Happy Birthday Teya!

It's hard to believe that three years ago today Teya entered our lives and became a vibrant part of our little family. From her first ultrasound where we literally saw her trying to do somersaults in the womb we knew she was going to be a vivacious little girl. She truly is a little fireball of love and energy. She loves to play imagination games and is constantly going on adventures through "spooky forests, muddy mud pits and space stations." She has learned a lot about manners this year and likes to remind us to talk softly, share, say excuse me, and use nice voices when we play. She loves cars, dinosaurs, pirates and space ships but also likes to dance like a ballerina and play with make up. We love her so much and wish her a very happy birthday today! Here is a little walk down memory lane to celebrate three wonderful years of TEYA!

Bright eyed on her first day in the world.

First gassy little smile (6 weeks old)
getting ready for a swim (4 months old)
chubby bunny 5 months old (doesn't she look like Brinly in this picture?)
Daddy's girl (8 months)
Brown eyed baby 10 months
The age of pigtails begins (1 year)
Supporting Daddy's work (1 year and a half)
Turning 2
Daddy's shoes 2 1/2
This girl LOVES baby animals (2 and 3/4)

seems like she turned into a big girl over night! (almost 3)

The age of the preschooler begins!

Miss Teya Ku'ualoha Rigg at 3 years old.

Anticipation

When I asked Teya what kind of party she wanted for her birthday I secretly hoped she might want something that would involve tutu's and fairy wings. (yes I confess, I bought the Tinkerbell movie for her and made her watch it to try to and brainwash her ; ) It didn't work however, because when I suggested a fairy party she said, "No mom, I want a PIRATE PARTY!"

So a pirate party it will be. Once I let go of the fairy idea we've actually had a lot of fun planning for pirates. We made some cute little invitations and put them in bottles with sand and seashells to deliver to all her friends. She put every single seashell in and was quite proud of herself.

As we get closer to the party the anticipation is killing her. We got some swords and eye patches for the kids and she literally asks me every day if she can wear her eye patch. The first time she put it on she looked in the mirror and gasped "I LOOK GORGEOUS!"

Another cute thing is that she's been talking in "pirate speak" all week. Lot's of "Arrr's" and "Ahoy Mateys!" But the funniest was the other day when Brinley started crying Teya rushed to her side and said, "Don't worry me hearty, when things go wrong it will be okay." I was cracking up that she used "me hearty" like it was just a regular part of every day speech.

Monty has suffered from Teya's excitement too. She really wanted to wear her costume the other day and when I pulled it out she saw Monty's and well, the poor guy didn't have a chance.

We're all really excited for Saturday though. In line with my "I can do hard things" goals I will be attempting to make a pirate ship cake. We'll see how it goes. I guess if I really mess it up it can always just be a ship wreck and we'll just go with that : )

Pretty Kitty Too!

Teya wanted to play make up again. This time Brinley was awake.
Cutest darn kitty I've ever seen.

Winter Frolic 5K

This morning as Taber, my good friend Kara and I drove to our race over snow covered streets in 15 degree weather (it felt like 4 degrees with the wind), Kara said something to the effect of, "This isn't just about the race, this is about transcending February in Minnesota!" And I have to admit, as I ran across the snowy finish line I definitely felt empowered knowing that the freezing cold winter couldn't stop me from doing something AWESOME today!

Here's Taber and I all jazzed and ready to go at the starting line. The first part of the race was a little tricky just because we had to run for about a block on a sidewalk that hadn't been shoveled. There was lots of deep snow and a lot of runners all bunched together that made for a very slow start. Once we got to the paved path though things got a lot better.

I was very careful about keeping a steady pace but Taber sped ahead so he could snap a few pictures of me running. He didn't even act like he was breaking a sweat and definitely made it look a lot easier than I did!

The trail we were on ran right along the frozen shores of White Bear Lake outside of St. Paul. It was a gorgeous morning with the fresh snow and I was grateful for such a scenic little route.

Taber was gracious enough to stay with me for the first two miles but on the last mile he decided to pick up the pace. He was like, "follow me!" And then he shot off like speedy Gonazalas. I tried to keep up for about 10 seconds and then I decided I didn't want my heart to burst so I let him run ahead. He finished a full minute ahead of me.

The nice thing about him finishing so fast was that he was able to snap a shot of me running it in at the end. My time was 29:41. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes so I was thrilled!

Kara wasn't too far behind us which is SUPER impressive since she is in her second trimester of pregnancy! Seriously, could she be more awesome?

I was hyper for like 3 straight hours after the race. I kept saying, "That was awesome!" Taber was pretty pumped too. In fact, as soon as we got home he got online to look for another race we could do between now and the half marathon. Looks like we may be doing a 10K in April! Gotta watch out for this racing business, once you get started you're hooked!

