Year to Year: Riley 2009

I like to keep a yearly record of what the kids are up to, and although in the past I have done Riley's on his half birthday (the day before Naomi's birthday), I would like to start doing it for his actual birthday. Here is his last Year to Year from this past March 2008 at 2 1/2 years old and March 2009 at 3 1/2.

Now he is a week and half away from being 4 in September 2009 and it is so much fun for us to see how much he has grown and changed, especially over the summer.


RILEY at 4 yrs: (Sept 2009)

He is definitely a fan of dinosaurs. We spent much of the past 6 months reading all the books we could about dinosaurs, and that began to progress to volcanoes and other reptiles as well. He loved seeing the Walking with Dinosaurs show this year.

Still loves to color, and is beginning to draw his own pictures more often with detailed explanations.

He is very excited to be expecting a baby brother this Christmas, and is especially looking forward to sharing a room and having bunk beds one day.

He has an amazing memory. He will recite facts from his library books or retell his Sunday School stories in great detail.

Very independent with the potty now. Only wears a pull-up at night time for for comfort than necessity.

Favorite movies lately are Bolt and (still) Toy Story.

Can ride a bike with training wheels and go "very fast!" We like to take walks now with Naomi in the stroller and Riley riding his bike.

He has been out kayaking with daddy a few times and loves it. They also have gone fishing a few times and mini golfing as well (and he scored 2 hole-in-ones!)

He is starting preschool in less than 4 weeks.

Naps every afternoon for about 1-2 hours.

Love to read. When we're not reading to him, we'll often find him curled up in a chair with a pile of books.

He is a thinker. He is constantly asking us though-provoking questions about the way the world works or life in general. Many questions have to do with the new baby, others about spiritual things, and some about how the world works - like where the sun goes at night time and his own theories on why there are no dinosaurs today and other scientific questions. He is always surprising us.

Still has a very active imagination. He continues to love to dress up and play pirates or dinosaurs.

He loves reading adventure chapter books with us. He actually prefers to read these at bedtime rather than children's picture books. We have been reading the Great Illustrated Classics series, and so far have finished Peter Pan, Tom Sawyer, and are currently on the last chapter of Moby Dick. Next up...maybe Treasure Island or Huck Finn! :)

When he grows up he says he wants to be a firefighter or a dinosaur! :)

He learned to swim all by himself using swimmies on his arms this summer (just in the last couple weeks)! He can get in and out of the pool by himself and swims around without help. He even will jump off the diving board to daddy and slide down the slide!

I can't believe he is starting school this year! It's SO true what they say...no matter how big they get, they will always be your baby!

Year to Year: Riley

On that same file I found with Naomi's one year list, I found a list of Riley's "happenings" at 2 1/2. Since they are 18 months and 1 day apart, their half-birthdays fall a day before or after the other's birthday, so I must have written his list then since I was thinking of it. His list may not fall annually on his birthday, but at least it's a yearly record!

RILEY at 2 ½: (March 2008)

Love to sing songs in the car – know many many songs and can sing words and melody alone. Some favorites – Jesus loves the little children, This little light of mine, Baby Beluga, A Bushel and a peck, Holly Jolly Christmas

Often wears a bowl or container on his head for a hat or helmet

Enjoys coloring, and “working” with a pen in his book

Loves to help mommy and daddy cook, pretends very often on his own

Can communicate and uses an abundance of words

Can count to 20

Can look at a word and can identify most letters, ex: FAMILY he spelled to me FAMIJY.

Starting to identify letters by sounds, ex: what word starts with letter ___

Enjoys storytime, visiting library once a week – reading library books before bed

Used potty for first time by himself Feb 29, 2008! Still doesn’t really “want” to sit on it, but obeys

When he wakes up says, “I had a good sleep too, mommy!”

Tells us almost everyday, “I’m not little, I’m big”

Wants to go to school “all by myself”

If you tell him he is cute, funny, naughty, a kangaroo etc, he says, “No I Riley.”

Knows Bible verses “Be kind to everyone” “With love help each other” “God sent His son”

When we read The Big Word Book by Richard Scarry and ask him to pick what he wants to be when he grows up he always picks the taxi driver

Most things he says “No I do by myself” – he wants to be very independent

Now that we are getting past the Wiggles phase, his new favorite show on PBS Kids is SuperWhy – He loves helping the SuperReaders solve the problem and is doing a great job identifying letters and sounds on the show – We like to pretend we are SuperReaders and look for letters around the house.

He also enjoys Blues Clues, Calliou, Little People, Big Comfy Couch, Wiggles, Sesame Street, Clifford

Loves to have special time on mommy’s bed like reading books or best of all watching a movie J

Talks about Spiderman a lot and says he comes in his room – has night terrors on a regular basis too. Doesn’t like his bed, but won’t tell us why.

Is distinguishing between good and bad for everything or whether or not he likes things - “I don’t like that, that’s bad.”

Is a very good helper – helps take care of Naomi when mommy needs it and enjoys playing with her, but is learning about sharing – sometimes tells he me doesn’t want to share things with Nomie

Has all 20 baby teeth!

