Happy Days!

Ahhh, happy days are here! Riley and Madison LOVE walking! (Really, it does beat crawling by a mile!) They are having so much fun exploring the house now! Which is great for them a bit stressful for me. However, the stress has greatly subsided now that we have a baby gate installed at the top of our stairs. Now, there is no fear of the kids tumbling down and they pretty much have free rein of our entire main level. The only one not happy about the gate is our dog, Brewsky. See, he gets stuck between the gate at the top of the stairs and the gate at the bottom. BUMMER! Silly mutt!

Today, before we went out on some errands, Madison and Riley spent some time walking around, playing and exploring! Honestly, their giggles and smiles are instantly contagious! When I think back about where they have come in a year, I am truly baffled. Yes, some things seem to happen slowly, but in the big picture, time is flying by. I plan to cherish every moment!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

The weather started out ok today, but drastically turned quite nasty! It was dark as night and raining in sheets! So, needless to say, it was essentially a stay at home day for the kids and I today. Now, big deal, you say....well, hold on a minute! Keeping two 14 month olds entertained and out of trouble for hours on end is a trick! I must admit, however, it is much better than it was a month ago when they were not walking yet. Now, just walking around keeps them entertained! HA!

The major rain moved in around 3 pm. So the kids ate their snack and stared out the window at the happenings outside. Well, that only lasts so long...so the little monkeys began climbing the furniture! Oh joy! These photos show Madison and Riley being total goofballs on a chair in our living room...

Well, that did not last too long, so off to the kitchen they went! They hit up just about the only drawer left without a "kid lock" on it and the fun began! They both were having a blast banging everything, including each other, with the wooden spoons...

Riley found that being under the table was kind of like a fort and chilled there for a while. Madison was trying on all the baskets as hats!

As they had begun to exhaust all of the play options in the kitchen, one more seemed to become available! Riley decides that if there is cool stuff in the drawer, he should be in there too! In the meantime, Madison found some new, cool plastic bowls to check out!

Yes, we were forced to spend most of the day inside, but I must say, a fun time was had by all! However, I am hoping the sun shines tomorrow...

WALKIN'!!!!!!

Yep, it is official. Madison and Riley are now officially walkers! YAHOO! They have been walking for a few weeks now, but it was intertwined with crawling. Now, their main way of getting around is on two feet! I am so excited for them as they are very happy about their new, big accomplishment! They just giggle and walk everywhere and man, are they fast! Let's just say another baby gate is being shipped to our house as I write! Madison and Riley are loving it so much, they just giggle when they fall down. The best is when they walk by each other and look at each other like "hey, is this great or what?"

We went out today to the Stride Rite store and bought them each a pair of new shoes for walking. They have had Robeez type shoes for a while, but now that they are walking everywhere, they need a little more stability.

When I see them walking by, I seriously do a double take. My babies...walking. I guess they are toddlers for sure now! HA! It is kind of bittersweet. They are growing so fast , but it is so wonderful to see them get more from their environment and learn new things every day!

We met my mom at a coffee shop on the lake this afternoon and the kids were able to practice their walking skills a bit! It was a beautiful end of summer day!

Household Adventures

So, things that are around the house, but are not really toys continue to be the most interesting things for Madison and Riley to play with. Given, they love their toys, but the lure of new experiences constantly calls them. Hey, I cannot complain, it is creativity in the works, right? (or at least that is how I am justifying the craziness it brings!)

Lately, Madison and Riley are really into taking things out of drawers, containers etc and putting them back in. A lot of their push toys have baskets or storage compartments that are always filled with little things and even their sippy cups! Along with putting toys and such into different containers, they love to put themselves into big spaces. In the kitchen it is the big drawer under the oven, in the lower level it is the boxes of toys or their play tunnel.

(Riley under one of the stools in the kitchen...Madison in the toy box!)

Kitchen utensils and what is in the drawers still seems to be a "cool" thing to play with as well...

A box was dropped off and Riley found it to be much more interesting than any of his toys. He wanted to climb on it and push it around. Hey, whatever floats your boat, right?

It is such a joy for me to see Riley and Madison enjoying life and having fun! If it means taking out all the plastic cups, spoons and pots and pans in the kitchen, so be it! Play on kids!

What will today bring?

Riley and Madison seem to be changing every day right now, I know, every parent says that, but it is true right now! When they get up in the morning, I wonder what new and exciting thing they will do! Sometimes it is a new language revelation, sometimes a physical one!

As for language, M and R are saying new things all the time. They both udder mama and dada. Madison has said ball and sock and calls the dog "hida." I think that is because every time we walk by the dog I say "hi dog!" He....he... She also loves to make the "ooo" sound. Her mouth looks so cute doing it! Riley also has a dog language. When he is near Brewsky, he uses this grunty, growly voice as if Brewsky understands him better that way! Too cute.

They both can point out their hair, ears, tummy, hands and feet. We are working on nose and mouth right now. They also know a couple of signs.."all done" and "more."

Here is Madison showing off her hair, saying ok and oooooooo....

Here is Riley chatting with the dog...

I guess you could say they are both "walking." Cool! Madison a bit more than her brother right now. Riley takes about 5-6 steps, Madison can make it further. Now, it is just a confidence thing I think. They also realize that they can get from place to place faster by crawling, so they often choose to move that way!

Each day is an adventure, but also a blessing. What an amazing feeling of true love and joy these kids bring to every day!