I can do hard things

As 2008 came to a close I decided I needed a hobby for the new year. I wanted to do something that would get me out of the house, challenge and stretch me but also be fun and enjoyable. After running a little 2 mile race over Thanksgiving I kind of thought it might be fun to get into running. (I use the term 'running' pretty loosely. it's more of jogging really, we're talking 10 minute miles here) So for Christmas Taber bought me some sweet shoes and warm running gear and we both signed up for a 5K that happens to be this weekend.

In January I started training. In the beginning I was doing a mile to a mile and a half 4 times a week and it wasn't easy for me. I didn't stay in very good shape while I was pregnant with Brinley so getting back into the grove took some work. Every week I added a little more distance and I was amazed that by the end of the month I could run 3 miles without dying. As February rolled around I kicked up my routine and started pushing for faster times and longer distances. I can now comfortably run 4 miles without feeling tired and I can do it 38 minutes. Again, these aren't huge distances or super fast times but for me, a non-runner, I'm feeling pretty good!

I've been enjoying myself so much actually that I decided to be really crazy and I signed up for a half Marathon in May. There was a time in my life when 13.5 miles sounded like death, but as I've trained for my little 5K I've learned a very important thing about myself, I can do hard things. Sounds kind of simple but this was a groundbreaking realization for me. I've always looked at other people who do what I consider to be hard things and thought, " I wish I was like them but I could never do that!" The truth is, it's not that I coudln't do those things, it's that I wasn't willing to try. Now instead of telling myself, "I'm not a runner" I ask myself, "what can I do to become a runner?"

This little epiphany has leaked over into the homemaking part of my life as well. I used to look at people who were fabulous homemakers and think to myself, "I wish I was like them but I could never do that!" Since my new realization, however, I don't say that anymore. Now I just say, " I'd love to be more (organized, crafty, better at cooking, etc..) what can I do to make that happen? And then just like I did with my running, I get out there and put one foot in front of the other and actually TRY to do those things. It's AWESOME to be able to put a delicious meal on the table or make something cute and creative for our home and think, "I did that! I can do hard things!" and the best part is they aren't that hard, they just take some effort. Running isn't hard but I have to put forth the effort to go out and do it. The more I do it, the easier it gets. And it's the same with my homemaking efforts. I CAN have a clean organized home and make other meals besides spaghetti! It just takes effort, but the more I do it, I'm sure the easier it will get!

So wish me luck on my 5K this weekend and remember, YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS TOO! (Believe me, if I can, anyone can ; )

Valentines day traditions

I realized this year that even though we've never made them official, Taber and I have some Valentines day traditions that we seem to do every year but never really get old.

1) He buys me roses. I know it might sound cliche or overdone but I love that my man buys me roses. My dad (bless your heart if you're reading this) was never really the flower giving type so when I was dating Taber and I saw his Dad give his mom a dozen roses for Valentines day I was blown away. I secretly hoped that someday Taber would do the same for me and I'm happy to say, he does!

2) I get him chocolate covered strawberries. I don't know how this tradition started but it seems like for as long as we've been married chocolate strawberries have been a part of our Valentines days. Usually I get them at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory but this year I decided to save some money and make my own. They actually tasted exactly the same so I think we'll be doing the homemade kind from now on out : )

3) I heart attack our room. This year when Teya saw me putting up the hearts and swirlys in our bedroom she thought it was the most exciting thing ever. She kept saying "Wow! I really like your room mommy! It looks gorgeous!" So while she was at Preschool on Friday I decorated her room too. When she saw it I thought she was going to burst with joy. I'll definitely be doing that again in the future!

4) We dress for the occassion. I always wear pink or red and try to get Taber to do the same (alhtough this year he claimed he was already dressed before I reminded him to wear red) At least now I can dress the girls too. Here's Brinley in her heart speckled pajamas:

5) We make Valentine goodies. Last year I tried to do sugar cookies with Teya but she was a little too young to get it. She just wanted to eat all the frosting and the toppings. This year we made cupcakes and she was very hands on.

6) And finally, my favorite tradition of all, we eat awesome food. I'm so glad I married a man who loves to eat as much as I do! I was looking for on older picture of us to post for Valentines and I started laughing when most of the pictures I found involved us eating something. We are definitley two of a kind! Anyway, this year we had lots of delicious food and way too many desserts but oh it was fun! Happy Valentines Day! We hope you all enjoyed some fun traditions too!

Beating the winter blues

Since we've moved here a lot of people have asked how we're surviving the winter. Well really and truly it isn't that bad. I was scared from the horror stories I heard about arctic winds and subzero temperatures, thinking I would be trapped in my house all winter long. However, it was only REALLY cold for a couple of weeks. Now we're back up in the 30's and are able to get out and about quite often. I've learned that the trick is to balance fun indoor activities with getting out of the house as well. Here are some of the things we've been doing lately to beat the winter blues:

-We made valentine cards for Daddy. I let Teya use my scrapbooking scissors because the edges aren't sharp and she was in heaven! (Anytime she gets to use a "forbidden" object it brings her great joy) She cut up just about every paper in sight and then had tons of fun using the glue stick to put her snip-bits on cards.

