More holiday fun... and other stuff

Tuesday I bought a potty for Riley. She's far from being ready to potty train, but she's shown some interest and sorta gets the concept so I thought I would introduce it to her. She hasn't potty'd in it, but she does know one thing about sitting on the toilet and that's having reading material handy. By Tuesday evening the potty had already become a popular spot for reading. Since I was working late Jesse and Riley were hanging out upstairs (where the potty is) before she went to bed. Jesse ended up jumping in the shower while she played in her bedroom and the little nook we have. When he got out of the shower he found her sitting on her potty with a book... and his underwear up to her knees over her clothes. Lol. That's my girl.

On Wednesday I left work early to attend a Holiday event at my mom's nursing home. Jesse was having a boy's game night so it was just going to be Riley with me. When I got home from work she was crying. Hard. And had been for the last hour at daycare. We turned on a DVD since that was the one thing she asked for and then we gave her some treats. I was hesitant to bring her, but her mood seemed to have lifted a bit so I bundled her up and put her in the car. Turns out she was a superstar that night (even when stuck in rush hour for 40 minutes).

I brought the good camera, but ended up leaving it in the car since I was anticipating a touchy child... so I did my best with the phone camera. Our family had our own little area to hang out, but were also able to take in the holiday music entertainment. Riley and I only stayed an hour, but had a good time. We left in a good mood with full bellies and a stuffed animal from grandpa.

My brother, Ben, and my mom, Ann.

Grandpa or "Papa" feeding Riley a treat. My brother, Barry, and wife, LaRaa, in the back.

Riley telling Papa a story with my brother, Chuck, looking on.

Random Riley picture.

On Saturday Jesse's friend, Jeff, brought his 11 month old daughter over for a play date. It was fun to be reminded of the changes that can occur in one year.

Riley dancing to the sound of the bell.

The bells were a favorite item of the day and this lucky lady even got to take one home.

Later that day we dropped Riley off at Jesse's mom's house and headed out to connect with some friends for a last minute get together. Jesse and I met up with my high school girlfriends, Susannah and Joanna, and their dates, Jim and Jay at the House of Comedy at the Mall of America. Going to the Mall isn't my favorite thing to do, especially so close to Christmas, but it was worth it to hang out with these friends. Joanna, Jay, Jesse, and I got there early enough to eat and chat before the show. Before we walked in Joanna turned to me and said "What's great about eating here before the show is that we are more likely to get a good seat". Then the host proceeded to sit us right up front. Smack dab in front of the comedian. We all groaned a little as we knew that this was the prime spot to be railed on by the comedians, but since Susannah and Jim hadn't shown up yet we let them have the front spots. That's what you get for being late. Plus we knew they'd be such good sports about it.

Turns out Susannah and Jim showed up seconds before the show was to start. Susannah turned to an employee to get assistance in finding us only to find out she was speaking to the emcee of the show. As she and Jim were using the restrooms the emcee got on stage and proceeded to ask us (in front of the crowd) if we were waiting for Susannah and Jim. She then shared with everyone that they were in the bathroom and when she saw Jim waiting at the back of the room she urged him to come sit down. All the comedians at some point interacted with Susannah and Jim - they were just the buffer needed for me to not be picked on. Yea baby.

Overall the show was pretty good - some jokes better than others, of course. And if I would have to rate the food I'd say it was ok, but overpriced. We did walk out with some complimentary tickets so there is a chance we'll go back. How can you turn down a night of laughter?

As always, I could spend hours with these two and never stop laughing or enjoying their company. It was a very entertaining night and can't wait until we get to hang out again.