If I Only Had A Brain

On Friday, Connor’s teacher sent home a note stating she was going to start writing down quotes Connor says during the day and sending them home for us to read. I think it’s a great idea considering the funny, quirky things he sometimes blurts out. I can’t begin to imagine what I’ve missed. Where does he come up with them? For instance, a conversation I had with Connor this afternoon:

CONNOR: Mommy, does Riley have a brain?
MOMMY: Um, yeah.

CONNOR: Well, why doesn’t he use it?

ONE YEAR OLD

Not only is he a charmer, but I'm willing to bet money that Riley will also turn out to be the class clown of his school. He is such a little joker. Getting him to sit still for these photos was quite a feat. When we wanted him to sit, he would stand. When we wanted him to stand, he sat down. I am truly impressed with the photographer for getting as many great shots of Riley as he did. I just can't believe our baby is getting so big. The past year has gone by way too fast!

Lawn Boy

One of my friends from work gave Riley a lawnmower for his birthday. Although he would get frustrated, he kept coming back for more. He was determined to do it. It will be a glorious day if he's as persistent when it comes time to mow our lawn.

The Morning After

Riley had his first interaction with balloons after we delivered a bouquet of them to Grandma when she was in the hospital. He didn't really care for them at first. However, now he is fascinated and goes ballistic when he sees them. Even though we took down most of the decorations after his party yesterday, the "special" balloons get to stick around for a while - at least until his actual birthday. What better place to put them than tied on his high chair where they can endlessly distract him?

Party Time Again!

Riley goes wild whenever he sees Mickey Mouse or Spongebob Squarepants so when I began planning his birthday party, I struggled with the options. I ended up opting to go the Mickey route.

THE INVITES

Since Riley doesn't technically have any of his own "friends" yet, I basically looked at Riley's party as an excuse to get together with friends and family to have a good time - eat, drink and be merry. The anticipation of Riley's reaction to his first birthday cake was to be the highlight.




















THE PRESENTS
With as many toys as we already have, I really did try to convince everyone that Riley just wanted a box to play with. But no one ever listens to me. Between boxes and shoes, the boy doesn't even really need toys. When it was time to open gifts, I helped Riley up into his chair. However, Lexi decided she needed to sit in the chair instead, and kindly helped Riley out of the chair.









Of course he was spoiled. He received an array of toys, books, and clothes. Connor gave him a card he had made by himself, along with a Cookie Monster saxophone. I had taken him to the store to pick something out for Riley, and that's what he chose. Riley loves to dance, and the saxophone plays some fun music. He immediately started bobbing when he heard it playing. Daddy and I went the boring route and stuck with some clothes and a big Mickey for him to snuggle, plus some moolah to start a savings account. He grinned from ear to ear when he saw the Spongebob jacket that Rita gave him.
























THE CAKES
Yes, plural. I wasn't thrilled with the Mickey cake the store had, so I went with a Spongebob cake instead. For the smash cake, we had the option of balloons or butterflies. We obviously picked the balloons, and stuck a Mickey candle on it for him to blow out. For a few weeks leading up to the party, Grandma had Riley "practice" blowing out a candle in one of his books. Connor was nice enough to help him with the real flame.









THE MESS
In preparation for the mess that was sure to come, Daddy and I taped two garbage bags to the floor. After the candle was blown out, we placed Riley on the floor with his cake. He wasn't too sure what to think of it at first, but it didn't take too long for him to figure what he needed to do. With that said, he didn't consume as much as I thought he would. I was puzzled at first, thinking maybe his new teeth that were breaking through were bothering him. After the party though, Aunt Tin took a gander in his ears and discovered he had an ear infection. Just goes to show how easy going he is.

THE END
Just as Riley had finished covering the front of his body in frosting, I snatched him up and took upstairs for a bath while everyone else ate cake. By the time Riley was cleaned up, people were getting ready to head out. I didn't remember to take a picture of all the kids together until after Rita left, but at least I got the others.

