15 months!! WOW!!!

Today Riley turns 15 months old!! Time sure does fly!! We have been playing in her pool a lot and had a WONDERFUL play date with Madeline on Sunday. Joe and I were commenting last night about even though Riley and Madeline don't really "play" together, we sure do love hanging out with Jackie and Chris. We are very excited for the girls to continue to grow up together. They are so much alike!! Another big deal is that she has some new teeth!! We are at a grand total of9 teeth!! Four up top in the front, 3 on the bottom in the front and 2 molars have come in. On on each side up top!! No wonder she is eating corn on the cob!!

POOL TIME!!!



Play Date with the Hydocks

Hanging out with Madeline!!


We were not prepared for the pool....but we had a great time anyways playing in the pool with the Hydocks!! Thanks for having us over!

Summer Break

I am officially on Summer Break....and loving every minute of it!! Although Riley has still been going to GiGi's everyday I am spending so much more time with her. She is "sleeping in" until 8ish every morning and we take our time. Then I drop her off for just a few hours so I can get things done (running/working out, running errands, cleaning the house, or just going to the pool!!) I usually pick her back up around 1:30ish.

We have been spending the afternoons in her baby pool on the back deck or out front playing with her wagon. Although she does enjoy riding in the wagon, she LOVES pushing the wagon more!! We have really enjoyed spending so much more time with each other. I find that she seems to really understand everything I say. If she wants to go outside she will come over and grab my hand and lead me to the door. I have to remind her, "Riley, we need to put your shoes if you want to go outside". She will sit on the first step and pick her feet up for me to put them on. She and I will have full on "conversations", although I have no idea what she is saying, she just babbles on and on. She also had corn on the cob for the first time the other night and loved it!! She has always loved corn but we had just not made corn on the cob for a while, she she tried it and went to town on it!!

On Father's Day we went to Burke Lake Park and took a walk and saw the ducks. She really enjoyed the trip!!

We are dealing with a little temper tantrum issue. If she does not get what she wants she will scream at the top of her lungs (it is a short and quick scream, but loud). However, if we tell her "No" she tends to stop doing it. She has become very good at listening when we say "NO". But on occasion she tries to push it and will take one more step or scream one more time. But we have learned that we can not let her get away with it otherwise she just keeps doing it. Usually if she tries one more time we will saw "NO a little more firmly and she will stop immediately. We are well aware that this will most likely end soon and she will keep trying to push the envelop more and more.

Riley is a bit possessive of me. If I am giving Buster a hug or scratching him she will come over and either pull me away or will stand between Buster and I (or whoever else I am giving attention to). It is really quite cute!!

We are having a great time this summer. Here are a few pictures to show for it: She loves to climb on the couch on her own. Here she is sitting and eating a cucumber.

Giving Buster "huggies"

So DARN cute!!

Horses

We went to my parents house again the other weekend and Riley got to get up close and personal with some horses. We had another great time and relaxed again. We went out on the boat for a while and Riley slept again. She now says "mommy" and means business! If I do not respond right away she will yell it again and again until she gets my full attention.

She is running now and climbing like a little monkey. She gets up and down off the couch on a regular basis, does stairs almost completely on her own, and LOVES to play in water. We got her a little pool and you attach the hose to and water squirts out of it. She loves to go in it. Riley enjoys walking with Buster and I (or Joe) to let him go out to the bathroom. She finds it fun to walk in the grass.

Here are few pictures from over the last few weeks. I have to still download more recent ones, but she is becoming quite a little girl. Riley likes to scream when she doesn't get her way, but quickly smiles right afterwards. It is pretty funny.

We are working on getting her to use a fork, although she holds it and "stabs" at the food, nothing ever gets on it. But she likes to hold it and pretend to be using it. I have 2 more days of school and I will then be off for the summer!! I can't wait to spend a LOT of time with her!!

Giving Buster a hug. Looking at the horse.

Reching out to the horse.

Sitting in her chair.