After trick or treatin'

Riley did get to eat a peanut butter cookie before I hid/gave away the rest of her loot.

Checking for the tail

Here is Riley, making sure she has her tail!

Halloween

Riley was the perfect mouse for Halloween. We went trick or treating for about an hour (along with the literally hundreds of other kids in our neighborhood), and Riley was very good at saying, "Treat!" She filled that Elmo bucket 3 times--and then we came home and I handed out all of that candy to our neighbors.

Riley was very nervous that she was going to lose her tail. She kept checking to be sure it was still there!

Soccer Star

Riley enjoyed one of the last nice days outside at the park recently. I'm ready to put her in toddler soccer . . . unfortunately, she'll have to be a goalie bc she's much better at throwing than kicking/running/focusing.

Bedtime

Obviously, bedtime after the party was the best part for mommy and daddy!

Pumpkin Hunt

We hid, literally, a bushel of pumpkins around the house. A lot of the kiddos found things that weren't exactly pumpkins--an angel, a stuffed frog, an old shoe, Kathy's glasses . . .

Bubbles

Evan the fireman was an expert with the bubbles.

Halloween snacks

Represented here we have Tigger, a scary skeleton, Princess Shannon, a three-eyed monster, and a festive party goer who (like Riley) wouldn't wear her costume! Oh, and Riley, clad in only her mouse pants.

Mouse legs

Riley is wearing half of her costume here . . .

Halloween Party

Riley had a magnificant Halloween party this weekend--with 12 of her closest friends! There was boo-bowling, crafts, pizza, bubbles, and cupcakes. But best of all, there was great company. Not a single meltdown/tantrum/whimper from anyone, not even from Riley!

Sadly, I don't have a lot of pictures of Riley in her costume, unfortunately. She wouldn't wear it!

Before We Decided to Eat Locally

This is a cute picture from earlier in the summer that I thought I'd blog. Of course, there is a McDonald's bag behind Riley (empty--but once full of French fries), and she hadn't quite figured out the Crocs and so she was falling a lot, and you can see that Riley is actually very tan despite my copious sunblock application. But she's happy as can be here, enjoying her first toddler summer!

Things that Riley learned this summer:
-Her name! and about 100 other words
-How to talk about herself (Riley do, Riley eat, Riley Riley Riley)
-That daddy's name is Matt
-How to jump
-How to do a forward roll
-How to color
-How to use the potty (she goes about 4 times per day! Unfortunately, that means that I've started to learn the joys of public restrooms with a toddler)
-How to string big beads
-Pretend play
-How to throw and kick balls
-The difference between big and small (everything is "baby!" these days)
-Occasionally she knows a color or two

How we've grown! Riley is almost 21 months.

Cousin Chase

Chase and Riley would not pose for a picture, but here they are at Shari's party, debating this soccer ball.

Chase is only a couple of days older than Riley, and so it's always fun to see them together.

Shari's Lobster Bake

Shari surprised the Lew family with a lobster bake last weekend! Here she is, giving a tutorial about lobster sex. Oh, of note, Shari is actually allergic to shellfish, and so this whole party was a completely selfless gift. A delicious, selfless gift.

And, yes . . .

I did make the whole family squeeze into a swan boat to paddle around 2 feet of water for a half hour. Someday Riley will look back at all of this and be grateful, right?