17 months

17 months is here. Working full time teaching has made time even fly by even quicker. Ryden shows us everyday that he is ALL boy. He still runs with all engines firing most of the day. He loves to dance, jump off things=(, and climb things ( then jump off).

His favorite shows are Sesame Street & Wiggles. We watch one show before bath time to wind down. I'm so thankful we have found something to help him sit for 20 minutes because it is HARD chasing this kid all day long!

He also likes to help you with tasks. One day Brian was cleaning up a hair ball Carl left on the carpet. Ryden grabbed a baby wipe and went to sit next to Brian. He started wiping the carpet too! Whenever I come home from the grocery store he loves to take the food out of the bags and carry it to the kitchen to be put away. He also loves to put his dirty clothes in the hamper.

He has also discovered light switches & wants to be the one to turn them on/off. He has also came up with creative ways to make stairs to reach the light switches himself!

Playing with pots & pans.
Afternoon ride in Cozy Coup

It's always nice to get out alone with this guy.
Making his stair to.....
the light switch!!!

Baby Trump

So I've decided to let Ryden's hair go rogue these days. I'm actually almost tempted to let it just grow long and flowing; I think the hippie chic look would fit him.

Well we have been battling yet another nasty virus for the past week so I decided to blow dry his golden locks. I didn't want him to get chilly. Well, whenever I apply the hair dryer to his hair it takes on a mind of its own. This is what it decided to do tonight.....

I call it the "Trump-do". What do you think??? It also kind of reminds me of the lollipop gang hairdo from The Wizard of Oz. What's your vote???

Free Fallin...

I think we have a dare devil on our hands.

16 months

This kids keeps us moving. He is extremely "active". I know most boys are but he does NOT stop from sunrise until bedtime. The only time he is not moving is when he is strapped in his car seat or high chair. His favorite way to get from point A to B is running. His coordination isn't aligned yet with how fast he wants to go so we have lots of bruises.

-With all his running he is burning those calories so he is only tipping the scales at 22 lbs.

-Is using his signs more to communicate; please, thank you, milk, & more.

-He can show you where his eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears, hands, bell-e, and feet are located.

-Still chatting up a storm. Some new words are; Carl (our cat), says "hi" & "bye", papa, uncle, car, up, more & bath.

-When he is upset or not feeling well the show "Wiggles" calms him. The four guys kind of creep me out but I'm happy we found something that he likes to watch. Gives me at least 5 minutes to do a chore.

-He doesn't want to sit during evening book time anymore so I sing to him instead most of the time.

-Still a good eater but eats better earlier in the day.

G-ma & R sporting their Halloween duds.
Our silly monkey
Mama and her monkey.

Trick or Treat!

Lil man got yet another virus, this time it was hand, foot & mouth. It was not a fun week for anyone involved; especially R! His horse voice from the sores in this throat broke my heart.
Helping "unfold" my laundry.

Surprises & " I do's".

We went up to Seattle a couple of weekends ago for my dear friend K's wedding to her soulmate. It was a great weekend & was my second night away from R. It was so nice to be able to have my full attention directed towards the friends we do not get to see all that often and have a real adult night out.

We also were able to surprise B's bf AJ at his birthday brunch at Salty's in West Seattle which was coincidently was the area of Seattle we were staying in. I had been telling B for months to call AJ to say we would be up there for his birthday weekend & make plans to meet up. Well my hubby is a typical procrastinating man. Yes, it is a stereotype but is fitting for most of the men in my life. If your man is not like this, let it be known he is probably the exception to the rule. Well, in a positive light it ended up benefiting us that B hadn't contact AJ so we could surprise him. Everyone was sitting at the table when we arrived & AJ was pleasantly surprised that we made it up. It is always nice to give someone a much deserved special surprise.

Here are some photo memories of our weekend full of two special events!

B & AJ
E, S, A & B
E squared
I love this beautiful pic, look at that sun setting!
WWU girls!
Love these girls.
Sorry T, you got caught checking those scores!
Childhood friends, so glad S married this goof ball.
Cake time & it was soooo good!
B thinking he is really funny!
Girls & Mrs. Brown
Sangalli's & Trinhs
Two of the best ladies I know.

The Patch.

This weekend was R's first trip to the patch. We went to one of the smaller, less busy farms to avoid the big crowds. I wondered if R was too young to enjoy this experience but I was way wrong! He had so much fun running and tripping over all the pumpkins. He was also having fun picking up pumpkins that most likely weighed more than him (which isn't hard).

We were lucky it was a perfect fall day!

Scanning his pumpkin options
Photo op with mama
Climbing on the hay stack.
Weight lifting.
The chosen one.
R & Bri

15 is fab.

Now that R is walking, oh I mean running; our house looks like the tazmanian devil blew through it. Regardless, our house has also been more fun than ever.

R has increased his vocabulary and loves to babble. Some of his new words include; bath, more, ball and gra-ma.

He can show you his eyes, nose, and belly. The other day we asked him where his belly was while he was wearing a onesie tee. He was trying to pull up his shirt to show us his belly and couldn't figure out why his shirt would not come up.

He is a climber. If he is determined to get to something he has figured out how to create a stair to get to what he wants. Today I even found him hanging from one of my bathroom drawers; his little feet kicking off the ground.

He still is loving food. His teachers at school know he will be happy in the morning if they have his breakfast ready. If it isn't he will just help himself to his neighbor's breakfast.

It is alway so interesting to hear what others say about your child when you are not around. R's teachers tell us he is helpful and easy going. He is content playing by himself or with others. He has gotten more comfortable playing outside on the playground and will explore more now.

I can't wait to see what new experiences will come next month.

Love you my lil tazmanian devil.
R loves to sit with Dada on their stair.
Walking in his Halloween duds.
Waiting to pet the goats at the zoo.
Taking all his toys out of the toy box so he can get in it.
Playing on Carl's toys.