Riggall Family Happenings

Abigail Turns 3!

2011-11-15T21:14:00.001-05:00

Our little baby girl isn't so little anymore! She turned three on November 8th; we celebrated as a family that night and had a great time. Abigail's friend, Anna Kate Sallade, also turned three a few days apart from her, so they had a joint birthday party last Saturday. Below are some of the photos from the events.

Abbie covering up the baby in her new "baby car seat"

The Princeton Riggalls (minus Mike) were able to join us on Saturday!

It was a puppy-themed birthday party, so those are puppy dog ears she's wearing.

Anna Kate and Abigail Kathryn were born only days apart. And, yes, they called each other before the party so that they would match.

The grilled cheese were in the shape of dog bones.

Ryder was there too, wearing a full puppy outfit.

Cake time! So excited!

I just want the chocolate....

Catch up time!

2011-11-01T17:34:00.002-04:00

Wow! It has been a very long time since I've caught you all up on what's going on here in the Riggall household. I guess having three children just tends to take up all my time. There is a lot to catch you up on, so I am going to make it simple and try and catch you up through pictures, which everyone loves to see anyway. So here we go....

The week after Ryder was born, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful Memorial Day weekend weather and spend a day at one of our favorite places, Ocean Grove, NJ.

Icecream face

Good thing we brought a change of clothes! It was J & A's last time in the ocean for this year and they had a blast.

My sister Tiffany, Jarid and little Belle meet Ryder

Then came Jaron's first day of preschool. He goes for just a couple hours, two days a week, but he loves it!

His first field trip to the farm to pick apples. Abigail, Ryder and I came along.

Jaron's class Halloween party. He went as Super J-man.

Abbie dressed up as a Fairy Princess.

The children LOVE their baby brother.

A family trip to the farm. Jeremy posing as Mr. Mom.

The kids guided me through the corn maze.

Abbie coloring

Callie & Jaron watching our first snow fall of the season.

This dog keeps us on our toes.

Mommy designed and Daddy carved our jack-o-lantern.

J & A playing w/ costumes.

Our little pumkin

Trick or treat!

We finally got around to raking up the leaves today.

"Cheese!"

Jaron, Mary, Ryder & Abigail

Baby Ryder James

2011-09-10T15:13:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos from the last week of our little Ryder James. Enjoy!

Mom is tired, but happy to finally be in labor!

Just born!

"Never cried before. Thought I would give it a good try...."

A much needed nap.

Proud Dad!

A big yawn...

The kids love holding Ryder!

New baby brother.

Grandma and Grandpa were on hand to help watch the kids -thanks!

We only have one new baby, so we'll have to pretend there are two.

Ryder James

2011-09-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

The Riggall clan welcomes our newest addition, baby Ryder James Riggall! Born on Sunday September 4th at 10:02 am, both he and mommy are doing well.

We started counting contractions at 2 am on Sunday morning and decided to head to the hospital around 4:00. Thankfully, Mary's Aunt Janet was willing to get the middle-of-night phone call and graciously headed to our house to spend the rest of the night and be available when the kids woke up. Thanks, Aunt Janet!

We also gave Jeremy's parents a call in the middle of the night to give them an update on the situation as they were willing to come down and spend a few days with the kids while we were at the hospital. Since they were woken up around 3 am, they couldn't go back to sleep and where almost ready to hit the road when we called around 4 am to let them know we were defintely heading out. They arrived somewhere around 7 am to relieve Aunt Janet.

Now, back to us: we rushed to the hospital around 4 am as Mary was having contractions about every 2.5 minutes. Almost hit a deer on the way there. That was fun. When we arrived they sent us straight up and and got us checked in and situated. It was probably still a few hours until Mary was able to get an epidural, at which time we settled down to snooze the best that we could. Mary was progressing gradually, which was OK as it gave us a chance to rest and re-situate ourselves for the next adventure.

Somewhere around 9 am they gave Mary a little bit of petossin (sp?), which helps make the contractions more forceful. By 9:45, she was pushing and 15 minutes later, baby Ryder joined us! We are both relieved that he is here with us now as we both were anxious to hold him in our arms. Thank the Lord that he is strong and healthy!

Ryder was born at a hefty 9 lbs, 1 oz (how did little Mary do it?) and wasted no time in adding on more pounds: he latched on and started nursing right away, as if he has been doing it his whole life!! Ironically, he has been doing it his whole life. Hmmm.

Anyways, we are now in day 2 and everyone is fine! We head home tomorrow to start our life together as a family of five!

Our Baby Boy

2011-04-22T17:13:00.002-04:00

Now at 21 weeks, and with so many possibilities ahead of us, all I can say is, what a journey it has been! Yes, this third pregnancy has been a little more difficult than the last two, as most women find, but we are still thrilled, to say the least to welcome our baby boy. My pregnancy, though exhausting, has been a healthy one thus far, and we are so grateful to our Lord for being with each of us Riggalls in our own special way. Jaron and Abigail are thrilled to have a little brother and are already picking out (somewhat serious) names for our little guy. Abbie continues to say, "I wanna see it" or "You pop, Mommy?" Oh boy, is she in for a surprise once I reach 38+ weeks? I'm not exactly looking forward to the August heat combined with carrying a large belly with me, but if my mother could manage having her FIFTH child in the middle of August, I'm pretty sure I will make it.

10 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

19 weeks

Foot - 19 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

Jaron's 4th Birthday

2011-03-30T18:57:00.003-04:00

Jaron turned 4 years old on March 15th! The week of Jaron's birthday, the kids and I decided to spend the week in NY at my parent's house, mostly for change of scenery for all of us. My mom was heading up from VA from visitng her parent's, Mom-mom and Pop-pop, so she stopped in at our house on the way through. We drove up together in my car on Tuesday, the 15th (J's b-day) and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Jeremy then joined us on Friday night for the weekend (since he had to work during the week), driving Mom’s car that she left at our house. We made last minute plans to celebrate Jaron’s birthday for the evening before we left for NY. It all came together quite nicely. Jeremy’s parent’s called long before we had plans for a party and asked if they could stop in on the 14th on their way home from the airport to wish Jaron a happy birthday. We figured since my mom would also be here (driving up from VA) and my dad was planning to come down that weekend anyway to visit my Great Aunt Eleanor (who is ill), we would plan a little party for our soon-to-be 4 year old boy the night before we headed up for NY for a week. My sister Tiffany also made the trip from Harrisburg with her baby Annabelle, my Aunt Janet came, a couple that we know from church came, and of course the Simrak’s came (my sister Geniene and her family). Even with 17 people packed into our tiny house, we wished our other family could have been there to celebrate with us at the same time. All in all, it was a great party and Jaron had a blast! Here are pictures to prove it!
First, I want add how much this little 4 year old boy has meant to Jeremy and I. He's so curious about life and soaks up information we never expect him to get. We love you so much, Jaron!

Jaron asked specifically for me to make him a turtle cake. His favorite color is green and being so close to St. Patrick's day, I thought it was an appropriate request.

Papa & Nana with their newest grandaughter, Annabelle

Tiffany & Jeremy with Annabelle

Present time!

An ettempt to get a shot of the cousins (Abbie, Jaron, Eli & Gabe)

Annabelle joins them. Are you feeling the love in this picture?

