Happy Birthday to Me

We had fabulous weather for the weekend.  We spent Saturday at the BEHS baseball games.  Ryker had a great time running around.  We had lunch with friends, then headed home to mow the lawn and play in the dirt pile.  Ryker is going to be very disappointed when all that fill dirt is finally leveled.

Sunday, we had breakfast with Ryker's Grandpa Geoff and Mary.  While we waited for them, we checked out the parking lot and he tried poking me with a stick.  He kept saying "tickle", but he was really just jabbing me with it so I started dodging it and then it became a whole other game.

Next we rolled out to Anacortes for the Waterfront Festival where we met up with lots of friends.  Ryker loaded his wagon with lots of loot.  Here he is launching the boat he made into the pool.

Checking out the other boats.

Ryker and Abby

Ryker, Abby, and Dan.  Notice how the wood pegs on Ryker's boat keep changing position?  He glued them on the bow, but kept completely submerging his boat in the water and the glue wasn't dry so they would come off.  He would gather them all up out of the water and stick them back on somewhere else.

Looks like it passed it's sea trial.  We had to have one more go around in the bathtub once we got home.  He added some bling to the deck with his crayons, then launched it into the tub.  After about 20 minutes, he took it out and drug it around the house.

Favorite Activity of the day #2:  Playing in the water fountain.  Ryker would not leave this thing alone.  Aidan tried to help me get him away, but it was no use.  He'd run right back over every time.

Watching the remote control boats in action.  There was a seiner and a skiff that can actually set a net, but it didn't hit the water while we were there.

I finally had to put him back in the wagon, because he wouldn't stay out of the fountain.  He soon found a way to entertain himself.

What a ham.

Showing off for the ladies.

After two long days of playing in the sun, this kid was out within 3 minutes of hitting his carseat.  He fell asleep with an applesauce crusher hanging out of his mouth. 

Two Wheelin' and a Visit to the Chicken Ranch

We were going to wait until Ryker was 2 to get him a balance bike, but he became pretty obsessed with bikes as soon as the weather got nice and he started seeing cyclists everywhere we went.  I finally just decided to go get him one and the trip to the bike shop was well worth it.  I wish I would have had a video camera with me.  From the second we got out of the car he was yelling "bike" and running toward the door.  He tried out a bunch and tried to roll one out the door before paying.  Once we got his paid for and we were on our way, he had to ride it out and wouldn't let me put it in the car.  He kept trying to escape to the amusement of cars at the stoplight on Commercial in Anacortes.  After a few minutes of trying to explain that we were taking the bike home, I finally just picked him up, bike and all and set them both in the car.  His head was touching the ceiling of the car, because they didn't fit too well together.  He finally decided that with his bike riding shotgun right next to him, it was safe for him to crawl into his car seat.   He patted the seat and played with the wheel all the way home. 

Apparently, this whole bike riding thing is a little too boring for Cosmos.

Ryker disassembled this ham and cheese sandwich and just ate the ham.

Ryker loves the chickens at Liz's house.  The last time we were there, he got to feed them and take home the eggs we collected, minus the one he broke there.

Once we got home, he had to re-examine them again.  I let him play with them for a while, but had to coax him into putting them in the fridge before we had a casualty on the carpet.

Yep, time to put them away!

Super Ryker

He's very particular about his cars.  He rearranged them in different kinds of lines about 5 times.  Then he would sit back and admire his work.

We had a couple weeks where he didn't want to take baths.  This day he would get in with his shirt so that was good enough for me, because I felt bad forcing him to take one.  Guess he wanted to be the stinky kid.  Thankfully he is over it now and back to loving the tub.

Checking out the Easter package he got in the mail.  He loves it when we get boxes in the mail and it's even more exciting when it is actually for him instead of boring adult stuff.

He's a hands free talker.  There's still plenty to do when you're on the phone.

"You're so funny, Grandma."

Ryker, Grandma, Great Great Aunt Carol, Great Great Uncle Doug

Laughing it up with Double Great Aunt Joyce

Snuggling in with Grandma before he goes to bed.  The worst part about this being her last day here was that Ryker comes to tell me when he has pooped so I can change him.  A few days into her trip, he started going to my Mom and saying "Grandma poop" so she would have to be the one to go change him.  That's my boy!  I didn't even coax him into it.  He came up with it on his own.  Guess he just likes the way she changes diapers.

Ryker got this sweet boat for Easter, but mostly likes to use the dingy and whales that came with it to drink bath water.

I usually take these license plate frames off my cars, but hadn't gotten around to it.  Apparently Ryker was sick of the free advertising for Foothills and took care of it for me.  I got the screwdriver out and finished it up for him.

There are a few parts of our yard that I have to mow with the push mower.  I need to keep Ryker away from the mower so this is the play pen while I do it.

He insisted on some gloves for weeding too.

He can't catch yet, but he is finally starting to put his hands up to try so I got him these velcro things that catch the tennis ball.  He plays catch with them good, but also decided they could be used as great shoes.

I brought Seth's shoes all up to our room so I could put them away since he is gone.  Ryker pulls them out of the closet daily to wear around.  He laughs and says "Daddy shoes."

He has to really concentrate to walk forward.

Play me a song, you're the piano man.....

Abby and Ryker at the Street Fair.

Protesting while I'm trying to talk him into leaving the piano and recorder in the house and not taking it to the car.  If it makes it to the car, we'll have to go through the same fit about not taking it into daycare.

Sidewalk chalk and bubbles.....hours of outdoor fun.

"Where did those blasted dogs go?"

Always working

Always willing to give a push.

Take Time to Stop and Smell the Tulips

Ryker knows an aromatic flower when he sees one!

This is about the only picture from the tulip fields where Ryker is looking at the camera.  Apparently there was way to much going on for him to pose.  He also was a little under the weather so we couldn't get a smile out of him.  I got him a sucker, hoping that would cheer him up, but that just was a really dumb idea.  All the pictures after the sucker have him with a blue tulip sucker in his mouth.