Animal Cookies!

So Riley and I were walking the mall the other day and I ventured into Williams Sonoma (which I try not to do) and I came out with these adorable animal cookie cutters. It was a total splurge.. but I couldnt resist. They even came in a cute little train car.

So after I made them .. this is how they looked!

I can't wait to share them with Riley!

Update: So saturday Night, Since dave wasnt home I decided that I was just going to be done cold turkey with the binky. So When I put him to bed.. No crying and he fell asleep within 15 mintutes and slept through the night! He fussed a little bit the next night.. but for his naps fell right asleep. and We have been sleeping peacefully ever since! hooray!

Farmers Market

So today was a beautiful warm fall morning. So we packed riley a breakfast and headed out to farmers market. I love watching the seasons change through the market. Lots of flowers in the spring and then lots of pumpkins, apples, and pears in the fall. We came home with a salsa kit, corn, strawberries, homemade tamales, cauliflower, and apples! I cant wait for dinner tonight! I am going to make an apple crisp for dessert I think.
So last night I made a bigger hole in the end of Rileys binky and he threw a fit! He cried and screamed.. I would have let it go.. but I wasnt home and dave gave in! He did sleep through the night once he had a binky that worked... but still! So tonight I am going to make sure to hang around and help him tough it out. BUt atleast we are all getting some rest to look at the bright side!

all the way..revised

So I decided that since I was doing the cry it out method that I just couldnt take away his comfort item cold turkey. So I read an idea in one of my books and am giving it a try. So last night before bed I poked a small hole in the end of rileys binky. Tonight I will make the hole a little bigger and then starting tomorrow I am going to trim away a little at a time until there is nothing left. and eventually he wont get any satisfaction from sucking on it and should just toss it aside. I am hoping it works. He onlt uses it when he sleeps or is having a really bad day. they never leave the house.. so hopefully it will be an easy transition. So last night Riley went down at 7 30 without a hitch just like every night... normally he would wake up at a total of 4 times at night and be up for like an hour! Well, I went to bed all prepared for a long night... and when I awoke at 4 and realized he hadnt woke up yet... I went to sneak a peek at my sleeping boy ( I am guilty of still watching him sleep!) and when I cracked the door I saw that he was awake! just being quiet. and when he saw me.. it was over. I felt soo bad. I learned my lesson. So i quickly shut the door and he started calling for me and after about 5 minutes I went in and laid him down, no eye contact, no words, and left the room. he cried off and on for 15, maybe 20 minutes, I again went in and laid him down, no words no eye contact and left the room. he fell right asleep and didnt wake up until 830! he is pretty much a 730-730 kid, so it was nice to sleep in a little bit and catch up on some sleep. hopefully tonight will be just as nice!

going all the way!

So.. my once great sleeper has decided the last few weeks that sleep is for the weak. I on the other hand am not convinced! So this being davids last 3 day weekend for a long time.. I decided that we are going to have to let him cry it out starting tonight.. while I have the help... and since his binky is part of the problem to this night waking problem...( he liked to throw them and hide them knowing we will come in and pick it up!) I am going to go all the way and take the binky away too. Its going to be a long weekend... But so worth it in the end! I will update on monday with our progress!

Random Ramblings

So.. its been a little bit since my last blog, and since I dont really have anything specific to blog about.. how about a bunch of little random things. We finally got a nice, pretty warm fall day so Riley and I headed out the backyard to play before lunch. We fed our squirrels and riley pushed his little wagon.

I added up my totals for the last month with my grocery shopping challenge ... and i cut our grocery bill in half! I spent an average of 50.00 dollars a week. of course not having to buy formula always helps! So now I have a well stocked pantry and only have to go to the store once a week.. if even that! Dave isnt aloud to go because he cant seem to stick to the list and comes home with a bunch of extras!

Riley wanted to put on Davids work boots.. and this is what you get!

can you tell I live with a toddler! his toys are everywhere! I am constantly moving and reorganizing his toys and things to try and make it a little neater. I guess thats all for now.. until next time!

fall weather

I absolutley love the fall! I especially love how you can feel the change in the air. A little cooler and brisk in the mornings and evenings. But still not too cold. Today was one of those days where we had to stay inside. So this afternoon I thought it might be fun to bring out the bin full of trucks and cars. Boy were they a hit! Riley even helped put them back in the bin when we were done! It amazes me how much he knows and understands. I still want to think of him as a baby! But he can follow simple directions.. is doing a great job at using his sign language (which has saved us from many tantrums!) but instead of just signing he also says the word! he can say sign eat, drink, mommy.. and he signs more.... he can say uh-oh, owie ( and if i say that hurts he'll say owie) bye- bye and up. and the dreaded word... No

what a little ham! He was talking to me while i was taking the picture. I love listening to his little jibber jabber.

pumpkin patch!

So on saturday we ventured out to lakeview pumpkin patch out in north plains. It was pouring down rain ... but as we were pulling in the rain stopped and it turned out to be a nice afternoon! Riley had his 1 year check up on friday so he was a little cranky from getting all those shots!

and speaking of check ups... Our little man is now weighing in at 21 lbs and it 29 inches long. and he is in the 97th percentile for his head! while we were at the doctors office dave noticed that rileys eyes are starting to change color. they appear to be changing to brown!

fruit flies

So we, for some reason have had fruit flies really bad lately. I finally got so fed up I threw out all of our fresh produce.. and scrubbed and bleached for days. It just makes me feel icky. my house sint dirty.. but they make it feel that way. So I did a little searching on the internet.. and found this trick. So I thought I would share in case anyone else out there is just a frustrated and I am.

put some apple cider vinegar in a small bowl or cup.. add a few drops of dishsoap .. . when they land on the vinegar they will be sucked to the bottom. I tried using fruit juice but didnt get the same effect. and the recipe called for water.. but I nixed that. I set out the bowl before i went to bed and when I woke up... yay it worked. they are slowly disappearing! off to the pumpkin patch!

my little monkey!

So this afternoon Riley and I were rolling a softball back and forth across the coffee table... and everytime it came back to him he got this huge grin on his face! I of course had to take a picture...so I thought I would share my little cutie! I by far have the best job in the world!

Grrr...

I am so annoyed and just needed to vent a little. I really hate that everytime I go grocery shopping every the little child seat belts on the carts are broken on every single cart! So here I am trying to do my shopping with a toddler, who has just realized that he has a mind of his own, and wants to stand in the cart... and in my efforts to make him sit back down... which he does if I ask him, people walking by feel the need to comment about it? things like why dont you strap him in? or thats what the seat belts are for.. and then I have to politley explain (which I dont feel that I should have to) that all of the straps are broken on every single cart! and the best part is most of the people that I find make comments dont even have kids! so unitl you have been there... please dont judge! ahh.. much better! And now to question dave and I have been talking a lot about lately. In the efforts to raise a respectful and polite and all around good person... when someone out in public is rude, cuts in line, or makes a rude comment... is it better to stand up and say something? or to just not let it bother you and let it go? I really think about these things now.. because I am finding that the way I handle certian situations and choices I make are very diffrent now that before riley, as I want to be a good example. So I was just wondering how other parents handle situations like these.