Oooh, Racy Mitt!

Riley and I went to the garage to hang out with the boys while they brewed beer. Once Ian's camera came out, she couldn't help but strike a racy pose for "the Baby Whisperer". Her dress pulled up to show off her belly and a tiny, but sincere smirk. Silly kid!

I'm wondering where she got those dark and serious eyes from. Neither of us has eyes like hers, and dad's are a pretty light blue. I think her eyes and eye color are channeling her "aunt" Megan.















And then there's this silly face....



Thank you to Ian for these amazing photos and for so generously sharing his photography :)

Learning to clap and laughing while crawling

Dad was able to show Riley how to clap today, she actually made a small "slap" noise, though the clapping lesson quickly dissipated once I got the camera out and I didn't end up getting much footage of clapping Mitt.

After she lost interest in the lesson on clapping hands, I found a way to get her to laugh. I suspect that my "get the bunny" command was not funny and the laugh was a result of borderline hysteria from having been up for 14 straight hours. I kid you not!

I shall kiss you with my tiny tooth!

I couldn't resist adding one last set of photos from the wedding. Riley made fast friends with one of the flower girls, she loves other kids and often they love to see babies too. They are too cute!




Here' Riley is receiving a hug.






















....and here she's trying to give a kiss with her tiny tooth.

Patiently Waiting for Mom

This short series of photos shows Riley patiently waiting for me to finish with a set of wedding photos. She entertained herself while sitting on a lawn chair. So many things to look at!

Baby's First Wedding

Last Sunday Riley had the joy of attending her first wedding. One of my best friends, a friend of more than 23 years, got married, it was a lot of fun and a beautiful event!

Most of the photos I have are quite Mitt-centric, which happens when a dotting grandma is the one photographing the big day. What follow is some photos before the ceremony of the girls, the gorgeous bride and Riley thoroughly enjoy the loads of attention.

Eureka!

Riley's first trip to Eureka included a stop a my favorite place to eat, Los Bagels. We went window shopping at an antique lighting shop, where we fell in love with everything, we also wen to the Bonn Bonnier Ice Cream parlor.












Here Riley is looking at the Carson Mansion. Sadly we can't tour it because it is now a"Gentlemens' Club". We stayed just a block away from the mansion and Riley enjoyed checking out the view from the fence, while wearing her PJs from aunt Heidi!






























































Here are Riley and Grandma in Old Town Eureka.

Friday Pool Fun

Nothing is more fun than swimming in Grandma & Grandpa's pool. The water was much warmer than the air so we stayed in for several hours. Riley did not mind at all, she loves the water!

Beautiful Themed Bridal Shower

From Design Sponge - This is absolutely gorgeous, a bridal shower event based on "A Midsummer Nights' Dream". This definitely puts the bridal shower I planned to shame.

Don't mind me....

...I'm just sharpening my tooth on my crib....
































































...and it's hilarious!

No, this baby was not thrown from a moving vehicle.

Seriously, who sleeps like this? Face in one direction, butt in another, feet in yet another...

After fighting sleep in her crib, Riley succumbs to a nap in this position. She looks uncomfortably twisted, in a position you'd expect from a horrific accident. Apparently this is pretty comfortable.

Stout Beer Chocolate Cakes

This recipe is my own - based on a recipe I found by Guinness. I have tried these twice and both times they turned out deliciously.

Stout Beer Chocolate Cakes
8 oz Butter, melted (1 stick)
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, separated
4 oz Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Flour
10 oz of Guiness, or other Stout Beer

Icing
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar, add until smooth and still a bit runny

Beat the 2 egg whites until stiff, set aside. Combine remaining ingredients, except the beer & egg white. Once other ingredients have been thoroughly combined with a mixer, add the 10 ounces of beer. lastly add the egg whites and stir slowly until smooth. The batter should be wet and fluffy. Coat small ramekins with butter & flour and bake at 375º for about 20 minutes. Let cakes cool for about 10 minutes, use a butter knife to free the cakes from the ramekin edges, flip cakes upside down on to a serving plate and drizzle the vanilla glaze on top.

There's No Smiling in Baseball!

While watching the Giants game, Riley got to hold a baseball for the first time. Interest in the baseball turned to both sheer delight and ridiculous grins.

Have You Ever Seen Such Excitement Over Applesauce?

Due to a hectic week and a suspected contamination in our backup supply of milk, Riley was stuck eating cinnamon applesauce while I was at work. I think her sheer joy is because of the great mess she created and not just because she loves applesauce.