Loves to jump – is a bit of a daredevil

Calls all construction worker toys Bob and Wendy (from Bob the Builder)

Anytime we talk about doing something he says, “Maybe Friday”

Gets excited anytime he sees the moon – often asks, where’d the moon go? And wants daddy to get him 2 moons

Riley at 3 ½: (March 2009)

Still loves pirates but is taking a huge interest in dinosaurs recently. He is learning the names of them, knows about a dozen and a few details about each of them

Very good artist. Colors beautiful coloring pages using lots of colors and stays in the lines.

Says very proper words all the time like, “actually.”

Very good singer. Makes up songs all the time, and sings the correct pitch

Learning letter sounds. Will say, “Hey! B is for Boppy!”"P is for pancake!"

Tells us he wants to be a doctor like daddy when he grows up and work at the hospital and help people or a fireman.

Likes to remind us that he is big.

Is very good at puzzles. He has conquered all our 40 piece puzzles and is moving on to 60 piece puzzles.

Doing well with potty training. Only wears a pull up during night and naptime. Has accidents a few times a week, but uses the potty independently and does very well otherwise!

Favorite movies lately have been Toy Story. (I think we might be getting over Peter Pan finally a bit). He really likes Buzz Lightyear.

Writes his name clearly.

Still has his blankie, but only uses it to sleep with and when he’s upset about something.

Loves to read books. We are getting lots of dinosaur books from the library lately.

Learning how to ride a bike with training wheels.

Learning how to play t-ball and will repeat, “keep your eye on the ball!”

Often says, “I have a great idea! How about…”

Loves to be tickled and still has the greatest laugh in the world.

Does great at his memory verses for Cubbies

Loves to play "I Spy" in the car.

He’s all registered for preschool in the fall.

Still takes a 2-3 hr nap in the afternoon.

Has gotten pickier about food.

Has an active imagination - loves to wear different hats and is always pretending to be a pirate, fireman, doctor, fisherman, dinosaur, even a grandpa, etc.

Year to Year: Naomi

I've been cleaning out files on my computer this week and transferring photos and such to DVD's and my external drive because believe it or not, my hard drive on my laptop was pretty much full. In doing so, I came across a file I had typed up last March. It was a list of things about Naomi at 1 year old. I had forgotten about it, so I'm glad I came across it when I did! It was fun to read it and then to write a new list of things at 2 years old and see how much she has grown in the last year, and yet how much she is the same. She definitely grew a head full of hair :).

NAOMI at one year old: (March 2008)

Loves looking at books, will giggle and squeal when we read to her

Is a master stair climber and will cry if the stairs are blocked and she wants to go up

Splashes in the tub – as soon as the bath is being filled will rush over to the tub and try to reach the water

Loves puzzle pieces – anytime we get a puzzle out she has to be in the center of it arranging pieces

Can clap, sing, and does a sweet little dance by twirling her upper body back and forth

Took her first real steps/started walking on Feb 29, 2008 a week before 1^st birthday trying to get Riley’s potty sticker book from mommy

Stands alone very well

Will sit up on one knee and scoot across the room

Imitates Riley constantly

Says, mama, dada, baba, byebye, ni-nite, ball, down or done, up

When asked, "where is so and so," she can identify them by looking at the person and smiling

Loves to look at people upside down and to crawl around on the couch

Holds and looks at her dollys, will stare and point at their faces

Points at things she wants to see or where she wants to go

Still loves to be held and cuddled

Has at least 6 teeth and a few more coming in

Is normally very quiet…is just starting to screech to communicate when she is frustrated

Loves her blankie – will still suck her middle two fingers but only when she has her pink blankie, very comforting to her

Wants “big people food” not baby food – loves bananas, applesauce, graham crackers, green beans and peas, pasta

Naomi at 2 yrs old: (March 2009)

Still sucks her middle two fingers and loves her pink blankie

Refers to herself as “Nomie Bug” when you ask her name

Can say our last name!

Counts to 10, says ABC’s

Loves to dance and sing

Speaks in full sentences - she said an 18 word sentence using a conjunction this week!

Loves TinkerBell and Princesses

Names all her dollies “Emma”

Has 18 teeth

Still loves to snuggle

Starting to do puzzles

Loves to look at books and pretend to read while mommy or daddy is simultaneously reading to her

Sleeping in a big girl bed for several months now, since around 18 mo

Wears pull-ups and uses the potty pretty independently a couple times a day, still training

Loves the movie “Madagascar” and calls it the “Moos it Moos it” movie

Loves to color. She often asks for Snow White coloring pictures or anything Riley is coloring (usually dinosaurs or pirates)

Going to the “big kid class” at church with Riley (2’s and 3’s)

She tends to hoard things. She sleeps with a stash of books and stuffed animals in her bed and will keep piles of toys that are "hers" piled in corners of the house.

Loves to play peek a boo/ hide and seek games

Wants to do everything independently

Likes to pick out her own clothes and get dressed/undressed herself

When she speaks she replaces “I” with “My, but she does say "I love you" correctly!

Role playing with her toys – playing cooking in the kitchen, dressing and undressing her dollies, pretending they go potty and feed them bottles, loading her shopping cart

Loves to eat –she’s the first one at the table when a meal is ready, and will often out eat Riley.

Loves to play with Riley. Will sometimes take his toys and run and hide with them to aggravate him. She can be a stinker!

Says she wants to be a little baby when she grows up. :)