A Birthday Surprise

What did Rocky get for her birthday? A trip to the hospital and a diagnosis with croup that came with a shot in the leg. Happy birthday.

The Best Year

I can hardly believe that at this time last year I hadn't even seen my little Rocky's face. Who could ever know how much happiness that she would bring to our family.

We decided to celebrate the momentous occasion by having a party. The festivities took place last night because Brandon and I both have meetings at the church tonight. The party was great but I'm pretty sure it was a lot more fun for me than it was for her. The day started out by me neglecting her while I was getting things ready. Then we were so busy talking to people that she didn't really even get to eat any of the delicious appetizers that our friends brought. I made her wear a party hat that snapped on her chin and made her cry and then I kept her up several hours past her bedtime. She took it all in stride as usual and enjoyed all the wonderful friends that doted on her. It is sad that we live so far away from family and none of them could be there, but I found myself feeling grateful for the strong support that we get from people that I have grown to love here in Eugene.

I didn't get any pictures of my "mom" friends because they all had to get their kids in bed before things were calm enough to get out the camera. Later when it quieted down Brandon got some of our friends from his program.


Brandon met Adriana in his classes, and we hit it off very quickly. She has become a close friend of mine. Her baby is due any day.

This is Valeria, Adrianna, Noemi, Amy and Mayra. It is obvious that they are a lot of fun.


Uriel is one of Rocky's favorites. Whenever we go to parties he carries her around and tries to pass her off as his daughter. His dark eyes make it so he is hardly believed but she enjoys all the attention.

Those of you who really know me will be surprised that I actually made these cupcakes.



Brandon had his heart set on cupcakes and I just kept thinking that they take too much time. Then he scoured all kinds of cupcake websites for ideas and we found some that combined a variety of colors and sprinkles which looked cool but actually took very little skill. At first I was against it all, but then as I started playing around with sprinkles and food coloring I started to have a lot of fun. I never really pictured myself as a "Susy Homemaker" as Grandma Jolley used to say, but after making those cupcakes I can no longer try and deny that I've become one. I did it, and I liked doing it. The only complaint was that they were too tempting for little hands to grab and several kids went home with a sugar high.


It seems like every time it is a first birthday the poor kid is given a cake to eat in which he has very little interest. Well, that is not the case with my kid. She devoured it.



That's my girl.

Some of you may remember me saying that I wouldn't give my child all that sugar. It is easy to see that I ate my words as fast as she gobbled her brightly sprinkled cupcake. You may notice all the Spanish being spoken in the background. At this point the only non-Spanish speaker that was still there was Hema who, ironically, speaks 6 other languages. She and Rocky expressed themselves through body language instead.



This morning Rocky woke up at 7:00 and was still so exhausted that she immediately curled up on her daddy's shoulder and went back to sleep. It is almost 11 and she is still sawing logs. I think that she deserves to sleep in on her big day. I'm glad that we got the party done early because I don't have any jobs today, except to hang out with my baby girl, that is, if she ever decided to wake up.

One Saturday

Princess Rocky


Sometimes it takes us quite a while to actually get out the door when it is time for a run but a good book helps her pass the time.

Rocky Struts her Stuff

From a very early age, Rocky knew that the key to being a blonde is looking hot in a pink velour suit.



Lucky for her, at her birth a knowing friend gave us this number. It makes me think of the girls that I would see in Boston. It was even better when they wore one-piece jumpsuits that said Gangsta or Princess on the behind. As you already know from a previous blog, Rocky has enough going on back there that she doesn't need any words to draw attention to her derriere. I've tried it on her every week waiting for the day that it would fit and I think she pulls it off very nicely.

She has started to crawl around the house but still shows little interest on the whole in anything besides walking.


We took this video about a week ago when she was still gingerly taking steps. Now that she's got the hang of it I never even see her, just a pink velour streak zooming through the apartment.

A Lucky Runner

This picture reminds me of Cambria because she got one of her arms out of the harness. The drive for freedom must be in the Rigby blood.


