Halloween 2013

We had a pretty good Halloween this year. We managed to carve 3 pumpkins. Riley was a transformer - bumblebee.  We had the parade at preschool, a quick stop at Trader Joe's on the way home, and a scavenger hunt at the apartment complex. Riley and Brian went out trick-or-treating for a little bit after dinner, but I don't think Riley was too excited about it. Last weekend we made spooky ghosts as well. 

Beach Vacation

We went to the beach for the week, and rented a house.  Dad and Janet drove down, and Tony flew in. In the mornings we would do some activity (aquarium, old fort....), and then in the afternoon it was beach / nap / reading time.  Riley had so much fun.  We ended up having fantastic weather, even though it was October, the highs were in the 80's.  We were lucky as only one week later (last week) the highs have been in the 60s, brrr.

The house was situated so that we could see the sun rise and set from the deck.  Here is a picture off the deck.  It was only a short walk down the trail to the beach.

I think Riley liked playing in the sand more than getting in the water. (Brian is in the back on a boogie board). We all took a turn riding some waves in.

Dad helped Riley build, but I think he was getting tired of being Riley's unpaid worker.

This was the house we stayed at (the Right Side). The top balcony was shared with our room and Dad's room.  The bottom Balcony was just off the Dining / Living room.

Summer 2013

I would love to say that we have just been so busy that I haven't had time to post. That would be untrue.

This summer has mostly been work and school, with weekends that seem way too short.  Here are the highlights.

Riley and I planted strawberries on the porch.  I think the most we got in one picking was 8. Usually it was 1-3.

Here is Riley with our largest harvest.  He ate them all. 

We went bowling one afternoon.  Apparently I need to bowl with the bumpers all of the time, it was my highest score.

We went to the arboretum one afternoon.  Later, Riley got up close and personal with some goldfish in another pond, after he fell in.  

Riley and Brian went to a car show one afternoon, it was kind of rain-y, so it wasn't too busy, but they had a great time looking at all of the cars / trucks. 

Riley Roundup

 I think we have gotten more use out of the Halloween costume than we thought possible.  The kid pulls out that mask all the time and wants to go on adventures.

And finally, what does a little Batman do in his down time? Play Mr. Potatohead of course.

Blossom Trail

So for work I am in Fresno CA for the week visiting some almond orchards. I got in on Sunday, and drove over to Kings Canyon National Park. It was raining so i decided not to go hike and just enjoyed the drive. 

 

 

 The Almonds are in full bloom this week so the country side is simply beautiful.  And if you get out of the car, you can hear the low hum of the bees at work.

FOUR!

Super behind on posts, but I'm not going to talk about that.

Riley is FOUR!!

 Dad and Janet drove out to North Carolina for the weekend and stayed with us in the tiny apartment.  Riley had a great time, and successfully blew out his candles. 

 

As you can tell, Riley got a bike for his birthday.  He was so excited that Buzz Lightyear is on it.

BEACH!

 A nice picture of the Beach at Wilmington to brighten your day.  

So, a few weeks ago (Jan 12th) it was really warm, so we decided to drive out to Wilmington, and visit the Fort, Aquarium and hit the beach if we had time.  It was 70 here in Raleigh, but almost 80 at the beach, so Riley took off his shirt (and thankfully we talked him into keeping his pants on) and played in the surf. Brian thought we were crazy about going into the water, but Riley just wanted to run from the waves. It was a nice break from the dreary winter we have had so far, and nice to have a pretty day.