Fall Farm Festival

This weekend, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed to the farm!  It's so nice to be able to take advantage of so many of these awesome activities that are so close to home.  So we loaded up the car, headed out of the suburbs and immersed ourself in farm country for the afternoon.

Our first activity was a tractor ride!  We hopped on the hay bales and toured the farm while being pulled along by a big tractor.  Riley got the front seat and loved every minute of watching the tractor roll along.

Next up was the activity center - we played in trucks, scooted down slides, bounced on tires and got lost in a corn maze.  BiBi and Zee were corn maze experts and found their way out without cheating like we did.

After all the activities, we headed to the fields to pick our own Indian corn and pumpkins.  We climbed through the corn stalks to find the best colored corn and then meandered through the pumpkin patch to make our selections.  Riley picked out a baby pumpkin that he wanted to bring home and then enjoyed crawling in the dirt to help us find a few more pumpkins to bring back. 

The last part of the afternoon was heading over to the apple orchard to meet Stacey and Brad.  They were picking apples for an apple pie that they would make later (which was delicious) so we bought a bag and filled it up for home.  There were different kinds of apples to choose from so we walked down the lanes tasting each of them and then filled up the bag as much as possible.

The evening continued with pizza, snacks and football and everyone had a great time!

Say what?

Riley has a lot to say these days!  He talks when he wakes up, he talks throughout the day, he talks in the tub - he just wants to get it all out!  The only problem?  We only understand a fraction of what he says... for now.

So far, here are the words that he can say:  daddy, whats that, kitty, doggy, truck and hi.  We are still (desperately) working on 'mama' but it still sounds like 'Big Bob' - not my nickname of choice! 

I swear, the other day he was speaking Farsi.  It was very deliberate words that he was saying but they just didn't mean anything to me.  They tell us that he has a lot to say at school too and he just likes talking to his friends and teachers.  

So careful what you say around this kid cause he will learn it quick and say whatever you say!

First steps!

This weekend marks a new phase in babyhood - the walking phase!  It started with balancing, then a step in the right direction with calculated falling and now full-blown walking!

Click here to watch the video
Pretty impressive, huh?

We were told that it would come out of nowhere and here it is!  So let's have drinks to celebrate!

Too much of a good thing?

My, oh my - do baby things accumulate!  They have a way of taking over your house!  First it starts with the furniture, the carseat, the stroller.  Then comes the clothes, diapers and accessories.  Finally, you add toys, stuffed animals and pacifiers and before you know it, you have a one-year old who seemingly has everything ever offered for babies in the history of the world.

I know that we don't actually have everything and we have been pretty selective in the things we buy but have been lucky to have such an involved family who wants to provide everything for the new toy of the family.

Our garage now looks like the stroller isle of Babies'R'Us that first overwhelmed up with possibilities.  I don't know where bikes, wagons and more strollers will fit when we add to the family.

Even the bathtub is filling up - not just with water - but with toys!  We have tried to keep all of Riley's "stuff" either in his room or in its designated space and have done a pretty good job so far.  I just know that as soon as he can carry things and walk, the whole house is sure to turn into his play area.  

Next thing to add to the wish list?  A playroom!  Here's hoping!

Happy birthday to us!

Yesterday and today, Riley and I got to celebrate our double birthday!  Riley's party was at the park on Sunday and we had a party with Mommy, Daddy, Bibi, Zee, GeeGee, Aunt Stacey, Uncle Brad and Uncle Gabe.  With pizza, presents, swings and cake, we had everything you could ask for in a birthday party.

We had a "smash cake" for Riley and I thought for sure this kid would go head first into it and know exactly what to do.  I think he was more interested in trying to pick off the sprinkles than trying to eat the cake.  Maybe that's cause he's been eating cake and sweets since he was 4 months old.  Here is the video of cake time.

Today, we celebrated my birthday at the Cheesecake Factory with everyone and had such a great celebration.  The best part was that we all got to celebrate together!  Riley gave this cake a squeeze and now thinks that every cake is to play in.  Hopefully he'll grow out of that habit before high school.

I've put together a slideshow that I hoped to share at our party but since we didn't have the chance, I'd like to share it here.  My how Riley has grown in a year!  Happy birthday slideshow