Martin Mania: Happy 9th Birthday Riley!

Here comes the cake...

Contemplating a wish...

That's a lot of space to cover with one breath!

Two stories about Riley...

When Riley was born, Casey was so happy to have a little sister. He loved her so much he couldn't keep his hands off of her. In the car he was always grabbing her hand. She didn't like that. She would try to wiggle her hand loose unsuccessfully, get frustrated and scream! When she was about 6 months old she came up with a plan. Her other hand was able to move freely so when Casey would grab her hand and not let go she would use the other hand and the toy she was holding to hit him and relieve her frustration.

This pattern continued for many years. Riley was now four. Casey still "pestered" her relentlessly. Not in a mean way, but she still didn't like it. Once she reached her boiling point someone better be near by to intervene and save Casey. I heard the usual escalation beginning. It quickly developed into a full boil. Casey was up and running. Riley was in hot pursuit. Down the hallway they went, all the while Riley was yelling like Adam Sandler in Water Boy. When Casey nearly reached his room and safety she knew she had one chance left and she jumped through the air and grabbed hold of his ankles. Casey came down hard on his face. As soon as I quit laughing I corrected Riley and comforted Casey even though he had it coming!

She has her limits.

Here are a few pictures that demonstrate this funny, sweet, stubborn, adventurous little girl.

We call this picture "Crazy Eyes"