I have to give props to Rocky because she is such a trooper when I take her out on runs. Today we were in the hot sun bumping over broken sidewalks and she would just giggle as she bounced all over the place. She is an angel when she is in that jogger. Whenever I start to get really tired I will use checking on her as an excuse to take a breather. Every time that happens I am rewarded with a big grin that makes me feel good enough to keep going. I've come across other runners on the trail and I can see by their faces that her smile works for them too. It is a lot harder when I push the stroller, but it is also more fun because I have my little buddy with me. Sometimes I don't have a choice because Brandon is gone, but sometimes I take her anyway just because I like her so much.

A Special Prize in Every Box

Rocky has already figured out that the box is better than the stuff that came in it.


This box started out filled with diapers which are pretty important, but it ended up being filled with something much more valuable.

A Moment Saved Now to Make a Future Bad Day Better

I really can't say how much joy one little girl can bring to a home.

Rosy Cheeks

What is a blog without a picture of a baby's bum?

A Body Slam of Truth Amidst a Ring of Lies

I've heard all kinds of analogies when it comes to what it takes to make a marriage work.
There is one about two people floating in a canoe which will capsize if both people aren't focused on staying afloat.
There is a beautiful image of silverware that must be guarded away from misuse and cherished which applies to how we should feel about our marriages.
I've heard about tandem bicycles that can go for miles if only both people will pull their weight or the idea of a Chinese finger trap that the only way to make it through adversity is to come together instead of pull apart. I think there is a truth to all of these examples.

Today I was listening to a podcast and the subject was professional wrestling and in such and unlikely place I found another bit of truth. I feel that most of my exposure to professional wrestling was secondhand. I remember that my dad would watch it sometimes and as a little girl I would find myself very excited to join him. There would be all these flashing lights and the wrestlers would make a grand entrance all decked out in wild costumes and big fancy robes. There was always a good guy, and a "heel" which I learned today is wrestler talk for the bad guy. The bad ones were always much more interesting and had better outfits ("outfit" being my word, is surprisingly not part of the wrestler lexicon). I was really into it, all the way until they started the actual wrestling, at which point I would roll my eyes and leave the room. My dad would always yell for me to come back if anything exciting happened, like someone throwing a folding chair and I would come running to see. After awhile I began to realize that it isn't really that exciting if it happens every time. Anyway, I guess that you could say, for me, the pageantry is what I was looking for. Brandon, on the other hand, told me that the day he learned that pro wrestling was fake was ten times worse than when he heard the truth about...well, I don't want to spoil it for any of my young readers, but we'll just say it had something to do with a certain fat man who wears red.
So, anyway, back to the podcast, it turns out that even though it is basically all a show there is a pretty tight code of ethics to which the performers/athletes stick. For example, as in the world of magicians, it is completely un-cool to spill the beans about how certain moves look like they would hurt, but don't.
Apparently in this world of fake fighting, the most important rule is this:

You must do whatever you can to protect your opponent.

So, basically, if things go wrong, and someone is going to get hurt, it had better be you.
Perfect, I thought. A new, and very appropriate example that I can share with my young women who, surely, are all big fans of WWE.



So when Ray Misterio body slams Jimmy "the Superfly" Snuka it may look like they are trying innovative torture techniques, but they are really just trying to protect each other. That's just like marriage.

Well, okay, maybe it's not lesson material, but I really do think it is a good image.
If both husband and wife are focused and protecting each other, I think the marriage is going to work out.
So maybe there is a little truth in professional wrestling after all.



P.S. It turns out one of the most famous wrestlers, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson followed in the footsteps of his father who was the famous wrestler "Rocky." My little Rocky already has a good showbiz name. Although since Rocky was already taken maybe she should try
Raquel "the Rock Star" Rigby. I guess it is a good thing because she's got the stance down, although this looks more like Sumo that WWE. She can get an early fan base off of the fame of her parents, Marci "Maniac" and Brandon "Bonecruncher" Rigby...hmm...yeah right.

Cramming

Rocky seems like she has grown so quickly lately. I wonder if she just realized that she only has one month until she finishes her first year and is trying to cram and make up for lost time. I told her that she'd better get cracking if she wants to pass her first year exam but she thinks she works better under the pressure of the last minute like her daddy.

