So funny...

Conor has been doing and saying more and more funny things lately. Let's see if I can remember them all. I try to write them down so I won't forget but here are some of the latest and best:

Conor wanted to help set the table for dinner one night. He found the plastic silverware and napkins in the pantry, but it took me a while to convince him to use real plates and cups. You can tell exactly where each person is supposed to sit, right?? :)
*We had some marshmallows in the cupboard and Conor wanted a couple for dessert. He used to call them smarshmallows, but has grown out of this. However, when I asked him what he liked so much about them he said, "They're just so marsh-y!"

*One night we were just sitting having a nice dinner and Conor says out of nowhere, "Mom, what kind of skin do you have?" Thinking he was remembering some of his school/daycare lessons about different ethnicities and skin color, I asked for clarification, "What do you mean, Conor?" He paused for a moment as if he wasn't sure he should go on, then he repeated himself, "What kind of skin do you have........clear or sexy?!" Ha! That got me and Adam laughing. Not sure how to answer and assuming he saw some TV commercial about skin cleanser or moisturizer that stuck in his head, I said, "I don't know, Conor. Oily, I guess. What kind of skin do you have?" This time, without hesitation and in all seriousness, he answered, "Well, I have sexy skin!!"

*We were reading some books about historical figures in the U.S. including presidents, so we asked him the current president. (During the election in 2008, when he was only 1, he was able to recognize and identify Obama, but since it had been a while, we had to refresh his memory). When he tried to repeat the name, on his first try, he said "The-Rock Who-bama"! He fully corrected himself on the second try.

*A few times a year, I go to a local high school football game to cover as "team doctor". This year, for the first time, I decided to bring Conor with me to a game to sit on the sidelines. He could have cared less about the football, but sure enjoyed sitting on the trainer's cart, pretending to drive. He also enjoyed watching the band and the Bulldog mascot (and asked me why he looked so mad) as well as the cheerleaders. He asked me why the cheerleaders weren't wearing any pants, because it was cold outside. I said they were being silly and he started to yell loudly at them, "Girls, put some pants on. Stop being silly, girls, and put some pants on!" When one player injured his shoulder, Conor asked me why I went to go talk to that boy. I said he hurt his shoulder and Conor said, "Which shoulder, his right or his left?"

*Other cute but incorrect pronunciations:
thernombeter (thermometer)
renember (remember)
basagna (lasagna)
bumping boats (bumper boats--when viewing previous post about the MN State Fair)

Quick Trip to Minnesota

The kids and I made a quick weekend trip to Minnesota over September 24-26. Adam was unable to make it so I was a little nervous about taking both kids on the long drive by myself but they did awesome!! Conor watched movies or slept the entire time, we stopped to pee on the side of the road once because we were too far from the next exit for him to hold it, but other than that he was great. I fed Riley right before we left each time. She stayed awake to play for a little, then slept the whole rest of the way (I made sure to drive in the evenings when it is usually sleep time for her).

The Northern Illinois University Huskies played the University of Minnesota Gophers at their new stadium (only a year old), and my sister and brother-in-law have season tickets so given Adam's recent NIU-alumni status, they invited me along. It was a pretty good game and the Huskies even won, but I have to admit, it is a little lonely being the ONLY around you standing and cheering for a big play for your team--I kept thinking I made a mistake or saw the play wrong or something. But the stadium is awesome and we had great weather!

Final score:
Sisters tailgating beforehand:
Then on Sunday, we had my sister Leah's baby shower. She is expecting a daughter in November. It was nice to see all my cousins and aunts and a few of my parents' neighbors, but it was quite overwhelming to have so many people in one little room for a few short hours!
Conor wanted to play piano for entertainment
Riley was testing out the cute new quilt one of my aunts made for Leah's baby
Grandma, Leah and Riley
Conor checking out the cake
Congratulations Leah!! We can't wait to meet the newest cousin!!

Go Huskies!!!

