored contractions and my loving mother said, "Lex ,you are having a contraction" and me, not so lovingly said, "I know mother." Soon after that, my wonderful epidural was administered and life was good!! As we were waiting the arrival of our addition, J was roaming the halls as I slept, and he bumped into friends who were going through their own labor. J walked into the room and said, "Look, who I found." and in walked the Nygaards. (Hello, Nygaards! Ian was born a few hours before Riley...Happy Birthday, Ian....Nygaards, we are forever bonded!!! :)) At around 6:30, my OB came in to check on me before she went home for dinner and told us it was time!!! At 6:52, she announced that it was a boy and we welcomed Riley Allan Ridgway in our lives!!!! Pee-Paw arrived just as J walked into the waiting area to tell everyone that they had a grandson!!! He weighed 6 lbs and 15 oz and life has never be the same! ;P

As I said in the beginning of the post, I think about that day and I cannot believe that he is 5 years old!!! He is growing up to be the sweetest little thing and he daily makes my heart melt by telling me a secret...his secret is that he loves me!!

BTW - Most of Riley's infant pictures were actual photos...we weren't caught up in the digital era hence the 9 mo picture at the top...that was the youngest photo we had on the computer and I was too lazy to scan a newborn picture.

Thanks for sharing in my celebration of my little man!!!

I am an Ingrid...

I found this quiz on a friend's blog...hey Mitzy!!! ;)



You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me
* Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.
* Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.
* Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.
* Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.
* Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid
* my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level
* my ability to establish warm connections with people
* admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life
* my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor
* being unique and being seen as unique by others
* having aesthetic sensibilities
* being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid
* experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair
* feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved
* feeling guilty when I disappoint people
* feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me
* expecting too much from myself and life
* fearing being abandoned
* obsessing over resentments
* longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often
* have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games
* are very sensitive
* feel that they don't fit in
* believe they are missing something that other people have
* attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.
* become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood
* feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents
* help their children become who they really are
* support their children's creativity and originality
* are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings
* are sometimes overly critical or overly protective
* are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed



Take the quiz...

Riley and His Chicks

Ok..here are some pictures of Riley and his chicks for his birthday party....

Riley and Addy....

Riley and Rylee....at school, they are in the same class and are affectionately know as Riley-boy and Rylee - girl.

When she was leaving, she turned around and gave Riley a hug and then they kissed each other on the cheek. Jenny (her mom) and I were laughing.....Rylee then turned around and said, "Bye, Sweetie" and Riley replied in kind, "Bye, Sweetie Pie."

Riley and Mattie...

Mattie told her mom, Kim, that she was going to marry him. :) Notice the face on Riley and how they are hugging each other....I may be in trouble! ;)

Riley and McKenna....

When they saw each other, they gave each other a huge hug....it was so sweet.

During the party, they all said they wanted to marry Riley....

Hope you enjoyed pictures of my little guy and his chicks!

My Little Boy is growing up!!!!

Today was a busy day for us!!

This morning we celebrated Riley's 5th birthday at Monkey Joe's with some of his buds!! Yes, my little guy is going to be 5 on Thursday...I cannot believe it! Jeff and I have been looking into registration stuff for the Fall and we register for Kindergarten at the end of April. I have mixed feelings about the whole idea of my first born going to Kindergarten....anywho... some pictures of the fun that was had!

Riley and his fellow party-ers....can you tell what kind of day we're having with Grant?!?! We were also missing R's buddy, Thomas. Notice that Riley is surrounded by girls...we nicknamed them his chicks....they all said that they want to marry him! :) And I am not opposed to any of them marrying my son.....I am all for arranged marriages with families I know! We took individual pictures of him with his chicks and they came out adorable.....

I tried to post some pictures of Riley and his girls but I can't rotate them!! I will try tomorrow...maybe. :)

Riley's cake...a Madagascar cake...

Here is Riley blowing out his candles....try not to pay to much attention to the movement of the camera, I was trying to tame some of the drama in the background...also notice the faces of Riley and his freinds regarding the drama...

After Riley's party, we went to another party for another friend!!! So ladies and gents (if there are any that read this), I am officially all partied out!

Have a great night!

Uh-oh.......

I am not even sure how to write this, so I will just post it.....



I read this on a blog that I read frequently and it can be found FOXNews.com



President Obama will issue an executive order on Thursday reversing the Bush administration policy that bans the use of federal dollars by non-govermental organizations that discuss or provide abortions outside of the United States.
Obama will sign the executive order on the 36th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states.
The policy, known in governmental circles as the "Mexico City policy," requires any non-governmental organization to agree before receiving U.S. funds that they will "neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations."
The language was announced at the United Nations International Conference on Population in 1984, and was approved by President Reagan and originally drafted by his assistant secretary of state, Alan Keyes.
Keyes ran unsuccessfully as the GOP nominee against Obama for the U.S. Se

nate in 2004.
President George Herbert Walker Bush continued Reagan's Mexico City policy.
President Bill Clinton issued an executive order lifting the ban on Jan. 22, 1993. President George W. Bush issued an executive order re-instating the ban on federal dollars for NGOs that discuss or provide abortions on Jan. 22, 2001.



Just makes me sad!!!

What an exciting day!!!

Ok...I know my title took some of you by surprise! I did not vote for Barak, but I have to say that today was an exciting day....a historical day! America now has an African American president! There are no barriers any more.....ANYONE can be president. I can tell my kids what I was doing on the day the President was sworn in. Just think, this day will probably be in the history books our kids read in school. I DVR'd it so I will probably watch it all tomorrow along with the rest of Bachelor and American Idol!

