On November 15, 2008, my husband, older son Luke, and I had to flee from the Sylmar Sayre fire in the middle of the night. Gusts of 70-mile an hour winds were blowing embers into our front door as we packed the car, and as I tried to load two freaked-out horses into a trailer. I was 9 1/2 months pregnant. 480 mobile homes burned that night less than half a mile from our home. Luckily for us, our neighborhood was spared.
After a long night spent watching the news on the couch of friends, we checked into a hotel between the house and the hospital, exhausted and looking forward to a good night's sleep. Riley Robert (R2) had other ideas, and I went into labor not long after falling asleep. After we'd checked out of our comfy hotel room, handed off a sleepy Luke to the same friends we'd woken up in the middle of the night the night before, and arrived at the hospital, Riley decided that the weekend had not been dramatic enough. Not even willing to wait for the doctor to show up, he was born just as the sun was coming up on November 16, 2008. Needless to say, that weekend six years ago is not one that I'll forget anytime soon.
While Riley may have arrived in a windstorm of drama, he's been an absolute delight ever since. Nicknamed 'Smiley Riley' as a toddler, Ri has grown into an easy-going nature, a quirky sense of humor, and a fearless approach towards life. I couldn't be prouder of him. He's also pretty good at sniffing out geocaches that his mom can't find.
Happy 6th birthday, Smiley Riley!