We Are Back!

It's been some time since I've written and I think I'll start again.

There have been many changes with the Riley clan since I've last written. To begin with, all 4 of our daughters are now married! Jessica had her first child in April 2015, Missy due in December. Mike & I have become licensed foster parents & currently have 2 little ones, 5mos & 22mos. To protect their identity, I will refer to them as Little Man & Little Princess. They've been here 6 weeks and its been quite the adjustment for these empty nesters! To be honest, both Mike & I are loving it!

What is New

Our precious grandson John, is coming up on 8 months. He's trying to crawl, and doing all the other stuff 'normal' for his age. Cheryl has turned out to be a wonderful mom, it has been such a blessing to see her progress. They are still living with us, Mike & I love having them. What a treat to have sweet baby John in our lives each & every day!

Missy was elected Military Ball Queen at her JROTC ball a few weeks ago, she was quite excited! 

Mike & I went on a marriage retreat with 18 other couples from our church. We had a wonderful time. It was great to get away and also gave us the opportunity to get to know some of the couples we worship with. Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage by Mark Gungor was a great choice for the weekend, I strongly recommend you google him, and be prepared to laugh! He uses Scripture from Song of Solomon, what a love book that is! (I came home & read it) 

One of the many things I learned was men really can think about 'nothing'. Strange, but apparently true. 

While at the marriage retreat, I was able to convince Mike to join me in karaoke, something that doesn't look like it would be difficult (karaoke, that is) but isn't as easy as I thought. It was a lot of fun.

God has been doing so much in our relationship since the first of the year, all praise goes to Him.

My mom had a small stroke on Feb 27 so I drove up to PA on the 28th and stayed until she went into rehab on Mar 1. She is home & doing very well, not using her walker much at all. Praise to God, things could have been so different! Even though it was not a pleasure trip, I so enjoyed spending time with my Jessica, my parents, siblings & other relatives as well as some friends. Of course, no trip to PA would be complete without breakfast at the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe and at least one burger with cheddar cheese & chili along with fries with the same. Jessica made sure I had some Oram's donuts to bring home with me too. I am planning an extended visit in June, unless God has other plans for me, of course.

Mike & I were asked to join to join the newly formed missions team at church and we are looking forward to the opportunities God has for us in this area. Mike continues to participate in the choir and is getting ready for the Resurrection Cantata. Missy & her boyfriend (Austin), Cheryl & her friend (Ryan) joined Mike & I for the church's showing of the movie, Courageous. This was a repeat viewing for all of us Riley's but the first for the gentlemen. This movie really does place importance on fathers and calls all fathers to step up and take responsibility for their families. What a huge change we would see in the USA if each & every man took this to heart.

He is here!!!

                       JOHN CHRISTOFER RILEY
                            6LBS 8OZ; 19".
                                  Aug 6 2011; 154am
 Proud mama Cheryl did a fantastic job, and had great support from Grandpa, Aunt Missy & Grandma. Grandma Spencer was unable to stay for the birth as the Navy already had her scheduled for drill. Mama & baby both doing well, praise God!

Part 2: The Grandkids Visit Grandma & Grandpa

Much of our time was spent at home, playing and doing 'normal' stuff. Of course, they did have to work for their keep:



Justin was in charge of breakfast. His scrambled eggs are the best in town!  Olivia was in charge of setting the table.




Grandpa built the kids a playhouse. He put 2 big windows on each side for cross ventilation and here he is painting the roof white to reflect the sun.





no one is too young to paint



Justin painted almost a whole wall himself!

 It wasn't all work and no play:


playing in the sand box with Aunt Missy





building with Joshua's Legos

The best $17 I ever spent!

Grandpa reads a story.

resting with Cleo and Chanel, see her peeking out from under Olivia's head?

Beach Fun with the Grandkids

Grandpa drove his motorcycle & I drove the kids in the car down to the 'ugly house' so we could spend some time at the beach. We spent 2 days there. 

We also enjoyed our friends, the Woleslagles, ribbon cutting ceremony. They are Sandals reps so if you need a vacation give them a call: 910 526 9446 also check out their facebook page: Something Special Weddings & Events

Lazy 5 Ranch with the grandkids

We had so much fun with Justin & Olivia. One of the things we did was visit the Lazy 5 Ranch, what fun!

This cow wrapped it's tongue around Olivia's arm.....of course I didn't get to see it but she & Cheryl sure did laugh about it!

Justin especially liked feeding the big, old, papa giraffe.

Part 1: The Grandkids Visit Grandma & Grandpa

For the first time ever, both Justin & Olivia were able to visit us in June! They were with us from June 4 - 23. Joshua's new orders moved him to Massachusetts. Instead of driving the entire family & the dog from CA to MA, the kids stayed with us while the movers came & packed up the house. Then Josh & Stacey and Gabby (the dog) drove east. I flew out to pick them up on Memorial Day & spend a few days. Justin, Olivia & I flew from Ontario CA to Dallas Ft Worth where we had a 3 hour layover. We had some lunch then were going to the USO when we discovered a children's play area. As nice as the USO's are, this was the perfect place for the kids to burn off some energy. Because Justin's reservations were made after Olivia & mine, he didn't sit with us, instead sat in a window seat both flights all by himself. I think he liked being 'big enough' to sit away from us.