G'night!
Alexis

Scripture Memorization

I did something crafty today!!!! Yeah me!! It actually was very easy and would have taken me a whole 15- 30 mintes if I had my act together!

I have taken Beth Moore' challenge and teamed up to memorize Scripture for 2009. This was a goal for me this year anyway so I thought why not! I am not very good at memorization but I know to renew my mind, I need to read and hide God's Word in my heart.

I purchased index cards that are on a spiral and just altered the cover with some American Crafts paper (LOVE AC). I used Verve's Plain Jane's Psalm 37:4 stamp for my verse (just noticed that they have some more that I NEED) and some American Crafcts ribbon. I am not too sure about the ribbon though. I unwound the spiral from the front and covered it with the paper and just wound it back on...pretty easy. Viola....now I am all ready to add some verses to the inside. Psalm 37: 4 is not a bad one to start with!

Have a great day....

Alexis

Merry Christmas

Sorry it has been so long.....

In the spirit of Christmas,

From Our Family to Yours,

Merry Christmas!

Love, The Ridgways

PS....My goal for the New Year is to post at least twice a week (for those of you who read my silly little blog).

God's Blessings

Please go over and read Amy's amazing story about the past year!!! What a great story and a true testament to how God "will never leave us or forsake us."

So it's been a while....

Sorry, it's been awhile since I have posted anything! August has been a big blur for us. The first week, we had great grandparents and grandpa visiting. The second week, pre-school started for the boys, and last week we were at Mama Yo's house. So this week, we tried to get back to our routine. That's why I have been missing ( for anyone who is reading my little ole blog...thank for reading!)

The boys and the great grandparents...

Let's see what I have for you as far as eye candy....
I made this card for Anni-Verve-sary sketches.
Verve really has great stamps...should check them out.

How about one more....

Another one for the Anni-Verve-sary Sketches.

Not a big butterfly person but I like these.

Thanks for checking in!!
Alexis

Whose desk is it anyway?!?!

It seems with DH working from home my stamping time is getting pushed out. Since he has a nice big desk now, that is where I like to do my stamping now instead of the kitchen table and my closet is close by when I am at the desk. So basically he's been hogging it up! But now I can reclaim "my" desk since he is at training! Maybe some day I will have my own stamping space! A girl can dream right? Well, I could make the guest room my stamping HQ.......hmmmmm.

Anyhooo, here are some cards I made this week.......actually I made two on Tuesday night and two today (but I am only posting one that I maade today).

This card I made for the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS. I really like this layout. I may have tomake some more cards like this with different patterned paper.

This card I made for a blog that I read...every Saturday Lauren throws out a card sketch And Kristina's Color Inspiration.

This card as made for two of the challenges on SCS...the Technique Lover's challenge and the Color Combo Challenge and Mojo Monday.

See, I'm really not that creative, I just do what other crafters tell me to do! :)

Gotta go get me some ice cream...need the energy to make some more cards!

Have a great night....
Alexis

One smart cookie!!!!

I wasn't going to post today but I guess I will. No crafts today, just a post about Riley!

The other day he was playing with the LeapFrog magnets in the kitchen, I think I was doing dishes (I cannot believe he still enjoys playing with them). And he started talking about our neighbor's dog, Puggy, and then next thing I know, he has spelled out his very first sentence, pretty much by himself (he needed a little help with Puggy), and placed all the letters on top of the freezer. I was shocked. He has started to read by himself...which I am also amazed about but J has been doing a great job when he reads to him with sounding out words.

So here he is with his sentence......


Here he is spelling out Complex Words Complex (which is from a LeapFrog video,can you tell we are big LeapFrog fans!)




Hopefully, he will be an avid reader like his mommy! :)

Have your cake and eat it too!

We have a family birthday coming up and this is the card they are getting! I am not mentioning any names in case they are reading this! :) It is also for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge.



This is the front:







This is the inside:



The Cupcake pops up when you open the card.

Two posts in one day!

I don't think I will have anymore for today so have a nice weekend!






Supplies, unless noted all supplies from Stampin' Up:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Chocolaye Chip, Pretty in Pink, Provo Craft Designer Paper
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Staz-on Black, Prismacolor Pencils/OMS
Accessories: Cirlcle punches (1 1/4, 1 3/8), Chocolate Chip Twill ribbon

Go check out Allison's blog....

If you are a paper crafter/scrapbooker, you need to subscribe to Allison's blog. She does all the hard work for you, especially when it comes to finding new blogs, and she has great cards. She has added my little ole blog to her Newly Discovered post.



Thank you so much Allison for visiting little ole Naptime Stamper!!!!



Alexis

A Flower for You

I have been trying to make a card/stamp once a day. It helps that I have tons of blogs that I read to help inspire me! Here is one blog that I read weekly....Poetic Artistry.... and every week she posts a card sketch to get you going. Here is Julee's sketch....

Here is my card....

The colors came from bedding I saw in this week's Linens and Things Sunday ad.

Thanks for stopping by!

Alexis

Letters for the Twins

This is a project I made for my neighbor who had twin girls 3 months ago. That wasn't her plan, she was just hoping for one healthy baby and was blessed with two healthy babies. She did not know that twins ran in her family, and I think the husband's. The girls are doing great..smiling, getting chunky, and sleeping through the night! Go girls! I had made similar letters for her older daughter and she asked me to make some for the twins.

Here are the letters close up.....I just loved the ladybug paper. The girls room is decorated in these colors!

Thanks for stopping by!

Alexis