Riley made it to her first Northern Illinois University Huskies football game this year. We left Conor with a babysitter, but brought Riley along since she would be less distracting and it would be easier for feeding and such. This was our first game attending since Adam's graduation so we were able to sit on the alumni side of the stadium, which provides for a different experience. We got to see a good game that remained tight until the final seconds, but the Huskies came out on top. Riley did great, she even fell asleep for a while, and only got startled by the cheers once or twice.

Playing Outside

Riley is really learning dexterity and is very much into discovery and explorationThis time of year is ideal for playing outside and although we don't really have our own yard of grass with a white picket fence, we have done a pretty good job of making the best of what we have. Favorite activities have been playing baseball, kickball, basketball, riding a tricycle, playing with chalk and bubbles, and going for walks, sometimes while playing red-light-green-light.
Funny face
Making Riley laugh
Wearing baseball batting gloves

Football, Fall From Bed, Fine Art, and Footwear

First NFL game of the year had our Minnesota Vikings losing (unfortunately) to the New Orleans Saints. We all had our Vikings gear on (even Adam, since the Eagles weren't playing at the same time...but someone had to take the picture.)Conor fell out of bed one night and woke up with a black eye and a small scar next to his eyelid. Since then, he has also reached the string from the blinds from what we thought was an unreachable height and had a big scar from where it was somehow wrapped, at least partially, around his neck (scary stuff!!) Nap time is becoming quite dangerous...most likely because he is no longer really going to sleep, but is instead just having a "quiet time". Each day I would ask him how his eye was feeling and he would say: "It's ok, Mommy. It doesn't hurt. It will heal." What a tender heart. Not long after this, he also woke up from his nap saying his neck hurt. Thought he just slept wrong and had a "crick in his neck", I looked closer to see what seemed to be a scratch halfway around his neck. When I asked him what it was from, he said, "the blinds". A terrifying realization that he was able to reach what I thought was an unreachable string from the blinds and somehow got a rope burn-type injury around his neck. Thanks for the grace of God that nothing worse happened. Needless to say, we have reassessed our childproofing and safety measures in his room!
Conor made his own thank you notes after his birthday party. A great way to keep him busy working on a project, and to teach him gratitude, while sending a personal meaningful message to each of his friends.
Riley sporting one of her newest outfits, including....SHOES!!! I never really put Conor in shoes until after he was walking, but we have gotten so many shoes as hand-me-downs for Riley that I have tried them out here and there. They never stay on long, but they sure are cute.

5 months old

Sleeping peacefully...in the position she learned from her Mommy and big brother (I don't sleep like this anymore, I promise)
Smiling again with pretty eyes
This is an outfit Mommy bought before Riley was born, "just in case" it was a girl :)

The Great Minnesota Get Together

We went to the Minnesota State Fair on Monday with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Laura. We actually had great weather, it was a little warm during the peak sunny hours, but everyone did very well. We stayed the whole day and were exhausted by the evening. The kids were troopers and even took naps in the stroller. We ate tons of great food and enjoyed our time as usual....

Riley was full of smiles as always
We saw lots of animals, Conor was able to pet a horse
We saw the biggest boar in Minnesota at the Oink Booth and Riley got her own hat
Conor got to pet a brand new piglet only hours old, this is the runt of the litter
This is how Riley spent most of her day, riding in the Baby Bjorn (worn by all of us at one point or another, I think)Conor rode the kiddie slide
He enjoyed the bumper boats
... and the motorcycle
He really enjoyed the rides this year. Last year, he was scared and needed an adult to ride with him, but this year he couldn't get enough on his own. He was so brave and really had a great time...in fact, I had a hard time picking the pictures for this part because there were so many that had awesome smiles!
Much better to see a smile on the swings compared to the tears and fear seen last year
Look out!
Advertisement for the state fair!?!?
Riding the giant yellow slide with Mommy
Riding the giant yellow slide with Laura
Trying out the pianos at the display in the Grandstand. This kid LOVES music!
Watching Mommy, Daddy and Laura ride one of the rides on the Midway at night