Four!

We just celebrated Riley's fourth birthday. For the record, Riley may be the only child who's not eager to get older, bigger, and wiser. When we tell her how big she's getting, she demands, "No, not yet!"

Then again, a weekend of birthday fun (and too many presents) has gotten her excited about having more birthdays...

And by the way, in a moment of sheer brilliance, I bought two pair of those star jammies. So plan on seeing them often.

Mini Vacation

We took a quick trip to Seattle last week. It involved a pleasant Amtrak train ride, the best-ever salami sandwiches, a children's museum visit, an aquarium visit, and a healthy amount of roaming the city.

The highlight, however, may have been the evening my sister Sheri, who recently moved to the area, babysat Riley so Matt and I could eat out. Our meal was amazing, and Riley had a great time, as evidenced by these photos. I mean, sunshine, ice cream, running amok, and jammies: what more could a girl want? (Thanks Sheri!)

Is that a fly in my soup?

Riley has, against our will, developed an obsession for princesses. She's acquired a few princess dolls, and her absolute favorite thing to do is bathe them. In whatever liquid is available. Like, for example, miso soup.

Lest you think we're negligent parents, please note that she was scolded for this behavior (shortly after I snapped this pic, which, I might add, I did very stealth).