Mile stones and more!

Lorelei is now 7 months old. She loves mushed fresh banana's and still prefers a warm bottle (especially when teething). We haven't had any of her teeth break through yet, but we are constantly graced by the pain that come with the bulges in her mouth. She has become quite the babbler and continues to try to keep up with her brother.

 

Riley has begun to show even more interest in his sister. I find them occasionally playing together. This morning (Oct. 17,2011) Riley kept giving his sister piggy back rides. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I had to be the extra support. However I did get a picture of Riley teaching Lorelei how to crawl.

 

So far she only likes to raise up on her toes and rock back and forth. I think rolling is still her main mode of transportation.

Our Riley is growing leaps and bounds. He is so incredibly strong and defiant that there are times I wish I could give up. Most of the time, Brandon and I wonder if things we are teaching him stick in his mind. Then we have moments where he surprises us. The other day he created a building in the picture below. He ran out of his room excited and said "Mommy Temple!". I walked into his room and he showed me his Temple. I must say he did well for a two year old.

We have also had some breakthroughs with his potty training. I have to admit that this has been my least favorite thing when it comes to milestones. I don't think you can even call it a milestone when it seems more like a full marathon. Well, Brandon and I have tried everything from candy, shooting targets, sticker charts etc. Finally, I broke down and took him to the toy store. We purchased a new edition to his favorite toy collection (Thomas and Friends Take 'N Play). I figured I could show it to him each time he went potty. (Seems how my son is the "live in the moment" type of person). When I told Brandon about my idea, a light bulb went off in his head. Like dangling a carrot in front of a horse, he grabbed our duck tape and fastened the newly coveted toy to the top of the bathroom door. It has given Riley a new motivation for going potty. He talks about the track constantly. Of course, he has to fill a whole month with stickers in order to receive this gift.

 This year's pumpkin patch experience was very soggy. We woke up to snow which melted into rain. As planed, we piled into the car with highest hopes that we would enjoy ourselves. After collecting our pumpkins, we headed to the festivities. Riley enjoyed a huge bubble blower and flying in his own airplane. After an hour of fun, Riley realized that he was soaked and wet. He looked up at us crying and said "hands cold mommy". That's when we decided to leave. We all had mud caked in our shoes and were soaked to the bone. (except for Lorelei, she had her own protective bubble). It felt like a classic rainy day from Oregon. Though our little family was cold and wet, Brandon and I enjoyed the reminiscing of our youth.