-We made chocolate covered Marshmallows with her friend Abby. I saw the idea on my friend Tara's blog and thought it would be fun. You just melt some chocolate chips, dip the marshmallows and then cover them with sprinkles. Abby was very dainty with her chocolate dipping, barely getting her fingers dirty. Teya on the other hand went all out crazy!

In the end our marshmallows looked like this:

And Teya looked like this:

-We got together with some friends for a Wii party. I have to say, whoever invented the Wii is a genius. It's just as fun to watch how silly people look when they play as it is to actually play it!

-We went on a double date with some friends who treated us to a Minnesota Wild Hockey game. They were playing the Nashville Predators so I was a little torn as to who to cheer for. After all, we lived near Nashville twice as long as we've lived here. : ) I guess it was nice though because whoever won (it ended up being the Predators) would still make me happy. (p.s. is it just me or is Taber looking incredibly hot in this picture?)

-We took advantage of the awesome indoor playground at the Maple Grove Community Center. It's huge! (think McDonalds playground on steroids) and Teya has finally learned how to navigate the climbing apparatus by herself. (Before that Brinley would cling to me like a monkey while I wormed through the climbing maze giving Teya a boost at every switchback. Kind of exhausting)
And finally we've been enjoying visits to the Plymouth field house. It's a giant indoor field house where every Mon. Wed. and Friday they have toddler time. They bring out a bounce house and a jolly jump slide and tons of balls and toys for little kids. Teya loves running around with her friends and best of all, when we leave she always takes a nap! (something she has recently been growing out of) It's nice for me too because I go with my friend who is training for a 5K with me and we take turns running while the other one plays with the kids.

Here's a little video that gives you a better idea of what the field house is like. Teya burns off so much energy there! I also love the little bit at the end where she's wiggling her hips. She says she's just shaking it but I know that dance really means she has to go to the bathroom ; )

Fun at the Fieldhouse from Taber Rigg on Vimeo.

Pretty Kitty

The other day while Brinley was taking a nap I could tell that Teya needed some special one on one attention. So I offered to play make-up with her since she LOVES my make-up and hasn't been able to touch it since the eye shadow incident (See Keep on Paddling Post). We started with powder, blush and eyeshadow and I was happy to see my non-girly girl looking somewhat girly. Once I brought out the eyeliner though she started getting creative. First she wanted me to draw a heart on her foreheard. Next she wanted a flower, then a star and a square. She then asked for a circle on her nose and thought she looked like a kitty so we went ahead and added whiskers. Naturally she wanted Mommy to do it too. I thought I could get away with just a flower on my cheek but she wanted me to copy her face exactly. In the end our girly make-up session left us looking more like fluffy animals then beauty queens. But that fits Teya to a T so I guess I wouldn't want it any other way. : )


I also let pretty kitty paint her own nails. I usually don't let her touch the nail polish so she was so happy. (I was closely supervising however ; )

When the makeover was complete she crawled around and meowed like a sassy little cat. I love this girl with all my heart and I'm so thankful for the zest she brings into my life. : )

Lucky Winner Boy Wins Again!

Taber is a lucky guy. And I'm not just saying that because he married me ; ) He just really has good luck. Yesterday he came home and out of the blue, for no apparent reason, presented me with my very own iPod Touch. When he placed it in my hands my eyes popped out of my head! I got him an iPod Touch for Christmas and ever since I've been DROOLING over it and thinking of a plan to somehow get him to give it to me. Realistically I figured it probably wouldn't happen for a couple years but it didn't stop me from dreaming of the day when his iPod Touch would be mine. Taber (aka Mr. Budget) doesn't just go out and buy things on a whim, so you better believe I was pretty shocked and amazed to be holding that shiny little rectangle of awesomeness in my hands.

How did this happen? Well it turns out Taber/Mr. Budget/Lucky Winner Boy, actually WON the iPod in a drawing at work. And since he already had one and since I'm such a great wife, he gave it to me! The thing that is crazy is that this is the THIRD iPod he has won in the last year and a half. He won an iPod Nano in a competion, an iPod Shuffle in a doorprize drawing and now the iPod touch from yet another drawing at work. All three times his name was in the hat just once. That's just not fair! I mean, I know I shouldn't complain since I benefit from his luckiness, but still! When they say "Some people have all the luck" They're not kidding!

So yeah, thank you Apple for creating such a fine piece of technology and thank you Taber for being the luckiest winner boy I know!