Kool-Eggs

TJ said we absolutely had to color Easter eggs with Riker this year.
Knowing Riker, I counted on there being two issues:

• at least one cup would be spilled
• he would inevitably stick his dye-stained fingers in his mouth

The first issue was solved by stripping my baby down to his diaper and going onto the back patio.

Thankfully, the rain let up for a few hours and the air was warm enough to do this.

The second issue was solved when I found this tutorial.
Rather than using vinegar and colored tablets, we used kool-aid.

Riker loved dropping eggs into each of the cups.
Yes, his finger tips are stained a variety of colors.
Yes, kool aid ended up splashing on his and me.

We ROYGBIV’d it with the colors,
using the advice given on the tutorial to get a better pink and purple.

Several times, Riker attempted to grab one of the cups…
but my reflexes were fast enough to prevent that from happening.

The colors turned out pretty amazing
(my favorites were the light pink and blue)
and they smelled nice and fruity!
Much cheaper than buying a kit and (in my opinion) a much better result!

Easter Egg Hunt

TJ and I were so excited to help Riker participate in his first ever Easter Egg Hunt.
I was concerned that he wouldn’t get the concept…
what I should have been worried about was this:

The Easter Egg Hunt started at 10am,
which happens to be Riker’s naptime.
He kept walking back to our door, banging on it in an attempt to get inside.
But as soon as the hunt started and he found his first egg,
his tears dried right up!

Riker was pretty amazing at finding the eggs.
We would walk around with him, and as soon as he would see one he would run to grab it.

Of course, he always had to shake the egg before dropping it in the basket.
This boy has already learned to check for candy!

     

It wasn’t long before Riker found his allotted 12 eggs.
He wanted to keep grabbing more, but we had to leave some for the other kids.

 

Riker did become very defensive of his eggs.
And because he was missing some of his nap time, he refused to smile.

This picture is probably my favorite of all time.
Beckham (6 months younger than Riker) just wanted to check out Riker’s loot…
and the look on Riker’s face tells you exactly how he felt about this!

All the kiddos who participated!

Hoppy Easter!

Vitamin D

After several days of rain, the sun decided to make an appearance.

Riker ate that piece of grass.
And I let him.
I was too busy soaking up the fantastic sunshine to care.

 

I did stop him before he ate that flower.
For some reason, I thought it would be worse for him to eat the flower.

Riker is pretty confident when playing outside
(sometime too confident).
He loves to explore and run as fast as he can…
but he will always stop to look behind him, just to make sure I’m still there.
And I think that’s pretty cute.

Picnic

Mother Nature was kind enough to grant us with a warm and sunny day, so we decided to spend as much time outside as possible!

 

We packed some food, grabbed some toys and a blanket, and met up with some friends for a picnic.

Riker loved walking through the grass and picking at the flowers (aka: weeds).
And he has a thing for cars and trucks, so anytime someone would drive by he would frantically wave at them!

With the sun shining directly on us, and a slight breeze, it was the perfect day to spend time outside with friends.

Play Time

Today, while at the mall, I let Riker play in the play area.
This was his first time playing here…
and he was in heaven!

He ran from one side to the other,
making sure to touch every single toy in the place
(and attempted to kiss several).

 

He was able to play with his buddy Brody.
Even though Brody is 8 months older than Riker,
they still play together pretty well. 
Brody would run around, and Riker would do his best to keep up!

 

I was always leery about these mall play areas
(the millions of germs and mean kids)
but none of the bigger kids bothered Riker and I slathered his hands with sanitizer as soon as we left.
So I think it will be okay to play here again!

The Cheese Face

Riker has already begun to develop quite the personality.
Today, we are just focusing on the fun side of his personality
(someday, I will share with you the less than fun side of this personality…oh the tantrums!)
This is what TJ and I refer to as Riker’s cheese face:

   

Now, looking at that expression, you might think Riker is mad.
But really, he is quite happy.
To make the cheese face, simply scrunch up your nose, show your teeth, and breath in and out through your nose.
(Admit it, you are sitting there making the cheese face right now!)
This face can be used to show extreme pleasure, like when you get to play outside or take a bath.
It can also be used to make mom forget about your latest tantrum.
Works every time!