Party Animal

Last night Brandon was talking to Rocky on our way home from a Tapas party. We had gotten together with a bunch of friends from Romance Language Department to partake of some exceptionally delightful Spanish appetizers. Brandon's garbanzos and spinach was a surprising hit, by the way. We had decided on the recipe from his Tapas cookbook because it was the only one that we could make with ingredients that we already had at home. Avoiding the grocery store is a strategy that generally doesn't produce the crowd pleaser, but as we've previously discussed, Brandon has a lot of potLUCK. (Notice that I didn't mention the "arroz con leche" that I was assigned as it didn't turn out so well.)
Anyway, this story was supposed to be about Rocky listening to her dad.
He said, "One day we'll tell you how we used to take you to parties all the time and you won't believe us because you'll just say, 'no way, you guys are way too boring.'"
I just wanted to document it, so that I can have actual proof that we took her and I can even show her the date of the party. But, come to think of it, I don't really have any pictures of the actual party. All I've got is the smile that she was still wearing when we got home at eleven o'clock, which is, incidentally, way past her bedtime.
I guess she'll just have to take my word for it.

Rigby Squared

Adam, Cara and Cambria came out to help us enjoy spring break, and enjoy we did. If I am not mistaken I would say that we saw more in one week than we've seen in the entire time we have been living in Eugene. I, true to form, ignored the camera during the most interesting part of our trip but that is okay because Cara put them on her blog for me to steal. Besides, the truth of life is that those in-between moments where nothing special is going on are some of the best. I loved all the fun places that we went, but I loved just being able to spend time together even more.

What's the point of finding a huge meteorite in your back yard if it isn't for babies to play in it?

One of those in-between moments mentioned earlier.

Rocky loves her aunt Cara and wouldn't stop smiling the whole time she was around.

Cambria is so adorable and interested in everything she sees.

Hiking at Mount Pisgah

It was the first time that we tried out the bike trailer, which only became a success when the girls got out and realized that we were at a really fun park.

The trip took us from Portland over to the coast and back to our very own Eugene. We learned a few good lessons that will come in handy for future trips.

The first one is that barfing can be overcome with a new outfit and one package of wet-wipes.

We know some good places to go in Portland and one of them is Voodoo Donuts where it turns out that ordering a donut the size of a plate may eventually lead to more barfing. Another place to go is Powell's City of Books, but don't go there if you are in any sort of a hurry because it takes several hours just to find your way out, let alone see any books. We unfortunately found out that the Craft Museum is closed on Mondays and that the International Rose Test Garden doesn't start to bloom until May.

It was pretty clear that Rocky and Cambria shared a special bond when their hands and toes turned purple while swimming in the hotel pool and they still both refused to stop having fun. Speaking of the hotel, another good idea is to check that your alarm wasn't set for 5:20 A.M. by the jerk-face that was in the room the night before.

Two of the places that seemed to be favorites were the zoo and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. In one we looked through glass at polar bears and naked mole rats and at the other we looked through glass at hair-netted cheese craftsmen. In both places we in the crowd seemed to be equally thrilled when the objects of interest seemed to look right back at us. Both places also emitted strong smells, I'll let you guess which ones were good.

We proved once and for all that it is fun to camp with two babies in the pouring rain, especially if you have a mini-van and a few Peeps to snack on.

We found that just because it is "Whale Week" and thousands of whales are migrating past your viewpoint there is still no guarantee to see them. But, on the other hand the tide pools at Strawberry Hill and the seals at Yaquina Bay were awesome to anyone who was couragous enough to brave the cold rain to explore them.

We learned that Salt and Vinegar almonds are good and that veggie burgers may be an acquired taste. We tried out some fun restaurants which I can recommend but I would advise that trying a new place just because it has the same name as your grandpa is a risky move and could possibly lead to a less than pleasant experience. Also, while we are on the subject of restaurants, Rocky showed us that it is not a good idea to let her sit within arm's reach of a freshly filled glass of icy Mountain Dew.

Also, if you've ever wondered, one pair of pants, and one pair of socks is sufficient for a week-long trip. And, in case you didn't know, one diaper may successfully get you to the top of Mount Pisgah, but not back down to the bottom.

We had a great time with our visitors and they were perfect guests. We miss them already.

My Mom

I am sad that I don't get to spend today with my mom but I hope that she has a great birthday because she is the best mom ever.