Three generations of Gregson girls (Angela missing from this photo)

Abigail

2011-03-30T14:50:00.001-04:00

At almost 2 1/2, our Abbie has grown by leaps and bounds. She seems to be on track physically with her age. She has surprised us with how well she can talk for 2 1/2 (compared to when her brother started to talk). She speaks quite clearly and we can almost always understand what she's saying. She eats just about anything depending on her mood (as it is with most girls). We're talking a salad, a meat sandwich, red sauce, broccoli, peas, corn, etc.
This little girl will MAKE YOU LAUGH! She is so funny. Once she's completely comfortable with her surroundings and the people around her, you will notice how her personality is so dynamic and has so much pep. Every day I'm laughing about some expression she's made, or comment, or her just acting silly. It's so fascinating to think what her interests will be as she gets older.
Ever since Abbie was born, she has given us surprise after surprise, and even though we are past the rough patches of her health (Lord willing), she continues to give us a different kind of surprise after surprise. There is no doubt that God has big plans for this little girl. We are so thankful for her life in ours.

Abbie loves hats.

She loves babies, especially her new little cousin, Annabelle.

She found Mommy's lipstick.

Posing as a grad student. Who knows? She loves books!

She loves her purse that Nana got her.

Unfortunately, Abbie is still on the nebulizer, for her second year now. The good news is that it seems to be seasonal. We're hoping when the weather warms up, she will be off it completely. We're praying she will grow out of her tendencies to wheeze and it won't turn into asthma.

More baby Annabelle.

Abbie enjoys dressing up. She's all girl.

But most of all, she loves her big brother. She will follow him around anywhere, anytime.

Christmas ... again

2011-02-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

We finally managed to spend Christmas with the Riggall side of the family this past weekend. It had lost a little bit of its luster since it was two days before Valentines Day, but we still enjoyed stockings, presents, coffee by the fire, Christmas music and even a few snowflakes falling. The kids, of course, don't care what time of year it is - receiving presents is always Christmas to them! The California Riggalls were greatly missed this year - but we'll all be together next year!! Hooray!

Callie went up with us, which was her first overnight trip. She had the best of time running around in the backyard, going for walks with Grandpa, meeting the neighbor dogs, and taking a late night stroll through the woods with Daddy and Grandpa. She did well enough that we felt comfortable letting her off her leash to explore while we were out in the backyard - a first little Callie!

Below are a few photos of our time together...

Some Snow

2011-01-14T15:27:00.002-05:00

In the Riggall house, we are doing everything we can to keep ourselves busy and occupied during these cold, winter months when 99% of the time we are indoors. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes it depends on the kids energy level, which rarely runs low, and sometimes it depends on my energy level, which these days, often runs low. All in all, we are managing to take one day at a time. Needing to stay inside all the time forces me to think creatively and play WITH the children instead of always keeping busy.

Below is my dear, sweet Abigail dressing up as a....well, she's not entirely sure what she is, but I think she makes a cute little fairy.

Jaron loves playing Hide and Seek, which is what he's doing here.

Callie our dog loves, loves, LOVES attention and for us all to be home giving it to her.

We had a little snow storm pass through, which we DID go outside for. I took the kids for a little sleigh ride. Callie pulled me on her leash while I pulled the kids on the sled.

Callie loves the snow. She'll bound from one side of the yard to the other side like a bouncing ball. It's funny to watch.

The kids would try to pull each other on the sled.

We think snow is fun while it lasts.

Christmas

2010-12-27T14:15:00.001-05:00

Had an excellent Christmas as a family. Here are some shots from the day and Christmas Eve....

Callie Plays

2010-12-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving at the Gregson's

2010-12-02T19:48:00.000-05:00

The Gregson Clan (Mary's side of the family) all met in upstate New York this year to celebrate Thanksgiving. 11 adults, 4 kids under 5 years, one baby en utero and a dog all in an old farm house for a few days - what could go wrong? We actually had an excellent time together and below are some of the events in photos.

The weekend was filled with guys stuff; sitting around, throwing the footbal and playing with trains.

The girls were there too, laughing and enjoying themselves....

We managed to get all of the kids sitting in one spot so we could snap a picture, which was a challenge...

Individual family shots....

The whole clan!

We went for a walk one afternoon; here are a few shots of the event...

Abbie's 2 Year Old Ladybug Party

2010-11-18T16:20:00.001-05:00

Abbie was one cute ladybug that day! I can't believe she is already two! Happy birthday my sweet little girl. I love you so much and thank God for your precious life every day!

I made ladybug from sea shells we found at the beach this past summer

I made antennae with headbands, pipe cleaners, and painted styrofoam balls

Party favors: red and black candy pulled from the kid's Halloween buckets

Ladybug candy jar for game prizes

I made a Ladybug cake!

Game: Pin the dot on the ladybug!

Hand and face painting

Abbie and Jeremy

Gabe, Dan and Geniene

Finger food for kids and Red Chili with black beans (for black dots) for adults

Mary and Geniene

Cake time!

Abbie helping to cut the cake

Aunt Carole painting Abbie's face

Present time

Callie

2010-11-15T21:42:00.001-05:00

We are pleased to introduce the newest member of the Riggall Clan – Callie, a black lab puppy was adopted into our family this afternoon. Callie will fit right in; she’s an adorable puppy who likes to cuddle and play, but isn’t too rambunctious and doesn’t bark too much, either – a perfect mix for us.

Callie comes from a shelter in South Carolina (a southern girl like Mary!) and was shipped up for us yesterday with a group of other dogs to a rescue in the area. We saw Callie on the internet first, asked to have her brought up and then we, along with a dozen other families, all went to the rescue to pick up our dogs yesterday afternoon. These puppies were surely going to be euthanized had they not been saved; the shelter is running out of room and many of the dogs in the outside kennels will have to be put down now that it is getting cold outside.

Callie is happily cuddled up on Mary’s lap, already enjoying her new home. Photos are below.

Jaron is indeed hugging her, not choking her..

Trying to chew the leash off

Pretty girl!

Very tired!

Why is this boy hugging me?

Daddy's other little girl

Fall Happenings

2010-10-31T21:39:00.002-04:00

Lots of fun things in the past few weeks! Here they are in pictures...

Costume party...

Playing cards...

At the park...

Playing in the leaves...

Halloween Costumes (Butterfly and The J Man!)

Event at church....

Pumpkin carving...

more PICTURES!

2010-10-03T18:03:00.000-04:00

Labor Day at Peace Valley Park

A weekend at Bethany Beach

A day at Ocean Grove with the Nana & Papa

Shell collecting

Dadday loves his little girl...

...and his wife!

Nana loves her grandaughter

Jaron taking a rest

"Cheeeeeese!"

There's nothing like DAYS icecream

PICTURES!!!!

2010-10-01T17:50:00.032-04:00

I figure the best way to catch everyone up from all of our "Riggall Happenings" is through PICTURES. We're so far behind with news, why bother to explain every adventure in detail?

Mary's first Phillies game (and hopfully not my last). We got free tickets and got a last minute date out of it!

Abbie and Mommy's trip to VA. We went down to where my roots are with my Mom and sister, Angela, for a cousin's wedding. My other sister, Tiffany, and her hubby also went down.

Cabining at Gifford Pinchott Park

More to come...

A Visit to the G-rents

2010-08-10T14:42:00.019-04:00

We went to visit Jeremy's parents in Hazelton, PA a couple weekends ago. We all had a very nice visit. Jaron and Abigail, espeically Jaron at this age, so appreciates the big open yard to run around in that both mine and Jeremy's parents have. We just wish they lived closer to us. We enjoyed visiting with Craig, Jeremy's twin brother, and Molly Marie too. Emma (age 2) and Micah (age 9 months) were great playmates for the kids.

