My Precious Pumpkin

Today was what fall fun is all about! We went to Black's Fall Festival in York, SC with some of our dear friends (Jess, Ronnie, and their kids-Jackson and Eliza; Brandy and David and their daughter Callie; Alice, Kevin, and their children Blake and Delaney; Susan and Ben and their sons, Benjamin and Tommy).

Besides all the cute little photo-ops, we got to pet the 3 Little Pigs and go through a hay house, check out a miniature hay maze, check out a petting zoo, and go on a for-real hayride through the nearby corn field/woods (it was quite a bumpy adventure).  We were able to grab a bite to eat in their country store and our $5 entrance fee included a cup of icecream. 

Riley loved walking through the different stations (though he had some difficulty navigating the uneven terrain)! He also took a special interest in the tractor and had a great time playing with his friends and clapping whenever we took his picture and asked him to say "cheese".

  Now, after he wakes up from his nap, we're off to go play at the Davis' house and watch some college football.  I'm so excited to have a child to be able to share these family moments with!  And what a blessing to have great friends to join our fun as well!

Walking Tall

• Riley just turned 17 months this week and as of Monday, he can now push himself up from the floor and walk tall and proud! He is movin' and cruisin' every time we turn around! What an amazing transition to watch from just going short distances to walking laps around our couch.  It sure helped when we moved our coffee table out of the way to create a wide open space in the living room like he has at school.  He feels much more comfortable walking now and while he still wobbles and falls, he is able to quickly assume a tri-pod stance and push himself up into a standing position.  Of course, sometimes he likes to just look at things upside down while he has his head on the floor and laugh when he sees Mommy and Daddy looking at him.  Silly goose!
• Speaking of silliness, our little ham has now taken to carrying objects around in his mouth like a dog.  He especially likes to put soft balls in his mouth and walk around with them, but today he decided to transport a book the same way back and forth between our couches. We think this may have to do with his teething as he now has almost all of his back molars in and 1-2 smaller ones are starting to break through now too.  
• Last weekend, Riley got to spend some extra time with Grandma and Papa while Mom and Dad spent a day together watching the USC game, going through a corn maze in Mint Hill, and grabbing a drink at Waldhorn's Oktoberfest.  Meanwhile, Riley went to a pumpkin patch and picked out his very own miniature pumpkin that has a "handle" so he can carry it around. He loved watching the ponies too and then spent the rest of the afternoon playing at their house and riding his truck back and forth on the sidewalk.  
• Our tenacious toddler is becoming very opinionated about exactly what foods he will and will not eat and has resorted to throwing food off his highchair again in a very deliberate manner.  SO, as much as we'd hoped it was just a phase, we've decided to start using time out to help Riley refine his table manners.  We always start by giving a warning but in 9 out of 10 cases we have to follow-through with the actual act of placing Riley in the corner by the door.  He has tried to escape many times and we have to be diligent about putting him back.  We're following the "1 minute for every year of their age" rule for right now and I've gotta say...it's the slowest minute in the world! 
• Also earlier this week, Chris discovered that Riley now knows how to "shush" him by putting his finger to his lips and making the "sh" sound.  We found out he learned this from singing "The Wheels on the Bus" song at school. His teacher, Miss Ashley, said that Riley loves doing all the motions especially for the verses "The mommies on the bus, go sh, sh, sh" and "The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish." What fun! It's so neat to see his little mind absorbing so much at such a young age!

Nose, Toes, and Uh-Ohs

Our little man sure does keep us entertained with his quirky antics!  Here are just a few of his latest memorable moments:

• We have a bookworm in our house and he is devouring books of all sizes, shapes, and subjects!  No sooner does he let you finish reading one book before he's climbing out of your lap or vehemently pointing to get another one.  It's really quite cute.  He'll even go and pick out just the right book he wants to read and bring it to you and then hold his hands up or turn his body around so he can sit in our laps.  He loves to turn the pages and point to different pictures while saying "dees" or "dat". He loves participating in the different actions, especially when reading Elmo Says. What a joy to watch!
• For many months now whenever we would ask Riley where his nose is, he would immediately reach up and touch his ear!  It happened every time, no matter how many silly noises or touching our noses or his nose we did.  It's the only body part that he seemed genuinely confused about.  He has been able to locate his head, hair, eyes, ears, toes, tummy, hand, and feet with little to no problems at all.  Well, as of this week, I'm happy to report that Riley now knows where his nose is! Now instead of touching his ear, he pretty much shoves one finger up his nostril! Silly boy!
• On the note of body parts, each night we let Riley help brush his teeth with his Elmo toothpaste and green toothbrush.  He takes a few swipes inside his mouth while he's lying on his back on the changing table before promptly deciding that his toes also need a good brushing!  He thinks it's hilarious when we try to explain that his toes really don't need to be cleaned and pretty much refuses to stop brushing them until we take the toothbrush away.  I guess he'll have the whitest, shiniest, best-smelling toes in town!
• Riley's walking skills have really taken off lately.  He can now walk easily 8-10 steps before plopping down on his bottom.  We've seen a major shift in his confidence level these past few weeks and now our cautious little cruiser is a terrifying teetering toddler!  He no longer thinks he needs to hold on to anything and begins to set off for a destination before fully gaining his balance.  Chris and I are on edge all the time now as he walks around the living room.  We try to prevent as many spills as we can, but there's just no way to stop them all and we've had quite a few uh-ohs recently.  Luckily, nothing that has caused bloodshed or broken bones, but there have been some bruises, bumps, and nasty marks.  Maybe we'll just bubble-wrap Riley for the next month or two until he gets his land-legs. :0)
• Have I ever mentioned how great Riley is about taking medicine?  This sweet little boy will open his mouth wide and guzzle down any flavor of liquid concoction the doctor has prescribed with no problem at all and then act a little disappointed when it's all gone. Now this does not apply to eye drops as we learned recently when Riley was diagnosed with pink eye.
• His vocabulary is steadily increasing.  He can now say "hoosh" for "house", "tees" for "trees", and "tuck" for "truck" when riding in the car and looking out the window.  He knows how to say his version of please and thank you.  He will also ramble on and on in his own babble language while playing and that's always fun to hear!