So much to tell...

It's been way too long - I know. My apologies. I have (frequently) admitted to being a bad blogger but the end of the semester makes it worse.

So, Riley had his 2nd birthday party (I'm still in shock that he's TWO!). It was TOO FUN! It was a Veggie Tales party and Hailey Peterson made the most adorable Bob and Larry cake along with a dozen French pea cupcakes. We rented an inflatable activity center and a good time was had by all.

How adorable - right? She's so incredibly talented!!

A test run on the slide the night before! He was pretty pumped!

Digging into that yummy cake and ice cream!

Riley has very generous friends! He received so many great gifts!

Then came a trip to the zoo! Jeff and I were off for Good Friday so we took Riley to the Jackson Zoo and HE LOVED IT! He asked for an elephant ("want elepant") no fewer than 100 times in the two-hour trip. He can do just about every animal sound (Any suggestions for zebra?) and still talks about what the animals were doing when we saw them ("rhino seepin'...in the mud"). Although the animals were pretty cool, the train ride around the zoo before we left was his favorite. I wish I could have captured the excitement and joy in his eyes each time the whistle blew! So sweet!

The baby rhino that was "not seepin'" when we came by.

Too cute! One of my favs!

The much anticipated "elepants"! 

We let Riley pick our seats and he picked the first row! He was so excited!

Close to that look but not quite!

I'm going to end this post now and start with Easter on the next. Adding the pics is becoming more difficult! :-)

I sweet...

This morning, I had to give Riley a quick bath after his haircut. I was trying to get him dressed and he was being "less than cooperative." I told him I needed him to be sweet and stop hitting my arms and kicking. He grabbed my arm, hugged it to him and said, "I sweet."

He really can be a super sweet boy!

Two-year stats

Ok. I was pretty close on my estimates. Riley weighed 31 pounds (75th percentile) and was 36 inches (90th percentile) tall (this is the first time Riley has been in a lower percentile for his weight than he was for his height). 

Dr. Ruff gave him a good report and said he couldn't help us with the hair troubles in the morning or his not minding all the time. ha! ha!

New "tractors!"

We've finally arrived! Jeff and I bought a new riding lawn mower yesterday, and I'm not sure who is most excited. Jeff loves it, I'm pretty excited, but as you can tell, there is one very happy 2-year-old who thinks it's his! 

It arrived about 5:30 in the afternoon, and we had the yard mowed a little bit later (after several non-mowing trips around the yard!). This morning, when I went in to Riley's room, he popped up and said, "Tractors!" I'd guess he probably dreamed about it!

SPECIAL NOTE to my Richardson family: I know it's the "wrong color!" We got a better deal and since we're not actually farming with it, I hope you'll let us slide! Love you!

We couldn't even get it off the trailer before Riley was ready to ride!

He's asking when we can "Go? Go?"

Riding with Daddy!

Almost Two...

Tomorrow morning we take Riley to see Dr. Ruff for his two-year check up. I can't believe it! The past two years have really flown by and he's grown into such a beautiful and happy little boy. My guess is 35 inches tall and 33 pounds (will post the results over the weekend!). 

He is loving this warmer weather and wants to play outside well into the evening. The only thing that will bring him inside is the promise of "A Bob." He can climb up into his playhouse all by himself and says "One, two, three - GO!" as he whisks down the slide. He still loves to swing and has just about mastered the glider. His sandbox (or b-box, as he calls it) is also a favorite; his "shubble" (shovel) is the tool of choice now. He also has a " 'winkle star" that he loves to make stars with in the sand.

The most amazing thing has been watching him put more and more words together. It feels as though he went from identifying objects to telling us what he wants and how he's feeling overnight. I still get teary-eyed when he tells me "I wuved you, Mama." Such a sweet, sweet boy...

I wish there was a way to slow things down - I want to soak it all up and never miss a moment.

Do not...

A few days ago, Riley was in his car seat reading his Elmo pop-up book when I heard the sound of paper tearing. I explained he was tearing up his book and told him, "Do not tear your book." A few minutes later, I had to take it away to prevent any further damage and again reminded him, "Do not tear your book."

After some time passed, he ask for it back. As I was handing it back to him, he said, in a very stern voice, "Do not tear your book." I think he got the message...

Since then, he's added, "Do not get out of your bed."

Another quick one: Last night, I was lying in the floor next to his bed waiting for him to doze off. He had been still for awhile and I was just about to start heading out of the room when he leaned over the side of the bed, grabbed my nose, and said, "Honk." He grinned at me and then laid right back down.

Some additional Riley vocabulary:

carepul  -  careful

'lide  -  slide

TB  -  TV

hayud  -  head

I got you, bally!

A few months ago, Riley started calling his blanket "bally." We have no idea where it came from, but it's certainly stuck. The other night, Riley and Jeff were playing in the floor with him (i.e. wrestling) and he stopped for a minute to rest. All of a sudden, he took off crawling across the floor to his blanket. He jumped on top of it and said, "I got you, bally!" 

Definitely a moment we wish we'd gotten on video....