The Richter Family

Vimeo Flickr Galore

2009-12-23T19:22:00.002-06:00

I have been and will be posting lots of new photos and videos on flickr and vimeo, so go look at them and watch them. http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinrichter/ and http://www.vimeo.com/richter.

I will also post the vimeo videos to vidoes.jetfive.com.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Dinner Story and Kids Updates

2009-10-14T19:40:00.009-05:00

It is so nice to sit down to dinner with my family. There is just something about being at home catching up on the day while at the same time ~~appeasing the ravenous mob~~ providing my lovely family with nourishment they need. Everyone has their place at the table (upon Lex’s insistence it is ladies on one side and gentlemen on the other), and there is a place for everyone; everyone, that is, but him. Suddenly, I noticed him. There he was, leaning unknowingly against the side of the table. I knew he wasn’t expecting it. So I made my move and down he went right to the floor. As he lay unmoving on the ground, for a split second I felt a sense of accomplishment and delight and couldn’t help but start to laugh. Lately he had just been driving me mad, it felt good to make him pay. Then the small moment of silence gleams in, just for one moment. Not the peaceful sort of silence either; you know the one. It’s the one you dread, the one that makes you wonder what the kids are up to and just why it is so quiet. As the cries start cutting through the silence, I started to feel very different feelings – remorse and regret. A horrified Lex has huge tears streaming down his face, and it’s my fault. Justin is sitting in his chair shocked, his face full of mixed emotions. Inara is still caught in the moment of silence; she sits in her chair speechless. After a quick moment I composed myself enough to comfort my son as he continues to bawl. I am thinking, I will have to clean up his body later outside of the watchful eyes of Lex, right now my son needs me. Maybe Justin can discreetly dispose of him, as I am being watched like a hawk. After the tears ended and the cleanup was finished, I pondered my newly learned, very important lesson: Never, NEVER swat a fly in front of the children after they refer to them as “nice.” Sorry son, Mama just murdered your nice new interspecies friend.

The kids have really been getting big lately. It’s been a while since we blogged anything so here’s some updates!

So what’s new with Lex?
Lex started preschool this year and is loving it! This week his normal classes are out for fall break, but they had a special field trip to the zoo on Monday, which he enjoyed, despite the dreary weather. He has homework which I really think is giving him a good sense of accomplishment (he is so proud of himself!) and is very good at it! He is still in gymnastics and doing very well! I have noticed improvements with confidence and independence, as well as improved physical strength, agility and balance. He is also still enjoying his Sunday classes, and is starting to open up about what they learn in class. After Inara started telling us what she did in class this last Sunday, Lex opened up and shared the story they learned in class this week (Jesus washing feet) and went on to talk about Jesus dying on the cross. We knew he was catching on to everything, but it is very exciting to start hearing him tell us in his own words!

And what’s new with Inara?
Inara just turned 2 a few weeks ago and is doing very well. Physically small, but very advanced in her speech in particular (has been since she was a baby.), loves to sing and dance, has tons of confidence and is physically able to climb on the potty by herself (with a stepstool), do a two foot jump (even on the stairs despite my best efforts to make her stop) and pretty much anything Lex can do. She can count to 11 (or eleventeen as she used to say), although most of the time she skips 2. She knows it just fine, but just seems to not like the number 2; I was hoping that would change when she turned 2, but so far it has made little difference. We are working on potty training, but are not being very pushy; when she’s ready, she will be ready. She started gymnastics as well this fall, and is doing very well. At first she would not let Mrs Cindy even touch her (I would spot all her moves) and as of today, aside from telling her to mind a couple times, I did not do a single one with her. Awesome! I think she really enjoys being in the 2 year old class at church it’s much more exciting than the one year old class for her. This Sunday, she was telling us about the songs she sang and that the story was about Jesus! In keeping with the “terrible two’s” guideline, she has also been throwing more/longer tantrums than she used to. Fun times!