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* At some point during the party - I can't remember exactly when - Riley decided to take his first steps. The only two who didn't get to witness those steps: me and Daddy. We tried to get him to do it again, but the little stinker wouldn't even try.

Once There Was A Snowman

I took the day off yesterday to run last minutes errands in preparation for Riley's birthday party today. However, Mother Nature decided it was a great day to dump a whole lot of snow. It made "quick" errands take longer, and naturally I didn't get them all done. I had to finish up a few errands first thing this morning, driving around in the slush and snow. When I came home, I found Nanny standing alone in the kitchen. She told me Riley was napping, then pointed outside when I asked about Daddy and Connor. Apparently, after watching Connor play in the snow a bit, Daddy decided he needed to get out in it as well. Together, they made a snowman. Once the body of the snowman was created, Connor trudged up to the back door asking for various items to complete their masterpiece. First, he asked for a bucket. Then, a carrot. And last, something for the eyes, mouth and buttons. I gave them more than enough Hershey Kisses for the snowman, so they ended up popping a few in their mouths as well.

They finished up the snowman just in time for lunch. Connor was very pleased with their work of art. He continually peeked outside to make sure he wasn't melting, even though I explained that he wouldn't melt until it stopped snowing and the sun came out. He also made sure all guests that showed up for Riley's party caught a glimpse of Mr. Snowman.

Our Boys

Since we were getting their individual pictures taken, it only made sense to get some pics of the boys together. It was a much different photo session from the one we did a year ago. With Riley so mobile now, I was constantly dragging him back to where the photographer had placed him. He got some great shots of them though - over 160 altogether. It was hard narrowing down the favorites, but these are a few of them.

Easter

In the midst of planning birthday parties for the boys, I remembered that the Easter Bunny needed to make a delivery today. Unknowingly, both boys helped me buy some stuff yesterday while we were out running errands. On the weekends, Connor usually wakes up around 6:30 and climbs into bed with me. Because of this, I was a bit surprised when I woke up at 7:30 and Connor was nowhere in sight. I headed down the hall, not believing for an instant that he could still be asleep. I heard some rustling downstairs, so took a peek before heading into Connor's room. There he was, sitting on a kitchen chair with his feet propped up on the table, eating his Easter candy. When he saw me, he exclaimed, "Mommy, the Easter Bunny came when we were sleeping!" Imagine that. After breakfast, Connor and dyed some eggs and decorated them with superhero decals.







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After the boys' afternoon naps, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner with the family. Riley was thrilled to play with Lexi in their "kitchen." It's fun to watch him set the table, "cook" things (i.e. orange slices, ketchup bottle, etc - all plastic of course), then put it all in his mouth. Meanwhile, Connor played chess with Micah. I'm not sure who won, but the game ended with Micah carrying Connor off upside down, over his shoulder. I actually sat down and relaxed for a while. It felt good.

Giddyup

Connor received two gift cards to WalMart for his birthday. He was adamant that he was going to use them to buy a movie. He wasn't sure which movie, but that's what he wanted. I tried to reason with him that maybe he would want to take a look at some toys, but he wasn't even interested in looking. With both gift cards in his pocket, we began our tour of WalMart as we started on our shopping list. Connor got more and more excited the closer we got to the movie section of the store. On the way, I wanted to take a look at the books they had in the toy section. As we were walking down the toy aisle towards the books, Connor asked Daddy to stop. The next thing I know, Daddy calls me back to where they're standing. What should catch Connor's eye, but a gun set. We tried to get him to consider another set with just the six shooter so that he would have some money left over for a movie, but he said he needed the big gun too. Like father, like son.

Splish Splash

Connor has always enjoyed bathtime. But he loves it even more now that Riley joins him. They love splashing and squirting each other with their toys. We've never had an issue with Connor standing up in the tub. Riley, however, does it each and every time. I thought he would have learned by now. If he starts standing, I tell him to sit on his bottom, and he usually does . . . the first time. After another minute or two, he will look me in the eye and pull himself up. At that point, I snatch him up out of the tub and tell him he's done. Trying to reason with a one year old doesn't go far.