Crafts

2010-07-23T18:13:00.000-04:00

I am NOT a crafty person. I never remember enjoying doing crafts except maybe when I was a Brownie. BUT... I think I may be enjoying them now, more than ever (that's not saying a lot). Introducing them to my kids and seeing how enthused they are (mostly Jaron at this age), puts a huge smile on my face and encourages me to think up more fun things for them to do. Jaron is almost 3 1/2 and I think it's time he learned how to focus his thoughts and have a project to look forward to each day. Mostly I want to make sure he (and Abbie if she wants) learns to sit and focus on something that he can create himself. I believe it's good for the mind and allows them to use their mind freely. So my goal is to have them sit at the table after breakfast each day for 15-30 minutes working on something, whether it be playdough, cutting up magazines, finger painting, coloring, drawing, dry-erase board, learning his letters and numbers, or making something creative.

Here is where it begins. He will be learning how to write his name, one letter a day, one day at a time. Today Jaron learned how to write a "J". Then we cut out all the "j's" we could find in a magazine and glued them onto his "J page". He did rather well. Our progress will be added to our "Craft Wall".

Then for lunch, randomly, I decided to pull out the food coloring and have them color their cheese quesadillas. It helped them to be more interested in what they were eating.

Eating their art!

Ocean Grove Beach Vacation

2010-07-12T17:55:00.009-04:00

Last week, us Riggalls packed up the car with anything that might be of use in the sun, surf and sand and headed out to the beach! We spent the week at Ocean Grove, NJ, a quaint little Victorian town that has roots in both the Gregson and Riggall families. We rented a little efficiency apartment in a Bed and Breakfast for the week, squeezed ourselves in there when we had to but spent as much time on the beach and boards as we could.

We all had a great time! The kids loved the sand and the ocean, as you'll see in the photos below, and Mom and Dad actually had some time to read and soak up some sun! Too much sun, in some cases!

The apartment we stayed in, however, did not have AC and we were there during the middle of a heat wave - one day topped off at 102! But we all managed to sleep somehow and had enough energy for the various activities we could find in Ocean Grove: the beach, of course, walks on the boardwalk, ice cream at Days, walks through town, visiting the Auditorium, listening to bands play at the pavilion on the boardwalk, cruising up to Asbury Park to see what is new there, dinner in town, breakfast at a restuarant on the ocean, etc.

On Friday, our last day there, Dan and Geniene and their boys came to visit for the day. We loved having the company and someone to share the beach with, and the cousins had a blast playing together. After spending the day on the beach, we found some dinner, walked on the boards, then headed over to Days for ice cream. Then we hunkered down outside of the Auditorium to eat our ice cream while listening to a huge choir practice inside.

And that's when Jaron decided to swing on a chain between two posts, but then lost his balance and landed on the concrete smack on his forehead! The blood was gushing quite quickly, and thank the Lord that an off-duty EMT was staying in a tent right next to the Auditorium and was able to help and call in the Medics (the Auditorium and tents are still part of a Methodist Camp Meeting that started back in 1869). The police showed up, then the Ocean Grove volunteer medics, then the ambulance! It was quite a crowd for one little boy! The ambulance was sent away as soon as it was clear the bleeding was stopping and Jaron would be left with only a large bump and a scraped up face - pictures are below. As we all said, we ended our vacation with a "Bang!"

Walking on the boardwalk gave the kids a sense of freedom. They loved it.

Abbie stopped to notice the flowers.

A ride on Daddy's shoulders

Mommy and Jaron

Abbie enjoying the front porch at the Inn where we stayed.

Our little fashion girl

Mary getting sand out of Jaron's eyes. Quite hysterical!

Abbie playing in the sand

Jaron just loved the ocean.

Abbie was chasing seagulls.

Jaron was trying to get Abbie to walk down to the water with him, so he grabbed her hand and they walked down.

"Hold on tight to my hand, Abbie."

Dan, Geniene and the boys joined us on our last day at Ocean Grove.

Hehe..."tuck" (truck)

Abbie collecting shells

Ooo... I like your beach robe, Gabe.

Jaron and Eli giving each other hugs.

Geniene and Mary

Walking on the boardwalk

Dan with Gabe and Jaron

Running on the boardwalk

We ended our day with DAYS icecream

Results of Jaron's accident

Lopping Trees

2010-07-11T19:06:00.002-04:00

Awhile ago we had some long branches on our front yard tree that needed to be lopped. Perfect! What a great opportunity to try out Jeremy's new branch loppers that I got him for Christmas! The kids had a great time pretending like they were lost in a forest with all the branches in our yard.

4th of July

2010-07-11T18:48:00.000-04:00

Our family didn't do too much for the fourth this year. We were mostly spending the day recouping from all of being sick that week and spending the day packing to go away the next day for our 5 day vacation at Ocean Grove , NJ beach. But we did have a few fire crackers that my sis and bro-in-law, Tiffany and Jarid, gave us, and some sparklers that I picked up when they were here visiting the day before. (Yes, I know....we've been busy!) Abbie was too tired to even care, so we put her to bed, but Jaron couldn't wait. This was his first "fireworks" experience. Not that it was amazing fireworks or anything, but to him, it was just awesome!

Jeremy having a little too much fun.

Jaron holding his ears from the loud noises.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-21T21:17:00.001-04:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend at my Mom and Dad's in upstate NY and had a great time! We couldn't have asked for a better weekend of relaxation and weather. The kids got a lot of exercise in their big back yard, Jaron got to swim in the creek with Heidi, the dog, they had a swing, a kids pool, lit the fire pit a few times, we attempted to fly a kite, lots of talking and laughing, Jeremy and Dad spent most of Monday shooting Dad's pellet guns at some pesky birds, and I got to relax....some. From a mother's point of view, if the rest of the family is relaxing, that means she is too, whether she really is or isn't, because a mother's duties never end and she will always remain busy and on the go, especially with little ones. But I really did have a great time just being with my parent's again and spending time with my sister, Angela, whom I don't see too often. Enjoy the pictures of our weekend.

One Year Today

2010-06-08T20:12:00.000-04:00

It was one year ago today that Abigail had her craniosynostosis surgery.

I believe that June 8th will always be a memorable day in our family as it was proof of the Lord's Almighty hand working in Abigail's life, and our lives as well. I think we will find ourselves on every June 8th talking about the Lord's mercy on us as He carried us through, looking up photos of baby Abigail, marveling at the complexity of such a surgery, praising the doctors for their work, remembering our shock when we first saw her, thinking of the friends who supported us at that time, laughing at ourselves when we recall being out to lunch when the surgeon stopped in to talk to us, finding ourselves amazed at the progress that Abigail has made since - much like we did today. June 8th will always be a special day in our family, in many ways significantly more important than any birthday or anniversary or holiday: it was the day that the Lord tested us, and we proved ourselves faithful to Him, and He blessed us.

Abigail before surgery:

Abigail after surgery:

Abigail today:

A Brief Nana Visit

2010-05-21T14:10:00.000-04:00

My Mom stopped in for a quick visit with us. The kids were thrilled to see their Nana. Here's proof.

So Worth It

2010-05-21T14:02:00.000-04:00

Jeremy and I finally got away for a night! We haven't been away just the two of us since before Jaron was born, about 3 1/2 years ago. Way too long! We decided to leave the kids with Jeremy's parents, and head out to a B&B in Lancaster, where we went for our 1st anniversary four years ago. We had a lovely time. Friday night we went out to dinner, then saw "Joseph" at the Sight and Sound Theatre. Great show! It was very well done. Then Saturday we enjoyed perusing through the outlet stores. It was a beautiful day.

So heading home we realized how much longer our time away felt than just 30 hours. And our marriage felt rejuvenated. I cannot begin it express how just a small amount of time like that spent away with just you and your spouse, no kids, no family and friends, just the two of you, is SO very important! It makes a world of difference when you can stop life and focus on each other. Then you begin to remember why you're making all these sacrifices day after day. Because my husband is so worth it!