Justin will be taking his MRI registry sometime in December, so he is studying for that. I’m just doing my normal stuff working and trying to keep up with the kids. Time to get the kids off to bed!

I call them Lexisms

2009-03-25T21:15:00.003-05:00

Manda emailed me a couple of things Lex said. I thought I would put them here.

3/24/2009
Lex just told me he is "grow'd up." He is THIS BIG (arms streached
high) and grow'd up!

3/25/2009
Lex said his first web address. He said "p b s kids dock org". No prompting! I am on the computer and he was like go to "pbs kids dock org". Very Cute! We'll have to work on the dot (dock is pretty close)!

I enjoy getting these in my email. I think its pretty neat that we can share so instantly now-a-days.

Christmas, Upstairs and Jesus the Pirate!

2008-12-27T16:29:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas! We've had a great one this year. The kids have enjoyed playing with everyone so much! We had my uncle, aunt, and cousins come from Colorado earlier this week to visit and had a great time with them. We got to video-chat christmas again this year with Justin's mom Debbie and Tommy. Justin's dad came in yesterday and is visiting us until Monday.

And since we haven't had much to do these last couple weeks (please note the sarcasm), we decided to move the kids upstairs. We've been meaning to for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it. But there was a lot to do. Okay, so there was an immense amount of work to be done before they could go up there. Lets just say the upstairs had become, well, the junk and storage areas. And the rest of the house wasn't exactly in its prime either. The attic doorknobs needed to be replaced with with locking ones, closets needed to be purchased and installed, ditto on the blinds, oh, and one last little thing, almost everything in the house needed to be shuffled around to the appropriate rooms. So with the help of Jason (without whose help the children would not have been upstairs this week), we got an amazing amount of work done. There are still multiple things to finish up, but the bulk of it is done! And I think the house is more organized than its been, well probably since we moved in!

Lex and Inara love their new rooms. Inara takes long, wonderful, restful naps (she had been fighting them) and about half the time Lex will take a nap at the same time she does (those with multiple young children know what a challenge that can be sometimes)! In fact, both are sleeping now! I think Lex enjoys having more freedom upstairs, as he is allowed to roam freely through the whole upstairs, not to mention access the potty during the night! And the children are able to play (and play nicely!!) upstairs while I have uninterrupted time to cook, clean , do laundry, etc, without stumbling over my well-intentioned helpers.

I will close with a lovely story from last night:
We were all in Lex's room last night and he was playing with the little pirate set that was in his stocking. He told us that one of the pirates was Jesus and, to his credit, it did have facial hair like most all pictures of Jesus do! Did I mention he was a pirate for halloween?

Laundry Ponderings

2008-11-09T18:01:00.004-06:00

You know those cute little couches that fold out to beds, the ones at walmart and target that have the popular, cute little cartoon characters on them? We have one, a spiderman one in fact. We got it because it goes with his bedroom theme (spiderman/cars), was an inexpensive solution for kids seating and nap time (or overnight little visitors) and who wouldn't want a couch tailored exactly to your size? So we got one about a year and a half ago, as well as a single chair (to which all of the following applies as well).

Until now I've been able to just take the cover off and wash it in the washing machine, but with Lex potty training, its needing a little more than that! (btw Lex is doing fabulously with potty training. He finally decided it was cool or something! As most kids he has the hardest time with naps and nightime.) It unzips on the bottom, but they did not include the tabby part of the zipper. And it is just about impossible to get the cover off without one! Eventually I remembered I had some very thin wire (that hole for it is very small) and that has worked wonderfully (I have been keeping the wire in the laundry room ever since). I know what to do with the cover (throw it in the wash), but how do you clean the foam part? It's such an odd large shape. I don't remember ever seeing anyone clean one before. Do you hose it down outside, wash it in the tub? I opted to wash in the tub. And it was DIRTY! And I was letting the kids play and sleep on it! Ewww!

