A new buddy, Bones!

As we all know, Safta LOVES Halloween!  We weren't sure if she would get into it this much with the recent move to California, but when a package arrived for Riley, we knew she was counting down the days till her favorite holiday. 

It was a special treat to open the package and he had a great time exploring the contents.  But all of the other elements went unnoticed as soon as the skeleton came around!  This was certainly the winner by a long shot and I think Riley has a new best friend.  Apparently Halloween is the skeleton's birthday and Riley was excited to teach him all the songs he knows.

We tried to hang the skeleton on the front door to get in the spirit of the holiday, but Riley had other thoughts.  After unsuccessfully inviting the skeleton into the bathtub, Riley was pretty adamant about where his new friend should go for the night.

I think we'll name him Bones and let him stick around for a while!  Thanks Safta!

Home sweet home

As of last week, we are officially home owners!  It feels good to have the hunting and the paperwork behind us and are now able to focus our energy on unpacking and making this house our home.  I will admit that there are things that I may not love about the house, but that is probably true with any house, even if you build it from the ground up.

I will tell you, however, who is loving the new house... Riley!  He has a man cave/toy den in the basement, a swing set and slide in the backyard and a new room that he is already very comfortable in.  We were worried that he would wake up the first morning and be scared that he didn't know where he was, but this kid is an adaptable nomad who didn't complain once through the whole process.

Now that we are unpacking, we are finding all of the old favorite toys that had been packed up for a while - and making new toys - like humidifier filters that can be used as hats!

Moving mayhem

With the closing complete, all there is left to do is pack, paint and move!  I will easily admit that this is not my favorite part of getting a new house, but with Chris being the professional packer and Riley adding a helping hand, we're sure to be in the new house in no time. 

Now if only he could put that book down, put on some pants and tape up some boxes...

Fun time friends

Since the weather has cooled off, we are looking for some fun activities to do inside to stay warm.  Add on top of that the fact that we are potty training and staying inside is really the best thing for everyone!  

This afternoon, Chris had to work, so I thought I was in charge of afternoon entertainment.  Turns out, Riley thought he was in charge of entertaining me!  He took his job very seriously and had a great time putting on a show in his room.  I'm not exactly sure what he was chanting but he seems to know exactly what's happening.

Next activity was brushing Mommy's hair!  I guess I couldn't quite convey the fact that you don't brush curly hair so he took his turn and did the best that he could.  I will not be adding this hairdo to my rotation but I will allow him another chance or two to redeem himself in the future.

Rosh Hashana Wrap Up

Last week, we had such a great time visiting Chicago!  We had been looking forward to the trip for a while and the best part was the down time that we got to spend with family.  After the requirements at shul were over and we were able to catch up with many of our old friends, we were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and spend casual family time.

Riley enjoyed spending time in some of his old stomping grounds and even got to stay in his old room for a few nights.  It looked a little different but once he unpacked, he felt right at home.  We celebrated our birthdays complete with cake and gifts and Riley's garage got a new slew of additions.

Riley had a great time exploring the house and checking out each and every corner - even the one with the sticky mouse trap in it.  Once he figured out what it was and tried to get it off his foot, it turned into a family activity that everyone helped to participate in.  Once all his toes were set free and cleared of sticky, he was off to do more exploring.

The visit was wonderful and Riley was great on the plane rides both ways.  Thank goodness for entertainment devices and movies!

Let's get packing!

Seeing as how we're moving in 2 1/2 weeks, I guess now is as good a time as ever to start packing.  I think packing is the worst thing in the world and I put it off as long as possible, but lucky for me, Chris is an expert packing and has taken on the challenge head-on.  I guess Riley has seen us putting things in boxes and wants to make sure that his valuables make it to the new house too!

And now that I' done procrastinating, I guess I have to go pack up my summer clothes...

Old McRiley Visits A Farm

E - I - E - I - O!  This weekend, Chris had a great idea to go apple picking!  We went to the same farm where we went last year and decided to space out our farming activities - apple picking in September and pumpkin picking in October.  

The visit started with a stop at the petting zoo where Riley said hi to the goats, ran away from the chickens and tried to wake up the pig.  He was a little nervous the whole time and didn't love the idea of getting too close to the animals.  He did, however, like to hear all the noises they made!

Once we made it to the orchard, it was time to fill up our bag.  The Gala apples were in season, but we started in the wrong lane and filled up half of the bag with another variety - but those are the ones we all like anyways.  So once we covered up our mistake with the correct apples, we took a walk through the field and of course, found some diggers to watch for a while.

We were real professionals and took time picking the best apples and tasting a few here and there to make sure they were really the ones we wanted.  Hal way through one apple, Riley saw another one on the ground that looked better, so he put his down and picked up the new one.  Luckily that was not one of the apples that had been living not he ground for a week, stomped on and feeding a family of ants...

When the picking frenzy was complete, we headed back to the store to check out the rest of the crop.  Riley wanted to inspect the quality of the mini pumpkins and in order to do a thorough job, he had to get in and really take a look at the product.  In the end, he approved of the pumpkins and had to be dragged away.  We came home with a half bushel of tomatoes that has thus far been turned into pasta sauce, chili and gifts to neighbors and family.  Anyone have any suggestions of what to do with the remaining 14 tomatoes?