Mother's Day Flowers

2010-05-13T16:51:00.001-04:00

Flowers from my favorite boys. I love these guys!

OC Get Away

2010-05-13T16:45:00.000-04:00

We had a mini weekend vacation at the end of April in Ocean City, NJ. We know a wonderful couple who was generous enough to let us stay at their shore house. It was such a treat to get away from the normal pace of life at home and go away to enjoy "family time." Here are pictures of our time away.
Feeding the Seagulls

Climbing the dunes and playing in the sand

Time on the boardwalk

Easter Images- April 4th, 2010

2010-05-13T16:10:00.000-04:00

18 Months and Tubes

2010-05-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

Abigail had tubes put in her ears last Friday morning, on our 5th Wedding Anniversary, and she did wonderfully. She's a pro at this by now. She bounced back to normal that very night. Praise God! We believe this will improve her hearing, balance and speech. We're praying this will be the end of hospitals for us for a long time, and that she will remain healthy.
Abigail turned 18 months old the day after her surgery, last Saturday (5/8). She is getting stronger and is even beginning to finally toddle. We can soon call her a toddler! She's back and forth with her walker all day and is even beginning to take steps on her own. She is now 21 lbs. with her height and weight below average, but quite normal for her size. She says doggie, duckie, Dada, stairs, down, cup, animal sounds, and lots more that probably only Mommy or Daddy would recognize if she said them. She's still a shy, timid little thing. Part of me wonders if she would be so if she didn't have such a hard life thus far, but one can never know I guess. She's a good eater and a great sleeper. I've rarely had a problem putting her down for a nap. She's got quite a personality that even strangers can see right away. I'm excited to see where the Lord leads her as she grows.

Abigail and Tubes- Take 2!

2010-04-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

So as you know from the last blog post, yesterday Abigail went to an ENT specialist who says her ears have a mild hearing loss because of the consistent fluid behind the eardrum for over 3 months now and he thinks she needs tubes put in right away. As you also know from below, they squeezed us in the schedule for this morning (Friday, 4/30) down at St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital. After going through admissions, getting her vitals, and getting her dressed ready for the procedure, the anesthesiologist says that because of all her congestion still in her chest, they see it as much too high a risk to perform the procedure since they would have to put her under for it. So now we’re scheduled for next Friday to go back and do the whole thing over again.

Please pray that her congestion will clear by then, that all will go smoothly (Abigail’s fear of doctors/hospitals AND the procedure) without complications and she will recover quickly.

Here is Abigail this morning awaiting the doctors (very hungry and thirsty because she had to fast):

Abigail and Tubes

2010-04-29T21:53:00.000-04:00

We would appreciate your prayers for tomorrow morning as we take Abigail to the hospital to have tubes put in her ears. We are to be at Saint Christopher’s Children’s Hospital at 9:30 am, not sure what time the procedure is.

Abigail has been fighting fevers, runny noses, shortness of breath and fluid behind her ears since Christmas. After many trips to the doctor over the past several months, we finally went to an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist three weeks ago today, were told the fluid behind her ears was there, but clear and we should wait to see if it might clear itself up since the cold season is passed. So we did, and then she got sick again. So back to the doctor, who sent us to the ENT Dr. again. The network of CHOP ENT Dr.’s were booked until June (and that was the expedited date!) so we went on the hunt to find one who actually had appointments readily available and Mary ended up taking her today. The Dr. said he thinks tubes should be put in her ears rather soon considering her circumstances. They squeezed us in for tomorrow!
Interestingly, the fluid behind her ears has caused her hearing to be low on the charts, which affects her ability to speak. Hence the very few words that she says at almost 18 months. Also, it could be throwing off her balance, which may be why she is not yet walking. (Perhaps she doesn’t have hypotonia (low muscle tone) nor need therapy?)
The good news is that Abigail is starting to stand up and take up to 8 or 9 steps at a time, when coaxed by her parents. To be successful, however, there needs to be something at the end of those 8 or 9 steps that she truly desires, like her little stuffed doggie, a toy she was playing with or a fall into daddy’s chest followed by a giant bear hug.
Thank you for continuing to be consistent in prayer for our Abigail.

What We Found This Morning

2010-04-04T14:01:00.000-04:00

We walked into Jaron's room this morning to find the following:

He said he needed a tissue.

His 3rd Birthday Party

2010-03-19T15:31:00.008-04:00

Even though Jaron's birthday party didn't exactly turn out the way we expected (about 7 people weren't able to come), Jaron still had a great time. Not to say that we didn't miss those who couldn't come (Nanna & Pappa, Grandma & Grandpa, the rest of his aunts and uncles, "Aunt" Carole & "Uncle" Fred, and our new friends TJ and Reed and their Moms), but we're very glad for those who could come, which was his Aunt Neenie and Uncle Dan along with his cousins, Eli and Gabe. We also invited a college friend of Jeremy's, Matt and his wife Danielle, along with their baby girl, Avery (so cute!) who happen to live right here in the same town as us, about 3-5 minutes away! It was a full house with plenty of laughter, spaghetti (one of Jaron's favorite meals, without the sauce for him, of course) and cake.

Me: Jaron, what would you like for your birthday this year?
Jaron: Cake! Brown cake!

So that's exactly what he got! That's not all he got, but he did get his "brown" cake...chocolate, that is.

Here are some pictures of our evening.

Abigail loves Aunt Neenie.

Uncle Dan enjoys working in the kitchen. Here he's whipping up an excellent dressing for the salad.

The three cousins Eli, Jaron and Gabe. My, what three VERY different personalities, but great buddies.

There's our party gal...

Three boys waiting very patiently for some birthday cake

So serious

This picture cracks me up. He was trying so hard to give us a sincere smile.

Jaron Turns 3!

2010-03-16T22:19:00.002-04:00

Jaron has grown by leaps and bounds. Amongst Abigail's physical therapy, her illness, and our concentration on her developments, I have failed to post on our little guy who is growing up way too fast for me! His third birthday was yesterday. My little chubby, cuddly, giggly, bright blue-eyed baby boy is now three!

Jaron is talking in full sentences with a vast understanding of his little world around him (whether he lets on like he does or not). He is very much into any construction with tools and machines, mostly because his Daddy does so much around the house with them. His imagination has taken off, whether it be building something with his tools, or having a simple conversation with himself (very interesting and funny to listen to). He loves to "finger" paint, but prefers to use a paint brush (sounds like his Uncle Tim). He still loves to sing and does right well with that too (also sounds like his Uncle Tim). His pitch is remarkable for a three year old. He will jump octaves in the middle or at the end of the song just to make it a bit more interesting. He's got a very strong will, but a huge capacity to love. He loves his little sister and is always watching out for her. For instance, Jaron will always warn either Jeremy or I when Abbie is climbing up the stairs for worry that she might fall, and he will close the basement door if she gets too close to it for fear that she might fall down those stairs, and he will put her pacifier in her mouth if she is crying to calm her (probably also because he doesn't like loud noises, and boy is she loud!). I am amazed at how well the two of them play together for being at such different stages. He has learned to communicate with Abbie in his own way and she gets it. It's great to just sit back and watch the two of them.

Jaron has been potty trained for about a month in a half now. We quit cold-turkey on diapers, figuring that if we're going to tell him that he has to stay dry except for during the night, that it would probably confuse him, so we have not put a diaper on our boy since the day he started potty training. It is so nice to have only one child in diapers now.

