A B C's and 1 2 3's

Riley is really getting into counting and saying his alphabet. I know it sounds terrible, but sometimes I think if I hear that darn alphabet tune one more time I might just go insane. I'll think, how can you hear and sing the same song 157 times per day, yet still not get all of the letters right?! But, just when I am about to lose it, he'll go and correctly add a letter or 2 that he's been unable to say or remember before ... or Gage starts singing in with him with his version that goes something like e e e e e e e ha ha ha ha ha ha ha o e e e s e e e e x e and e. How can you not love that! I just have to remember to keep my impatience in check. To them, it's not about getting it right, it's about having fun singing. That is the hardest part about being a mom for me. I always want and expect (silly me) for things to be done right or properly right off the bat and that just isn't the way it works in the toddler world. Luckily, my poor kiddos easily brush off their momma's frustrations and continue to have fun doing things their own way in their own time.

Counting is also a big part in Riley's world. He can count all the way up to 13 by himself and up to 20 with some prodding from mom! Our drives to and from daycare are pretty much nothing but counting. 1,2,3,4,5.6 cars. 1,2,3 buses waiting for kids. 1,2,3,4 fire trucks (we drive by the fire station everyday - very exciting stuff - the boys get especially excited if a fire truck is pulled out getting ready to leave and has it's lights on!) However, the most animated counting comes when we get to driving in the country on the way to Gloria's. 1,2,3,4,5 DEER - which may or may not be there. 1,2 HAWKS! Every bird we see sitting on a wire is now a hawk according to Riley. I've been trying to explain the difference between grackles, robins, wrens, hawks, etc., but hawks is what sticks with him, so that's it for now. I guess it's good we live in Lawrence, his love of the word hawk will help when rooting on the Jayhawks during Football and Basketball seasons = )

I finally got a picture of Gage with one of his beloved toads in the backyard. I kind of feel sorry for the poor little toads, they really get tortured at our house. Between one of our golden retrievers feeling the need to pick every one of them up in her mouth several times, despite the fact that it make her foam at the mouth like Cujo -- Gage picking them up, squeezing, and throwing them -- and Riley trying to run them over with his Harley -- it really is a dangerous place to be for the hoppy little dudes. But, we have tons of them, so it must not faze them too much!

We also discovered a locust shell on the fence. Riley was really interested in this. I think it confused him a little bit that it looked like a bug, but didn't move. Gage, on the other hand, was his true no fear self. He grabbed another shell we found and promptly put it in his mouth. After deciding he didn't want to eat it (possibly influenced by mom yelling "get that out of your mouth right now!") he proceeded to pulverize it in his little fist and just giggled as it crumbled. Yep, that boy worries me a little bit. But, he's always entertaining nonetheless = )