ELMO LIVE!

Auntie Nikki and Christine bought Riley the new Elmo Live for Christmas. Grandma Albertson brought it into town and oh boy does Riley love it. He can't get over how it responds to him and he just giggles non-stop with Elmo. Thank you so much Auntie Christine and Nikki, Riley adores his new Elmo!

Bringing Home Baby!

We bought Riley his first doll. We have been told by a couple different people that a doll can help ease the transition of the new baby. Riley LOVES his new baby! We showed him how to feed the baby, hold the baby, and change the diaper. Riley giggles when he feeds the baby. We thought Riley was being so sweet with his new baby and then he started throwing the baby as hard as he could. He Would smash the baby into the tile floor and then laugh.....uh-oh my plan may just have backfired!

Sharing!

In the middle of Riley's terrible twos, has emerged the cutest behavior ever! Riley loves to share, and I mean everything. In the morning, he brushes his teeth, and then has to brush mine too (with his brush). Then I will give him breakfast, and he will feed me his breakfast too ( he tries to stuff my mouth full). Then the other day we went to a local farm to pick strawberries. He loves the goats and I looked over at him and he was sharing his sucker with the goats. I know-- totally not sanitary but it was soooo cute. Riley would take a lick and then hold the sucker out for the goats to have some. Here are some pics. from our day at the farm.

SARASOTA JUNGLE GARDENS

We took Riley to the Sarasota Jungle Gardens, which we have been meaning to do for some time. The landscape was beautiful as were the animals. Riley got a huge kick out of the monkeys. He couldn't stop giggling. Here are some pictures of our trip!








In other news, Riley is 19 months and the "terrible twos" have started to kick in. He has become a very strong headed little boy, who has to have his way. He points to what he wants and if he doesn't get it, he goes into a complete tantrum. My mom says she knew a little blonde girl who did the same thing!!! ( I wonder who????) Riley also has decided that he likes to spit out all of his food at meal time. The only thing he will swallow is fresh fruit or french fries! I am trying to stay positive and reinforce him when he does get a bite down- but I am losing my patience quickly!! These next few months are going to be tough on Ry, as his daddy is working in MN., and he will have to learn to share his mommy with his new baby brother. My mom has volunteered to move down here until I give birth, which is a huge blessing!! Once the baby is born we are planning on moving across the US again! (3 times in 2 years) Matt got a decent job in Minneapolis so we are headed back to the cold weather, probably in May sometime. Well I am off to tend to my little "angel" as he is ready to go "bye-bye!"

Just say "UH-OHS!"

Merry Christmas to everyone. We enjoyed Riley's second Christmas on Anna Maria Island. Christmas Eve Granny Bird made a wonderful supper and then we walked along the beach and took some family pictures. Christmas morning we ate at the Beach cafe and Santa came to the beach. Riley's new word is "Uh-ohs!" He says it after he throws his food off his plate, his bath toys out of the bath, or if he is really scared. Riley's second encounter with Santa was the same result as the first one. He wants nothing to do with Santa! He kicks, screams, scratches to get away from him! Oh well:( Riley seemed to love his santa presents. We capped off the Holidays last night by eating at the Chart House overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. We are all thankful to be well and happy and together this holiday season.
Baby number 2 is showing off his personality more everyday. Riley gives my stomach a "night night" kiss every night and seems to be aware of the my growing belly. It is hard to believe we will have two little boys in 10 weeks!

Manta Rays!

We went on a family outing to the fishing pier to check out the fish and get a cold beverage. As we were walking on the pier, Matt noticed a leopard ray swimming next to us in the water. The Manta Ray was about 4 feet wide by 3 feet long. After watching the Manta Ray swim for awhile we noticed two dolphins splashing and playing about 10 yards from shore. They were playing with the birds and chasing each other around. It was really neat to see their true personalities in a natural habitat. After spending time at the beach, we walked across the street to Two Scoops ice cream and candy shop. Riley got a special light up sucker which he ended up getting in his hair, ears, and nose! It was another beautiful day here on the island.

Reflections

Yesterday, Matt left to go back to MN. leaving Riley and I alone in Florida. We have been blessed by the opportunity to live on the Gulf of Mexico and we all really enjoy the opportunity. Riley and I headed to the North end of Anna Maria Island to a playground on the beach. Riley played on the playground and then noticed the beach and ocean and sprinted ahead. I slowly walked behind him, as I am trying to let him become more independent. He ran all the way into the water. I was so surprised, I just naturally thought he would stop at the waters edge! So I brought him back to shore and he sat down on the beach. He played in the sand, looked out at the ocean, and then started rolling in the sand. It was a beautiful day, 72 degrees and sunny, with a light breeze. I sat behind Riley by about 10 feet and watched in amazement as he took in our beautiful surroundings. He sat, played, rolled, and talked to himself on the beach for over an hour. I just let him be and enjoyed my downtime as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving celebration. We had over 30 family and friends over to celebrate. This was Riley's first time to play with all his cousins. He enjoyed playing with all his cousins soooo much! After everyone left, he walked around the house and chatted, telling us all about his big day with the family. Thanks to all of you who came to share Riley's first MN Thanksgiving. We loved seeing everybody again and catching up on old times!
On Black Friday we decided to skip the shopping madness for once! I admit it was hard for me to do, but we ended up having a great day!In hopes of escaping the cold weather, we took Riley to an indoor water park. He was a little scared at first, but eventually he was splashing and enjoying all the activities. Here are a few pictures of our Thanksgiving fun and the indoor water park!

BYE BYE SANTA CLAUS!

We took Riley to see Santa Claus today and he seemed to like Santa for a few minutes. We gently put him on his lap, and the screaming started. Riley started waving bye bye to Santa as fast as he could. He got frantic, so we got out of there as fast as we could. We stopped at the food court for a little lunch, and he calmed down. We then took Riley to his very first movie. Riley chose Madagascar 2, and loved it! He got a little antsy and started talking loudly with about 20 minutes left in the show. Riley has been napping for 3 hours, so he must of been worn out!

More MN Fun

We took Riley trick or treating and he seemed to enjoy himself. He was confused on why we weren't going into the houses but was happy with his candy. He was a darling Thomas the Train. Yesterday we spent the day outside exploring some different parks. Riley has learned so much by observing the other kids, and he now can run with the pack. It is nice to be able to sit on a bench and watch him interact with the other children. Last night he helped me rake up some leaves and bag them. He would bring each leaf one by one and put it in the garbage bag. I would clap, and then he would too! It was a time consuming process, but he was really proud to be helping out with the family chores. We also visited the Mall of America where Riley chose to ride on a train and semi-truck. Riley picked up a few more new winter outfits and loved lego land. Here are a few pictures of our latest endeavors!