We have been working on Scripture verses with Jaron. He can quote three verses ( Eph. 6:1, Phil. 2:14, and I John 4:19) and say what the Fruits of the Spirit are. Trying to incorporate what those verses mean into his heart is the tricky part :)

We love our first born so much and pray for his heart every day. We need God's wisdom to train him and all our children up properly in the fear of the Lord, so that He will one day give his whole heart to Jesus.

Here is Jaron at 8 months old.

Remodel Bathroom: Check!

2010-03-08T22:08:00.001-05:00

Well, it wasn't really a remodel; it was more of an upgrade. But it seems like a whole new bathroom to us!

Pictures say it all so I've posted a bunch of them below...

Before

After

Cup Of Tea

2010-03-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

This is for you Nana! Thanks for the tea set! I love it!

Love,

Abbie

Nana's Birthday

2010-02-24T16:26:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we had my parents come down from Amsterdam, NY to celebrate my Mom's birthday. It was such an enjoyable time and I think it made her feel wonderful to have two of her daughter's and son-in-laws along with her grandchildren with her. My brother and his wife and other two sister's and brother-in-law were missed greatly. We wished they could've been there, but with a family this size, it's very hard to get everyone together at the same time, especially when we're all located in different states.

Anyway, I wanted to say Happy Birthday to my Mom. I love you very much and am very thankful to have you as my mother. Thank you for all you have done for me.

Snow Days

2010-02-24T15:50:00.006-05:00

We have had a lot of snow this winter. It's been fun to go out with Jaron and explore what it means to be a kid: eating snow, licking icicles, building a snowman, going for walks, sledding down snow hills, making snow-angles. He has really enjoyed it and so have I! I'm looking forward to when Abigail can join him next year!

J eating snow

Jaron and I building a snowman. He decided to name "her" (yes, he wanted it to be a her) after his great-grandmother, Charlsey.

Almost done

Project complete!

Our snowman being buried under more snow

And then.... a headless snowman. Charlsey is melting.

Sometimes icicles came inside the house.

J and I sledding down a hill of snow in our back yard.

Car Entertainment

2010-02-12T21:32:00.003-05:00

15 Month Abbie

2010-02-09T09:44:00.008-05:00

Our little Abigail is 15 months old. We've been so encouraged by her progress in her physical strength over the past month. She has started climbing stairs, walking with someone guiding and holding her, pulling herself up and sitting herself back down again, she crawls IF you tell her to (otherwise she still prefers to scoot on her bottom), and she's becoming a lot more interactive, especially when she's playing with Jaron. She is still getting Physical Therapy every other week, but she has had some set backs since Christmas, because of sickness. She came down with RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and ear and sinus infections as stated in the post below, but we feel she is starting to gradually heal, slowly, but surely. You'd think with all the nursing I did for her (13 months), that she would overcome ANY sickness that came her way, but I suppose those little bugger germs can make their way in no matter how strong someone's immune system is.

She has five teeth with a sixth tooth coming in, enjoys playing the piano (like her Nanna), loves playing with her big brother and making him laugh till he's rolling on the floor (I don't know how she does it... I certainly can't do that!), really likes wearing hats for some reason, loves her Daddy, and still has amazing fine motor skills (such as building blocks, using her spoon, throwing the ball, placing toys in the right hole, etc.). Despite the health struggles that we've had with her, she has brought us SO much joy, love and definite spiritual growth. She is an absolute blessing!

This is big brother, Jaron's, doing. He was playing his "powder game" with Abbie. There was powder all over her, as well as the kitchen... everywhere.

My Mom has a very similar picture of me at this age covered in powder because my sister Geniene had dumped powder on my head.

She has started using her spoon with certain foods. Here she's eating mashed potatoes. Good thing it was bath night.

RSV ETC...

2010-02-08T22:05:00.003-05:00

Find out what it means to me...

So, Abigail, poor thing, has a bad case of RSV (a respiratory virus), ear infection, sinus infection, a bad cough and everything that goes along with the above. Oh, and she had a pretty bad fever for a few days. It's been pretty tough on her and on the parents, all of whom are waking up a few times a night. Yep, we are all rather tired.

The docs saw her today and prescribed the proper medicines which includes a nebulizer machine (a breathing mask) which we have to force her to do several times a day. We are hopeful that we are on the tail end of this sickness, but your prayers are appreciated.

In other news, the Riggall Family is now on Skype! Find us (ID: RiggallFamily) and we'll have a chat!

Training

2010-01-31T11:20:00.003-05:00

This weekend is a big weekend for the Riggall family: it is Jaron's Potty Training Intensive Weekend!

Don't worry, I won't be posting any photos or videos....

Day One, Saturday, went very well without any major problems, except for during naptime, which is to be expected. Jaron has been on board from the beginning, thankfully, mostly because he now gets to wear big boy underwear. And that is a huge incentive because his favorite characters are plastered all over those things: Mickey Mouse, Thomas the Tank Engine, Lightning McQueen, Elmo, Mader, etc.

The start of Day Two has been much the same as Day One and that's primarily because we've not yet come across a "Number Two". There is a bit of resistance when it comes to the terrible number two; it's not as easy as it used to be. We, of course, expected this and have the proper incentive program in place. What we haven't figured out yet is how to keep a boy from not holding it in for two days. Prune juice?

2010-01-27T23:03:00.008-05:00

It's been a long time, Bloggers. Here is what you missed since Christmas:

"Aunt" Carole (a beloved babysitter and friend) made us a Gingerbread house while babysitting one day back in December. It was yummy.

This is the same santa costume I put on Jaron two Christmas' ago.

Christmas was a little rushed for us since we had to pack up the car and drive to NY to visit Mary's parent's that afternoon, but it was still alot of fun.

I absolutely love this picture of Jaron and his cousin Eli. This is at Nanna & Pappa's house in NY. They had such fun playing in the snow. It's hard to capture the moment of the picture when it's this small.

Our sweet Abigail (now 14 months) sleeping.

Desperately trying to entertain ourselves inside the house. My, how we can't wait for Spring!

Pillow fort

Thomas tatoos!

My sister, Geniene and I posing before we head out for a double date with our hubbies to see "Avatar."

I wanted to upload a video for you, but I couldn't get it to work. Later.
We're pretty much all caught up now. We will post again soon, updating with details of our lives.

Christmas Photos

2010-01-03T11:00:00.005-05:00

We wanted to post our Christmas photos that we had taken this year for those of you who may not have seen them yet. The photos are courtesy of Bob Simrak Photography; Bob did an excellent job this year, spending the time with two picky parents and two cranky kids to get some excellent shots. We only have positive things to say about Bob's work, as he is a master behind the lens of a camera.

Bob took our engagement photo when we were first engaged (I included it below just for fun) and Bob did our wedding photography as well. You can visit his website at http://bobsimrak.zenfolio.com/ and you can even see the pages of our wedding album, which are still posted on the site!

Snow Day!

2009-12-22T19:55:00.004-05:00

It was probably the best thing ever in a long time. Last weekend was scheduled to be a very busy weekend : children's christmas party and rehearsal, shopping, a wedding and reception, church, children's christmas program, Messiah sing, visiting with family in the area, two different couples staying over throughout the course of the weekend, etc.

And, because of eight inches of snow, that all went away. The world came to a halt. What a joy it was to know that we, as a family, had nothing to do except hang out at home together, play in the snow, and enjoy each other's company!

And that is exactly what we did. It snowed all day Saturday and into Sunday morning and by the time we woke up on Sunday, there was 8 inches of snow on the ground to enjoy. Below are some photos of the occasion.

This was taken on Saturday night while the snow was still falling...

"I can't put my arms down!"

According to Jaron, snow tastes like donuts.

I told Jaron he has to shovel his own car out if he wants to drive it....