Which got me thinking about pre-washing machine times. Those women did a lot of work, taking to the nearest body of water (or bringing water to it), hand washing, line drying. Very labor intensive. I would be in excellent shape if I did all that for all our laundry! There was also more foam to wash (from Lex's bed). He has so many pillows and blankets that it takes 4 loads of laundry and hand washing the foam overlay (just like the couch)to get it ready again! I am so glad God created me in this "modern time" with washing machines and stovetops and dishwashers(although I'm one of those weird people that have to completely wash (and rinse!!)the dishes before loading them in the dishwasher). And climate control! God knew I would not have stood a chance without heat and air! If you can't tell I'm an indoor kinda girl...

My advice to anyone wanting to get one:
1. Stop by the fake flower section and pick up some of the very thin wire in the accessory section, for cover removal.
2. Just know that they smell a little. You think it is like manufacturing related and will go away over time, but it won't. It will dissapate some with washings, but some stink will still remain.
3. Every drink spill, accident, and other messes will require about 45 min of your time cleaning and reassembling, as well as drying time, and an explanation to "where my couch go mama?" followed by "no it belongs RIGHT HERE!" As well as keeping the children away for said 45 min, which is no easy task, especially with two, probably fighting, children.
4. Make sure you have something large enough to clean it in. A tub, a very large watertight storage container, a place outside to wash it off, or whatever.

I know one thing; from now on we buy things by how washable they are!

Character Traits

2008-11-03T20:08:00.003-06:00

Lately, I've been thinking about the kids similarities and differences. And that got me to think about the root of their differences, their main character traits.

Inara is confident. There is nothing she thinks she can't do! She can run, talk, sing, dance, jump off tall objects, play with things that pinch her fingers, etc. When she wants to try something, she wants you to leave her to do it herself. She is so independent when she is playing or working on something! And tough too! She is the toughest so far of all the kids.

Lex is decisive. When he decides something, he is not easily swayed. Sometimes this is helpful, sometimes it is not. Strong-willed, determined, resolute, bold, these words all describe Lex. He might decide he wants to do something himself, and another time he decides he must have help even if it is something he knows how to do.

All character traits have strengths and weaknesses. I hope Justin and I will be able to nurture the positive aspects of their character, not the negative aspects. It seems more natural to me to tell them what not to do (negative aspects) instead of helping show them what they should be doing (positive aspects). How to teach Inara to build her confidence into conviction, and Lex to make wise decisions. It's a big job!

Inara's birthday invite

2008-09-25T23:13:00.001-05:00

Inara's birthday invite
Originally uploaded by xr71

Inara's first birthday invitation.

Mama, I Love Sissy & Inara's First Steps!

2008-08-08T12:51:00.002-05:00

Some days are crazy, some days are calm, but none are ever boring! Lately our days have kinda been either really good or really bad. Both the kids are getting more teeth, 2nd tooth for Inara and Lex's 2-year molars, and its been making them very grumpy some days. But... today is a happy day! Thank goodness!

Inara played herself to sleep in front of Lex's room. She was very cute as she was soundly sleeping. After lunch Lex went over to sleeping Sissy and looked up at me and said, "Mama, I love Sissy." It was just adorable. Then, being the cuddler he is at times, he wanted to touch her on her arm and consequently woke her. So much for the rest of the nap. She just loved seeing him when she first woke!

Inara talks like crazy now! She is 10 months old and I cannot count all the words she can say. She will repeat just about anything you say (within her ability). Some of her favorite words are: dada, ice, sissy, wow, uh oh, baby, bubba, mama, bapa, I'm done, I did it, backpack, to name a few. Tuesday alone she said 5 new words. She says so many I can't keep track of all the words she has said. Thursday at work she was repeating words and sounds that Lisa was saying to Lex from the other side of the office. It's been a stark contrast to Lex's speech at that age!

