35mm of Ryder

I broke out my 35mm manual camera a few times in the last couple weeks and finally finished the roll this weekend.  It's so tough to wait until you take 24 photos to see any of them!  But I had fun playing with the depth of field setings that my digital camera doesn't have.  Here are a couple of my fav shots from the roll:



  

Family Time

Tonight the three of us had a great night together.  Dinner, a walk at Eastman Nature Center and lots of playtime.  Ryder spent much of the evening walking.  This is big news since we've been watching him try for over a month.  He also learned to stack his blocks tonight.  He typically enjoys knocking down block towers, but now can build them, too.  I like to think I've had a little influence with that :)

Walking!

Ryder has been taking steps for a while now, but tonight was his best ever!  He did it all night long, sometimes standing up from a sitting position and one time he walked, paused and changed direction three times!! I'm so proud of our little man :)

Mommy and Me

I just love being a mom and am so in love with our little boy :)

Fun Week of Firsts

We experienced number of new things this week...The most exciting is that Ryder has two new words that he just started saying: "bye" and "nana" (banana) .  "Hi" is still his favorite word - I bet he says it about 30 times a day (though never on command - if you ask him to say 'hi', he will wave - lol).  He loves using this word when we're out and about to greet strangers.  He has also started dancing.  Tuesday night he danced to his Thomas the Train book music for about 15 minutes straight (see video below).  He also went on his first bike ride with mommy (usually dad pulls him).  It's great on flat ground, but those hills are a workout!!  Lastly, we got a new sleep sack for Ryder.  It was cute how he was so drawn to snuggling with it! 

Our bike ride through the neighborhood trails....

Top photos: "Can I please go to bed now??"  Ry's down to one nap a day at daycare, so he is so tired by the end of the day - he pretty much thanks us when we finally put him in his crib at night!  

13 Months & Apple Orchard

Ryder has cruised right past the 12 month mark and on to 13.  With life as crazy as it is right now, the months are going by like weeks and weeks like days.  So this weekend we thought we would try to slow things down a bit with minimal plans and lots of family time.  On Saturday, we met up with the Tisdells at an apple orchard in White Bear.  With no intention to actually pick apples, we just spent the morning relaxing among the beautiful fall backdrop and summer-like weather.  Ryder and Autumn had fun playing in the pumpkin patch and we all enjoyed tasty apple snacks.  Afterwards, we drove up to Taylors Falls for lunch.  Since Shawn can't do any hiking this fall, we thought the drive would be a great way for us to enjoy the color together. Even though I'm sure 14 months will still come quick, we felt like we were able to at least slow things down for the weekend :)

Ry LOVED his apple muffin

A little hike through the apple trees... 

Then, on to a quest for the perfect pumpkin...

Looks like he found it!

A few 13 month notes (I know...a little late):
Still no walking yet.  Ryder has taken as many as 6 steps at a time, but only when he's in the mood. He has no fear and pretty much hucks his body in the direction he would like to walk.  Sometimes his legs keep up.  Even though he falls, he giggles every time.  For safety's sake, I think this is something we need to work on.  He does better walking between toys and can move quickly along furniture.  He loves to make silly noises and is getting better and better at playing by himself.  I think his favorite activity is still hide-and-seek combined with a toddler version of tag.  I love getting to know our little boy and cherish every moment with him. Can't wait to see what this next month will bring :)

TC 10 Mile

This past weekend, we spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful fall weather.  We went to the TC 10 mile expo in St. Paul on Saturday and then enjoyed some time in the nearby Rice Park.  On Sunday, Nick and Shawn bundled up Ryder and Autumn, tucked them in the Chariot together and followed Laura and I along the race route.  Such a perfect day for a run!  Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer us along - your encouragement was so helpful along the way!!

Hanging out in Rice Park

Shawn is getting better at hobbling around, so we're working on getting him out and about more :)

Ryder checking out the Rice Park fountain

Ryder checking out the flower girl next to him at the Rice Park fountain - lol!

Kiddos tucked in the Chariot together, patiently waiting for their mommies to run by :)

At the finish line!!