The snow on the top of our roof reminded me of an ocean wave; I've never quite seen snow do that before.

Abigail's Eye (Pseudostrasbismus)

2009-12-17T19:42:00.003-05:00

We had mentioned in a previous post that little Abigail had to visit the eye doctor due to fear that her eyes were not tracking together. We took her to the doctor earlier this week and we have good news to report: Abbie's eye is fine!!

Basically, the doc says that we're seeing an optical illusion. The way her eye is shaped make it seem like they are not lined up. It's called Pseudostrabismus: "Although the eyes appear misaligned…, the light reflection is symmetrical in both eyes." It is the reflection of light in her eyes that helps determine whether they are alinged or not. Over time pseudostrabismus gets better and should correct itself as her features grow and develop. The bone between her two eyes (which the surgeon put in new from another part of her skull) is wide so it seems that the eye goes slightly inward under the bone/skin, which makes it look to us like we're seeing more white on the one eye than on the other eye. In actuality, they are both the same. We feel 90% confident that the Doc is right. The other 10% is uncertain, but hopeful. Afterall, we've had Doctors wrong with Abbie in the past.

So it's great news that her eyes are NOT messed up and therefore will not need any special treatment. It's nice to have good news after a year's worth of bad...

But hey! What is one more medical term thrown on the pile? Mytopic craniosynostosis, infant botulism, hypotonia and now pseudostrasbismus.

Comparison Pictures

2009-12-14T14:45:00.014-05:00

For awhile now I have wanted to post some comparison pictures of my two children... so here they are.

High Chair Pictures

JARON, 6 months

ABIGAIL, 9 months

Naked Baby Pictures

JARON, 6 months

ABIGAIL, 5 months

Bath Time Pictures

JARON, 10 months

ABIGAIL, 11 months

Mommy & Me Pictures
ABIGAIL, 5 months

JARON, 6 months

First Smile Pictures

JARON, 6 weeks

ABIGAIL, 7 weeks

Halloween Pictures

JARON, 1 1/2 (19 months) (Abbie is in that big belly right next to him)

ABIGAIL, 11 months

Here I wanted to show how much JARON has grown in one year. What a big boy he's gotten to be!

JARON playing in the leaves last Fall 2008 at 19 months

JARON playing in the leaves this Fall 2009 at 2 years old

Christmas Tree

2009-12-05T16:08:00.012-05:00

Our little town was having a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony last night with free food and an appearance of Santa Clause - classic family event. So we decided to go and join the fun but couldn't seem to get ourselves out of the house very quickly and therefore missed the tree lighting and the free food. But at least Jaron got to see Santa and run around the plaza with the other kids, touching the large Christmas tree and other blow up decorations that they had on the plaza. Below are some photos of the event.

We had out own little Christmas Tree lighting this past week - photos of the process and the finished outcome below.

The outside of our house got a few decorations as well. Here's a few shots (in the snow, no less).

Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T11:45:00.008-05:00

Although beyond a week past, we wanted to share a few photos of our Thanksgiving this year.

We ended up having Thanksgiving twice, which seems to becoming the normal as we split up our time between two families. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house for half of Mary's side of the family (the other half of the family was unable to attend). It was a very pleasant and relaxed Thanksgiving; the Simrak's hosted a brunch in the morning where most of the family was able to get together and then over to our house for the afternoon and evening.

Jeremy had to work on Friday this year, but after work we all piled into the car and headed up to Jeremy's parents house. We spent the night there and had Thanksgiving again the next day with Jeremy's side of the family (short a few people who were too far away to travel).

The kids caught colds, Abbie had fevers during that time and everyone sacrificed a little bit of sleep, but we all immensely enjoyed being together with our extended families. Below are a few photos to prove it...

Mmmm ... coffee

Waiting for pancakes

Playing with the blocks Jeremy used to play with

Emma helps Abbie...

Jaron and Grandpa

Abbie's Update

2009-12-04T22:19:00.002-05:00

Abigail went in for her six month check up with the surgeon this week. It was a rather significant appointment since the surgeon would be able to tell how well the re-structuring of the bones took to their new shape. Overall, the report was good. The bones were smooth and she looks great. The shape of her head has rounded out a little bit from where it was placed, but the surgeon believes that it won't be significant enough to necesitate further surgeries. However, only time will tell.

Also, the surgeon recommend that we take her to an eye doctor to have them check her out again. He noticed, as Mary has over the past few months, that one of her eyes is not tracking along with the other. It's hard to say whether it is a significant issue until we talk with the doctor. The concern is that if she isn't seeing well out of that eye, her body will adjust to not using it and the muscle will shut down and not develop.

Also, Abigail had her evaluation with Early Intervention today. She is approved for physical therapy, which we hope to start within the next week or so. They say she is rated at 6 to 9 months for rolling over and crawling despite being a year old. They've given us some tips to help her. Her fine motor skills, however, are ahead of her age group. She knows how to stack blocks and fit round balls into round holes and square pegs in square holes.

We'll continue to post as new developments occur. Thanks for your prayers.

Abbie Turns One!

2009-11-10T16:03:00.012-05:00

Our little baby girl has finally turned one! Where has the time gone?! Here are a few photos of her little party. At the bottom of the post we'll fill you in on what she's been up to and what we learned at her 12 month doctor visit...

She was more fascinated by the candle than with the cupcake.

Chomping down on her first piece of cake.

Gotta love a birthday cupcake!

She wasn't terribly agressive about opening her gifts. She would rather sit back and have someone do it for her.

The balloons were a hit with the kids. Jeremy and I would get them all in one corner of the living room and bounce them off their heads. Jaron and Abbie went crazy over that!

Abbie went in for her 12 month doctors appointment this morning; we were anxious to see what the doctor would say since Abbie has not yet started to crawl. It turns out that the doctor has diagnosed Abigail with Hypotonia. Hypotonia is a medical condition that causes low muscle tone and low strength; it is typically brought on by other disorders and diseases and cannot be considered a medical disorder by itself. It is basically a by-product of a list of other medical issues; on that list is Infant Botulism. Now, we don't know too much more then that except that the doctor urged us to start physical therapy for her as soon as possible. That will be done here in the home or we will go to a therapist for it - that has yet to be determined. We don't know the long term effects hypotonia will have on Abigail, if any. And we may not know for awhile.

Please pray that the Lord would find it pleasing to give Abigail the strength that she needs.

Her fine motor skills, however, are doing well! She grasps food well. She scoots around on her bottom. She waves bye-bye, gives kisses, gives high-five, claps her hands, sounds like she says "Dadda & Mamma", she's a great sleeper (two naps a day), a great eater with table food, she still nurses twice a day, and today she discovered her belly button. She seems to learn something new every day. She still has no teeth, does not like tummy time, does not roll over, does not stand on her feet well, but she's coming along and we pray that she will have increased strength in a short time. She is a tiny little thing. Her weight is only 18 lbs., which is in the 10th percentile for her age. She's only gained 2 lbs. since her last check-up, 3 months ago, but she's gaining consistently enough where there's no cause for concern. She's certainly eating well! Her height is also only in the 10th percentile.

We're so incredibly thankful for our little girl and can't imagine life without her. We love her so much. Yes, it's been a rough first year for her, but the Lord loves her even more than her parents do. That is quite evident, so we chose to put her life in His hands. God's will be done for Abigail Kathryn. Happy Birthday princess!

Lost and Found

2009-11-06T18:03:00.006-05:00

I just went through a very stressful few hours. Wanna know what happened? Well, this was my afternoon. I was at Babies 'R Us getting diapers. Then I went across the street to another shopping center to GIANT. I had gone through the grocery isle with everything scanned, the cashier gave me the total, I went to my bag to get my wallet and… IT WAS GONE!