Inara also just took her FIRST STEPS! Very exciting! She was standing holding on to the couch (she's been cruisin like mad lately) and took two steps to Mama! I let her try a few more times and she did it again one more time. then she was ready to be held. I knew she's been thinking about it over the last few weeks(you could see it in her eyes at times) but I didn't think she was going to this soon! She is our tough, fearless little girl!

Flickr now has videos

2008-06-09T21:47:00.001-05:00

Long Photos a video set on flickr. Check it out.

Thunder Cats to the Rescue

2008-06-08T09:34:00.002-05:00

This morning Lex was watching Dora the Explorer. Dora and her monkey friend were picking blueberries. First they had to fend off Swiper by saying "Swiper No Swiping!" three times. Then just as they were about to enjoy their blueberries, a bear appeared behind them. They started to run from the bear and Lex was watching intently. They went through the prickly forest and through some other field to the icy river. They got in the boat and started off. Just as it looked liked the bear was going to eat them, Lex yelled "THUNDER CATS HO!" with his plastic stick as a sword held high in the air, and they rowed to safety. I thought it was adorable.

New Videos

2008-06-03T22:18:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone we put some new videos up. Go check 'em out. www.vimeo.com/richter or videos.jetfive.com

Update - Inara - Words

2008-05-26T11:49:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone.

Inara is almost 8 months old! She is doing her army man crawl and rolling anywhere she wants to go. Her first word was mama, followed by bubba, and then dada. Now she can pretty much get her dada to do anything she wants... we all knew it would be a matter of time. lol more to come.

Lex is TWO!!

2008-02-04T09:46:00.000-06:00

Lex turned two on Saturday! Yes, two! Already! Time really flies. He had a wonderful birthday. He loves all his new toys and also got to video talk (via internet) to his family. He really likes talking through the computer. He occassionally asks to talk during the day (when everyone is working of course) and doesn't quite understand why we can't use it whenever he would like. He is having a blast with all his new toys! He got LOTS of Cars themed toys (he LOVES the movie), some clothes, a slide, a trike, a rake/shovel set, and a pair of swords. Dada got him the swords. Now he can really be a Thundercat! They play swords together; its cute!

Inara is getting big too! She loves playing with her toys and also with Lex. If you tickle her now she will smile and laugh! Watch out though; don't scare her - she will unconsolably cry for a long time! You know it's coming when the skin around her eyes gets bright red and you can see her tear ducts fill up. It's so sad! She is really a very good baby; she is only fussy when she is gassy or gets scared.

You will never believe what Lex did on Saturday! We went to the office so I could finish up some work I had left from Friday. We stopped a grabbed some dinner on the way. We got to the office and ate. After we ate, Justin was busy doing something and I was busy taking care of Sissy and Lex brings me the dvd out of the dvd player. I am still dealing with Inara, so I'm not paying real close attention to him. I know that he probably wants a different dvd and was going to change it as soon as I was done with Inara. I look over and the new dvd is waiting to be played, running the title menu. He took the old disc out, found and got the new disc, swapped them correctly, and gave me the old disc to put away. He did this completely by himself! Justin and I were shocked. He did everything correctly and in a short amount of time.

Inara is really loosing that "newborn look."The kids are really starting to look alike in the face. I am amazed by the kids all the time.

Lex's Surgery

2008-01-23T09:14:00.000-06:00

Well for those that I forgot to tell (sorry Mom, sorry Dad) Lex had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids taken out this morning. The surgery went very well. Lex didn't like the IV or the O2 Sat monitor on him, but he got them off soon enough. He is now sleeping very well in his bed. We hope to have a speedy recovery. This should take care of the earaches.

Lex's Favorite Words

2008-01-07T08:58:00.000-06:00

The last two or three weeks Lex has been talking like crazy! He tries at least a few new words each day. I was begining to wonder if he would ever talk. Guess what his new favorite words are? Mine and No. He uses them all the time. Lucky us! He's been a little grumpy because he has two ear infections (again) and a cold. So he's been saying no even more.

