We Learned A New Word!!

Riley continues to impress us with his expanding vocabulary. We read books for at least an hour a day, he loves learning! That said, Riley decided to share his new word with everybody in the elevator today. We got on the elevator and there were three other people already in the elevator. So we crunch in and I was holding Riley. I had a v-neck top on and Riley looks down into my top and yells " OH COOL! BOOBS!" So I try to ignore Riley as my face turns bright red. Riley continues as he reaches down into my top, " MAMA BOOBS!" By this time, everyone in the elevator is laughing, and Riley continues to say, "BOOBIES!" until we rush off onto our floor. I guess he was bound to learn the female anatomy at some point!

Our little fisherman

Riley got his first new fishing pole, and so we decided to take the boys fishing. We stopped and picked up some bait and drove to Lake Johanna. Riley is a true fisherman, he caught 7 fish in about 45 minutes. Dad helped him take the fish off the hook, and then Riley would hold the fish for a few seconds and throw them back in the lake. Riley is scared of so many things ( slides, fireworks, rides) but he has no fear when it comes to fishing! He just grabs the live fish, like he is a pro.

Here is the bass he caught, pretty good size for just off the dock!


Here is dad showing Riley how to use his new pole.


Riley grabbing the fish!

This is what we do at 5 AM!!!!!

Taylor has developed a wonderful routine of waking up at 5AM. I roll out of bed and bring him out to our living room so Matt can continue to sleep. Taylor then proceeds to hold an inservice........here is a clip of what he has to say EVERY morning. If you are interested in attending, let me know, they are held daily from 5AM to about 5:30AM. We might just have a public speaker on our hands:)

In other news, we spent the afternoon yesterday at the beach. Riley made friends and found clay under the sand. He was so excited about his find that he decided to rub it in his hair, on his stomach, and all over his clothes. Meanwhile Taylor found Riley's sunglasses (which he refuses to wear) and tried them on. He thought he was pretty much a stud in his new shades. Here are the boys at the beach.

4 MONTHS OLD!!!

Taylor turned 4 months yesterday and has already dived into the rice cereal box. He has been waiting for this day since he was born! He is a very happy baby, now that he can start eating other things! Riley is slowly paying more attention to Tay, and even gave him his nook when he was crying. Riley's vocabulary has doubled in the last few weeks! He is now saying many three word phrases, and can identify most foods by the correct name!! He is constantly asking, "What's that?" or "What you doing?" and we are very proud of him for working so hard at his speech. He also went potty in the potty for the first time last week. He makes us laugh everyday, and it is a joy to see him blossom into a young boy.

Guess who? Here are both boys at 4 months old, can you tell who is who?

Dancing in the Dells

We took our first family vacation with all four of us. We traveled to Wisconsin Dells to visit my girlfriend Erin and her family. Erin has two kids, Madison (20 months) and Cash (4 months) as well. We stayed in a cabin we rented in the area and had a ton of fun! The boys did wonderful in the car ride which was about 4 hours each way. Riley and Madison hit it off from the start and really enjoyed dance parties, rolling in the dirt, and playing in the tub. Cash and Taylor are two days apart and didn't know what to think of each other. Thanks to Erin and Scott for a wonderful weekend, you were great hosts:)

Happy Fourth of July!

We spent the fourth of July with my godparents out on Christmas Lake in Shorewood. We enjoyed seeing the Obergs, family, and friends. Riley enjoyed bubbles, the boat, little Emme, a juggling show with fire, and fireworks. Thanks to the Obergs for a wonderful day!

Here is Taylor with Grandma on the fourth.


The juggling act, Gord was key.....



Riley on the "BOOOAAATTTT!!!!"

TAY'S FIRST TWO TEETH!

Taylor is officially teething! He has two teeth that are already half way down! He is so proud of his new teeth, that we had to go out and celebrate! We took the boys to Space Aliens Grill for Taylor's big celebration dinner. Riley couldn't get over all the planets and space ships, AND THERE WAS A HUGE MOON ON THE CEILING! ( The moon is a HUGE deal to Riley) Riley scarfed down his pizza and hit the arcade. Taylor enjoyed all the bright flashing lights and aliens. Here is a picture of Riley playing skee-ball with dad.


Here is a picture of Taylor enjoying all the bright lights and weird looking aliens!


And how could we forget Riley saying, "It's the moon!" hundreds of times during the course of our dinner.

Off to the ball ball game!

Gaga, Matt, and I took Riley to his first St. Paul Saints baseball game. Riley had wanted to go to the "ball ball" game all day. We got to the stadium, Riley picked up a hotdog, and found his seat. In the fourth inning, Riley got a chance to swing at 7 balls. Riley got 5 hits, and won a bat. Thanks Gaga and dad for taking us to the game:)

Here is Gaga and Riley looking at the real trains from Midway stadium.



Here is Riley at bat!

FINALLY A BEACH DAY!

I have been dreaming of the day where I could lay on the beach and watch my kids enjoy the summer weather. Today we packed up all our garb and headed to the local beach. The beach is located in a Regional Park and has a beautiful playground right on the water. It was 90 and sunny so I was a little concerned about Taylor overheating but we managed to all stay cool and enjoy a nice summer day.


Riley made a TON of new friends and wasn't impressed with the filth of the MN sand and lake. He is so used to cystal clear aqua blue water with white soft sand, that the mud paste of the lake beach was hard to adjust to. He kept saying, " Uck, Uck, Uck". He finally got over it and enjoyed playing with this huge water pump on the beach. Taylor showed off his baby abs and layed out and checked out some chicks. He has a lot of work to do on his tan.


Auntie Carolyn stopped by and helped us enjoy the day for a little while, which was a nice surprise.


Days like today make you realize that it is possible to live in MN. and be happy. The thought of -30 degrees is still in the back of mind and I know we will soon be dealing with the ice, snow, and blistering cold. We are thankful that today was beautiful we had a wonderful time!!

One heck of a Friday....

I was already dreading Friday because Riley was scheduled to have surgery. I was anxious and nervous for my baby! I woke up Thursday morning and could barely swallow. I was SICK! So Friday morning we decide that I shouldn't go into the Children's Hospital so sick, and instead I should get into see a doctor. Matt takes Riley to the U of M in the morning and I run into my clinic....sure enough STREP THROAT!!! I have a temp of 102 and all I can think of is Riley. I wanted to be there so bad but knew it was in the best interest of everybody else if I didn't go. So I picked up my medicine and waited by my phone for updates. After about an hour and a half the surgeon comes out to report that they found Riley's second testicle in his stomach and she had to remove it, because it was so badly damaged. He did great and woke up just fine. Whew! A few hours later Riley gets discharged and Matt gets a call on the way home from the hospital from his boss. His boss informs him he has been layed off. Valpak had been sold (which we knew) and there wasn't a job for Matt. Okay great, so now Matt is unemployed, and we are facing a lot of pressure! Riley layed around for most of the evening and is kinda crabby but the incision looks great. Just as our "great " day was ending we looked out our window and saw this amazing Rainbow. This happens every so often and it is so beautiful. Here is the pictures of our view of the Rainbow and a cute picture of Taylor in his new Bumbo chair! Cheers to better days......