With Jaron and Abigail, I had gone back through every grocery isle, the parking lot, gave them my info., went back to Babies R Us, checked their parking lot, talked to the desk, left my info. No luck. I was panicked. I called Jeremy who wasn't too far away from there, and he came to help me look. It was getting late so I had to stop looking and just go home to feed the kids a late lunch and get them down for naps. Jeremy had already started cancelling our credit cards. Then after I got J & A down for their naps, I checked our answering machine, which I should've done right when I walked in the door. A lady had called and said she found it in the BRU parking lot and had dropped it off AT MY HOUSE. She said she had just left it in between our two front doors. I ran to look and sure enough, there it was sitting in an envelope between the door and the storm door.

I can't believe how well the Lord takes care of us! I can't believe how He answers our prayers! But that's just it! I don't believe, not enough anyway. My faith had fallen short. I panicked instead of remained peaceful. I doubted instead of trusted. I should have trusted that even a lost wallet was in the Lord's hands. I am ashamed.

Of course, when something like this happens, you think the worst of what could happen. My thoughts were that it might have fallen into the hands of a dishonest person who wanted to take advantage of free money and credit cards. It didn't. It fell into the hands of a lady who says she does this sort of thing all the time. (Was she an angel?) She said she saw the wallet driving past it and had stopped to pick it up. She wasn't even going to Babies 'R US, but another store in the shopping center.
Anyway, the Lord used this incident to show me my weakness and my need for Him. He had been faithful to me, even though I wasn't being faithful to Him. Doesn't that sound a lot like the Cross?

Fall Fun

2009-11-01T22:14:00.013-05:00

Costumes, visiting friends and carving pumkins were the best part of Halloween for us. Abigail decided she wanted to be what her big brother was for Halloween last year (even though she had not yet entered this world at the time), so she went as a bumble bee.

Jaron was a construction worker. He already had the hard hat and the tool belt (Christmas and birthday gifts from Nanna/Pappa and Gramma/Grampa) so once we found an orange construction vest, it was complete!
Even though we were supposed to gain an hour of sleep last night from Daylight Savings Time, they actually lost an hour since we kept them up past their bedtime. We went to our neighbors houses to say hello, then we packed 'em up in the car to go visit "Aunt" Carole and Fred Pletscher (a wonderful couple from church who say they now have two more grandchildren, J & A) where we stayed for about an hour. Then we went to visit a college friend of Jeremy's and his wife, Matt & Danielle, who live a few blocks from us. There were a few others we wanted to visit, but the kids were SO tired, we knew we had to call it a night, get them home for a bath and into bed. Overall, Jaron and Abbie were really good sports about it. We had a fun time!

Jaron was very excited about his first Jack-o-Lantern.

Mary was a little too excited about hers.

J & A

2009-10-23T16:32:00.009-04:00

Here are a few photos of the kids over the past several weeks. Enjoy!

Jaron enjoys helping Mommy rake up the leaves in the back yard.

Jaron made a friend at the park and they had a blast going down the slide at the same time over and over again.

This bell has no real significance, except that Jaron has to go see it every time we go for a walk. It's right around the block from our house.

It's so special to see how Jaron and Abbie are beginning to play together, as the next several photos show. Jaron shows love to his little sister every day in different ways. My prayers are that they become life-long friends.

Gardens

2009-10-23T15:19:00.004-04:00

I meant to post this months ago. I wanted to show everyone Jeremy's green thumb results and how well our little yard did this past summer. This is the first time we planted vegetables and they provided plenty of salads for us to eat. Nothin' like fresh veggies from your back yard. He planted a couple different kinds of peppers (HOT ones and green ones) and tomatoes. I'm quite proud of him.

I planted a couple of the flowers and some of them just appeared. They really help beautify our back yard. We'll miss you lovely plants! See you next Spring!

Bethany Beach

2009-10-05T16:12:00.012-04:00

We went to Bethany Beach, DE last weekend, thanks to Jeremy's boss who offered us his condo at Sea Colony Resort. It was so nice to be together relaxing, taking walks, swimming, feeding the ducks, just being together.
We felt very priviledged and blessed to be able to stay in such a nice place.

Living Room

Kitchen

Spiral Staircase

Dining Room: Mommy praying with the Jaron & Abbie for breakfast.

In the beginning, Jaron was hesitant to go close to the water because he was afraid of the waves, but after awhile he warmed up to it and loved jumping and splashing as the waves crashed on the shore.

Jaron stopping to smell the flowers on our walk.

Jaron LOVED feeding the ducks.

Abigail posing for the camera.

Jaron enjoyed playing on the spiral stairs.

Apparently Abbie didn't like the food I was feeding her.

Family Zoo Trip

2009-09-21T15:47:00.007-04:00

We had our first family trip to the zoo on Saturday.

Jaron eagerly awaits in line to board his first train ride with his train ticket in hand.

He did not want to get off.

Jaron grooming a goat.

Jaron milking a cow.

He was fascinated with the giraffe.

Abigail was there too. Just wasn't nearly as involved... yet.

The Spirit of Philadelphia Dinner Date

2009-09-21T14:59:00.006-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I got a letter in the mail from someone asking me to go on a dinner date cruise on the Spirit of Philadelphia with him. It turns out it was my loving, sweet husband. I was surprised and so excited! This is something we were considering to do on our first anniversary, but it got brushed aside with other plans. I've been wanting to go on a SP cruise basically since I moved into this area. So that's just what we did. We got my wonderful sister, Geniene, to watch Jaron and Abigail (who did fine for her first time w/o her mommy nursing her before bed...what a relief for me!), and we went out on a very special date.
I had come down with a bad cold the day before and feeling pretty rotten that day, so we had considered postponing it, but I was able to muscle up the energy to go (with a little help with a decongestant pill, of course) and I'm so glad I did. But it seemed to me that it was more than just me who muscled the energy, but God who gave me that extra bit of strength to go and have an enjoyable evening. I was feeling so drastically different after our evening began than I was at home. Usually it's the opposite. Sometimes I think He gives us what we need, such as physical strength, to endure the things that we really need, such as a romantic evening of just husband and wife time, which He knows we DID need that. It's just another way the Lord shows us how He cares for those that He loves.
We went last Thursday and traffic was so incredibly busy and jam-packed going into the city (even though we left extra early already considering traffic into our travel time), we thought we might not make it for the boarding, but thankfully we did. It was a very elegant boat with a full buffet of wonderful food, a bar, a dance floor, two decks outside with chairs and tables so you can eat out there and/or just enjoy the view.
Thank you Jeremy for the wonderful time! It was a date that won't be forgotten.

Before boarding

Our dinner table was by a window so we could look out on the water as we ate.

On the deck

Our Beach Weekend

2009-09-15T13:35:00.011-04:00

We went to Ocean Grove, NJ shore on Labor Day weekend. We met Mary's parents there on Saturday along with her sister and brother-in-law. They were there until Sunday and we were there until Monday. It was very nice, but unfortunately the weather was not beach weather. It was incredibly windy on Sunday. The sun came out here and there and we were still able to play in the sand and enjoy the boardwalk as well as the quaint little town of Ocean Grove.
Here are a few pictures and a video for you to enjoy.

We always enjoy a night walk on the boardwalk, looking at the moon reflecting on the ocean. Love it!

Mommy playing games with Jaron

Daddy playing games with Jaron

Mary and Jaron feeding the seagulls

Abbie is protected from the strong wind and blowing sand in her little tent.