Inara is getting so big. She is working on trying to sit up and roll over. She doesn't like to lay flat much anymore. She loves her playmat(the monkey especially)! She likes to sit in the round excersaucer (with a blanket for support) for a little while. She coos and squeals and smiles and laughs. It's sooo cute! Lex is so good with her. She loves when he plays with her. He tries to show her how to play with her toys. He tries to help comfort her when she is upset. He kisses her and hugs her; it's just adorable!

Well, I'm sick (again) and Justin didn't feel too well this weekend either. We are really ready to all be healthy again. At least Inara seems to be doing well despite being around all us sick people.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T22:59:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone. We wish you all a great year.

Moon photo on flickr

2007-12-23T23:03:00.001-06:00

We like the moooooon (heavily annotated Harvest Moon, 10/6/2006)
Originally uploaded by mattie_shoes

I came across this photo on flickr. I think it is amazing and thought I would share. Enjoy.

Weather

2007-12-13T09:44:00.000-06:00

Photo from KJRH.com

Ice. Who would have thought that frozen h2o could shut off the power to half of Oklahoma? It's crazy. A coworker of mine said, "Terrorists don't need bombs, they need trees covered in ice."

We lost power Monday evening and still have not gotten it back. We are staying at Manda's sister's house until OG&E gets our power turned back on. Thank God for family. It was 59 degrees in our house last night. I went to empty the fridge and freezer. Then I went back to the in-laws where its a toasty 75 degrees. I hope the power comes back on soon. The weather guy projects snow this weekend... I'll update more soon.

Lex's Christmas Present

2007-11-24T12:50:00.000-06:00

For Christmas this year -
We got Lex the Little Tikes Busy Builder - Buildin' to Learn Workshop for Christmas. Just so you know. If you want to get him more Little Tikes stuff, go right ahead.

beautiful

2007-11-17T14:38:00.000-06:00

Right now I am outside watching my son play on his play yard thingy while sitting on a golf cart in the grass. It is a beautiful thing. By the way, it is 74 degrees and sunny. :)

Vimeo

2007-11-12T22:42:00.000-06:00

So my bro-in-law introduced me to vimeo. It is a cool new video site similar to flickr, but for video. I installed a new item on the right of this page to show the most current 5 videos or so. Check it out. My family page The Compound - Soon to get a new url as soon as I come up with one.

New video

2007-10-01T16:31:00.000-05:00

Here is a short video I made from yesterday and today.

Inara Comes Home

Home at last

2007-10-01T13:43:00.000-05:00

We are home! Finally! Yeah! Thank God, Inara is doing just fine. Manda is a bit sore (who would have guessed?). I am tired and glad to be home. More pictures and what not to come.

Inara - details

2007-09-30T11:56:00.001-05:00

P9300805
Originally uploaded by xr71

9lbs 1oz, 21 1/4 inches long! Born 9/28/07 @ 6:23pm.

Inara Kiera Richter - IKR

Inara - Ray of Light, Heaven Sent

Origin: Arabic

Inara is actually Arabic for "light" or "lighting".

The meaning of the name Inara is Illuminating, Shining

Kiera - Dark (Gaelic/Irish) ki(e)-ra (Irish - Black)

The name kiera is a Female name that is commonly believed to be of Irish origin. The name kiera has the following meaning in Irish: Dark haired one.

Kiera Female Irish Feminine of the Irish Gaelic Kieran. Dusky; dark-haired.

From KIERAN Meaning: Little Dark One Origin: Celtic/Gaelic

The girl's name Kiera \ki(e)-ra\ is a variant of Kira.

The girl's name Kira \k(i)-ra\ is pronounced KEER-ah. Variant of Kyra (Greek) "lady".

Inara Kiera Richter

2007-09-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

9lbs 1oz @ 6:23pm 9/28/07