TWO! (21 months - 2 years)

Our little guy is TWO!  Unbelievable.  We are so lucky to be his parents.

Ryker continues his love of all things wheeled.  Now he also especially enjoys garbage trucks.  When he hears them coming down the ally he asks to go outside so we can watch and wave.  He enthusiastically points them out when he spots one on the road driving.  The same goes for tractors and any other big machines.  He also can correctly identify Jeeps from other vehicles.

He is quite the little environmentalist.  Anytime he spots trash where it shouldn't be he insists on picking it up and throwing it away in the garbage can.  It is very sweet and I am so proud that it is important to him.

Ryker is gaining new vocabulary daily, but has a difficult time pronouncing his Rs (very common, I know, but still pretty funny because his substitutions are so far off).  I guess he won't be able to say his name for a while!  He pronounces shower, "show-ee", covers are "cov-ees", and hair is "hoon".


We had a blast with friends at the Dallas Zoo.

Parrots up close and personal

Friends since about 4 months old - Annistyn, Jackson, Jaxon, and Ryker

Ryker loved making the elephant sound

The next Crocodile Dundee

Curious giraffe

We had a beautiful time with friends at the gardens at the Dallas Arboretum. Their fall display was in full-force with pumpkins everywhere!

In front of a pumpkin house

Brushing the sheep at the petting zoo

Prince Charming

A pumpkin house just his size

My blue-eyed boy

Smiles

Fountain fun

Beautiful gardens

Always on the go

About to try to get into some mischief 

He's my little petunia in the pumpkin patch...

Also had fun at a local fall festival.

Hayride

Petting zoo

Obligatory pumpkin pictures

Ride 'em cowboy - continuing his cowboy training

It was the first Halloween that Ryker was old enough to somewhat participate in typical Halloween traditions.  He thoroughly enjoyed painting pumpkins, but did not enjoy feeling the inside guts of the pumpkin when we were carving them.  He made a disgusted face and couldn't wait to wipe his hands off.  Ryker loves seeing football, throwing his stuffed football, and his favorite phrase is "hut hut".  He says it whenever he sees anything football related.  So, naturally he dressed up as a football player for Halloween (it just happened to be a Cowboys player - no offense Vikings).  Continuing our family-themed costume tradition, Jon dressed as a head coach, and also somewhat appropriately, I was the referee (which was not such a stretch for me).  He exuberantly participated in trick-or-treating for the first time.  Being the social creature he is, he enjoyed knocking on strangers' doors, visiting a bit, and getting candy in return.  After the first house, Jon gave him a taste of the candy, and it lit his passion for trick-or-treating that much more.  He hasn't yet mastered the "trick-or-treat" phrase, but instead he said "pease" (please) and "too-doo" (thank you) complete with hand signs.  Made me proud to have such a little well-mannered gentleman.  

Put me in coach

"Hut hut"

Painting pumpkins

Oh no!  He got some paint on himself - had to wipe it off right away.

Trick-or-treating

Ryker still enjoys going to the library toddler time, especially with friends.

Ryker was up at the felt board just like this little fella a short time before.  The amazing Miss Gigi asked him to sit down and he did.  When this guy got up there, Ryker was quick to tell him (quite adamantly),  "No, sit!"

Still a lap-stealer.  Luckily Ms. Jillian has just enough room for two.

Enjoying the beautiful Texas weather.

Ryker introduces himself to the swans

We love our precocious little guy.

So silly, love this laugh

Oh so sleepy, but not too sleepy to give a high five and fist bump

Lauren and Colin's biggest fan

Go Vikes!

We'll cross that bridge when we get there...

Someone experimented with Mommy's make-up

...and this is the face you get when you ask him to smile!

Sleepy snuggles for his teddies

Cuddles with David

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super-Ryker!

Practicing his rock-star moves

Mr. Clean

Dallas got hit with a big ice storm, but we made the most of it and went sledding!

No fear!

We had the opportunity to attend the Chinese Lantern festival, an exhibition of various lights and lantern displays.  It was a pretty neat experience.

Look what's hatching!

Rescuing mom from the T-rex

Riding the train with Lauren and Colin

Of course we had to take the typical Christmas photos.

Giddy-up reindeer

Ryker was a very good boy, even though Santa was a little grumpy

More intrigued than scared

Ryker got to hang out with his Grandma Voorhies and Uncle Loren.

Grandma reads to Ryker

Ryker always likes to have a hat on when he plays guitar, then throws it off and claps for himself.

Uncle Loren serenades Ryker