Our beach set-up: Jeremy entertaining Abigail in the tent, Tiffany and Jaron bury Jarid in the sand.

Jaron helping out with the burial.

Our group on Saturday night out for dinner on the boardwalk: Dad, Mom, Tiffany, Jarid, Mary, Jeremy, Abigail and Jaron

Here is a video of Jaron chasing the seagulls. (You need to listen carefully to the dialogue. The wind was stronge and loud, it's hard to hear over it.)

Our Family Update

2009-09-13T14:05:00.013-04:00

I can't believe it's been almost a month since our last post! The summer has flown by. We must've had a lot going on that kept us from posting.... or not much to post about. Either way, we have some updates on our family now.

What have we done this past month? Well,

- we took a trip to upstate NY to visit Mary's parents

-Jeremy and Mary finally joined our church's worship team and just sang a song together for the offeratory (with Jer accompanying on the guitar; it was SO nice to get back into that again)

- went to a wedding of Jeremy's co-worker

- had a few Dr.'s appointments

- had friends over

- went to other poeple's house for dinner

- Mary got her hair trimmed (HUGE highlight in my life... sad, I know)

- went to the beach at Ocean Grove, NJ over Labor Day weekend (we literally squeezed all four of us into a teeny, tiny room with Jaron in a pack-n-play and the baby on the floor... anything to save a buck, right?)

- finally joined a small group Bible Study at church

- Mary also joined a Ladies Bible Study

- Jaron has joined a 2's and 3's Sunday School class

- Jeremy installed new flooring in the kitchen and carpet in Jaron's room, as well as exterior lighting.

Still to come:

- a trip to Bethany Beach in Deleware (thanks to J's boss who is loaning us a weekend at his shore condo)

- a trip to visit Mary's Grandparent's in VA

- a family trip to the zoo (first time for Jaron, but I thinked I'm more excited about it than he is) - and a special date later this week, a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Philadelphia.

Some things are bigger news than others, but it all has kept us busy and on our toes. We are very excited about becoming involved in church activities more, now that we're past the hospital drama and Abigail has healed so well. She is nursing less (3 times a day), so it's giving Mom a little more freedom to go places and join things. She is still going through major stranger anxiety, which is normal for a 10 month old, and that makes it hard to leave her anywhere or with anyone, even in our own house. I believe it's a little worse than normal for her only because of the trama she went through just 3 months ago with her surgery. Doc seems to think it could last for a long time yet because of that. So that is tough but Abbie and Jaron are already such good playmates so he helps to keep her entertained when I can't be by her side. She usually enjoys just watching him play. She is not crawling yet, but acts like she wants to. She has very strong legs so I dont' see any reason why she won't start quite soon. I'm really enjoying this stage though, I have to say. Jaron keeps me running around enough as it is. Abigail can also give kisses and seems to try and sing when you sing to her, but I'm still figuring that one out. She is still very loud and vocal.

Helping Momma in the kitchen

Results of surgery in June

Jaron has grown by leaps and bounds this summer. He is talking so well now. We can actually understand him and have somewhat of a conversation with him. Things that I've heard him say recently that has cracked me up is "uh...nedamind (nevermind)", or "how (you) doing?", "see you waiter (later), bye", "that what Bible says?", "Wov (love) you Abbie" or when we're in church after every song or prayer he'll say very loud, "All done!" There's more, I just can't think of them all. I've heard that kids at this age are funny. It's so true. They're a handful with their wills shining through and lack of self control, but the things they say are so funny. They hear everything you say. Jeremy and I are being very careful these days with what we say, knowing that there are little ears always listening and repeating. Jaron is sitting through most of the church service now without needing to go to the nursery and occasionally he'll sit through the whole thing. He can also say his first Bible verse, Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

Reading a book to his sister

Jaron's not sure what he's more excited for: snow or the pool. He wears an interesting combination of winter hat and gloves and little swimmers.

More to follow: our beach adventures.

Abbie's Eye

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I'm up to no good.

Folding laundry is fun.

I like playing with my brother's toys.

Something just doesn't look right about this picture.
Abbie happened to grab an empty bottle off the table when we had some folks over for a BBQ. We couldn't resist the photo opportunity...

Or this one.

Look Mom! I can fit the entire lime in my mouth!

Abigail had a post-surgery eye appointment. The Dr. says that everything looks fine with her sight. We were still a little concerned about the right eye which was not quite even with the left eye, but he doesn't see anything to be concerned about nor does it affect her vision. It still may open more as her head grows and we'll wait and see what the surgeon says when we go for a check-up in Decemeber, but for now, her eyes are great. We were very pleased to hear such encouraging news.

July

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July we made a lot of trips going to Jeremy's parents in Drums, PA (an hour in a half north). There was our family vacation we took, as previously mentioned, and then 3 reunions after that. One being a friends reunion of the Riggall twins from their church growing up, another was the Riggall reunion (Jeremy's immediate family) and then a Grove City College reunion. I think we're ready to stay home for a weekend or two. There are lots of pictures to be shared.

Jeremy and his older brother, Mike.

Jaron doesn't like loud noises so when Daddy was riding Big Yellow (Grandpa's riding mower) he put ear phones on J's ears.

Little Toby sitting big in his booster seat for lunch.

Jaron and Eliana, his oldest cousin.

Jaron LOVES his Grandpa. He's always asking "Where's Grandpa?" or "Go to Grandma Grandpa's house?". Grandpa loves to play with his grandkids.

There was a car washing party going on at the Riggall home during the family reunion. Those Riggall men love to have a clean car. Jaron and Ellie were busy helping out.

And our lastest family picture.

It's very neat to hear how well Jaron is speaking now and picking up on so many things just this summer. He is always curious about Jeremy's projects around the house. When it rains, he asks about the sump pump in the basement that Jer put in. He wants to help in any way possible if it's something Jeremy (or Grandpa) is doing. He now asks about Uncle Craig and Uncle Mike, Jer's two brothers. He still sings, all the time. Last night I heard him talking and singing to himself (which he does while he's laying in bed for naptime or bedtime these days, sometimes for two hours straight), and I heard him singing a song"Angels Watching Over Me", which is what I sing to him every night, then saying "Uncle Cwaig, Uncle Cwaig...go Daddy, go Daddy, go, go, go Daddy." all in that order about 5 times. He makes me laugh. He is still very sweet in that he loves to hug and kiss. He has started to say "I love you Mamma" or "I love Dadda". He can count up to about 15, I think, and he's learning the alphabet song. He's also becoming difficult in some ways. I have been having a hard time getting him to eat his food. He has become extremely picky at the table. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out. So I started pureeing vegetables and adding them to the food he likes. Sneaky, eh? It all can be very frustrating, but I know it comes with the age. This is the age their wills come out and he has a strong one. We have been seeking the Lord in direction on how to handle certain situations. It's not always easy.

Abigail is a sweet baby girl, but very LOUD! Her talking and jabbering can be deafening. She is eating cherrios now and eating more solids. She is not crawling yet nor is she attempting to. She's on the lower scale of development for her age group (6-9 months), but they say she's not behind, so that was encouraging. I guess it's to be expected with all that she's had going on in her short little life so far.

The summer is flying by before our eyes. We are enjoying just being together as a family. We try to take a walk every day (if we're home) and realize that these times won't last forever. Soon, the kids will be grown and we'll want them back to being babies, so we're trying to soak up as much time with them now as possible. We'll be making a trip to upstate NY to visit Mary's parents in a couple weeks, a trip to Ocean Grove, NJ over Labor Day weekend at the shore and then possibly, early this fall, a trip down to VA to visit Mary's Grandparents.

Thanks to those of you keeping up with our Blog page. Until next time...