If you ever find yourself in Parsippany, New Jersey...

stop by the Novartis corporate offices to check out Matt's latest project!

Best Dressed from the Blue Carpet

Or is the jailbird look so last year?

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...

I don't normally veer from my blog's Riley-centric focus, but I owe my good friend Katie a Q&A about...Matt! And me! So enjoy. (Or skip it if you're just into Riley.)

Your husband's name? I call him Matthew or Dude, but everyone else calls him Matt.

How long have you been together? We met ten years ago, and we got married 3 1/2 years later. (He waited patiently while I spent 1 1/2 years in Switzerland.)

Who said I love you first? I think I did... Is it terrible that we can't remember? We had dated forever by then...

Who is smarter? He says I am. I'm smart enough not to argue with that.

Who does the housework? Uh, nobody? (Ok, I do laundry, we share dishes, he does trash, and we both avoid the cleaning part.)

Who sleeps on the right? Me. (Closer to the bathroom and the child.)

Who pays the bills? I do everything with the money except earn it. (Except I'd like to think I help a little with that, too.)

Who cooks dinner? Me.

Who drives when you're together? Matt. Except those terrible Guillan-Barré months when he didn't have the ankle strength to push the gas pedal. 

Who's more stubborn? I think I am. Matt thinks he is. But honestly, neither of us really are.

Who kissed whom first? Matt made the move. Out of nowhere.

Who asked whom out first? Huh? Dates? We had Biology 101 together. Too busy studying to date. (We really studied, I swear! And we both got A's to prove it!)

Who proposed? Matt, in five feet of snow in Provo Canyon.

Who has more siblings? Me, no contest. 11 vs. 4.

Who wears the pants? We share them. (We really are the same pant size! Pathetic for us both, eh?)

Any other questions?

Back when we were young and carefree.

Look! I dressed myself!

No, wait. Daddy dressed me!

Just teasing, Matt. Thanks for watching (and dressing) her Saturday morning!

Oh, the Irony

Riley slept until 9 this morning, something she hasn't done in months.

This--the chance to sleep in!--is normally cause for celebration.

But of course it was the morning I woke up unusually early to run with my friend Laura, something I haven't done in months.

Riley, could we maybe coordinate schedules next time?

Guess Who's Baby Hungry?

No, it's not me.

Lately, whenever Riley sees a baby, stroller, carseat, or bjorn, she points and yells out, "bay-beeee!"

Then yesterday at church, she approached a baby-faced bald man, patted his cheeks, smiled, and said affectionately, "bay-beeee."

Riley, you of all people should know that babies and baldness are not synonymous.

Riley as a five-week-old bay-bee

Choices, Choices

Yesterday I let Riley choose between blueberries and a sugar cookie.

She opted for the blueberries...

...and then the frosting.

Happy compromise, happy girl, happy mom (as seen below).

Be Mine. Puhleeease?

Matt went to Jersey to install a mobile, but his trip  got extended an extra day. So Riley and Sheri (who's home from college for the weekend) kindly filled in as my Valentine.

I hope your Valentine's Day was equally (or more, really) magical!

Lucky Number 7

That's how many haircuts Riley's had. In less than a year. (Does cottage cheese spur hair growth or something?)

The Weigh-In

My five-year-old had her 18-month checkup today.

She's now 32 1/2 inches tall (75-90 percentile) and 22 pounds (25 percentile).

And she's completely healthy and completely normal.

...except the nurse who pinned her down for her four(!) shots kept saying, "Wow, she's strong. Strongest kid all day. Stronger than a three year old. She is so strong."

So, yeah. Apparently our string bean is freakishly strong.

Excuses, Excuses

I know, I know. I've neglected my blog a little too long.

Here are my lame reasons why:

No camera. The good one's getting repaired. Then Matt took the not-good one to his shop, and I've yet to reclaim it.

Illness. Matt and Riley both got colds. Not that it's impossible to blog under those circumstances, but it sure is easier not to.

Busyness. Caused by the business.

Winter blahs. Not much fun happening these days. Is it spring yet? (Houston friends, feel free to taunt.)

In closing, a random picture of Riley taken at some point during January. Is it just me, or does she like she's about FIVE here?