Toddler Time at the Registers

So our little man is 19 months old and totally a full blown toddler! He's running around, climbing up on furniture, singing, putting his own shoes on (sometimes on the wrong feet), telling me to put my shoes on, bossing "Gah-net" around, etc.!

Riley with his "B B" (blankie)

I don't want to ever forget hearing him say "IWuvOoo" for the first time. So sweet sounding that I almost cried! Nor do I want to forget hearing him say "Mamen" at the end of the blessing. I love how sometimes he closes his eyes during the blessing and sometimes he bobs his head back and forth if we say "God is Great"...like he's dancing to the blessing! And I don't want to forget the precious memory of telling him and Ava-Reese it was time to say the blessing and how not only did they both hold my hands but they reached out and held each others hands too!

We've gone swimming the past 2 weekends and Riley is starting to come around. It's so funny how last summer he was so young and would kick himself around the pool in his turtle float but this summer at 19 months in a swimmies/jacket type thing he clings to me for dear life! Oh and he'll only kick a few good kicks then stick his legs straight how and make you pull him around,lol!

Riley ready to go swimming, saying "cheese"

Riley swimming with Daddy

So back to the shoes. Riley is OBSESSED with shoes. He not only says "shoes" but he says "crocs" too! And if I don't put shoes on him right away when getting him dressed in the morning, he will open up his shoe/sock drawer, pull out matching (yes matching) shoes and bring them to me saying "shoes"! Just last week we were all in the kitchen getting ready to leave. My shoes were at the garage door. Jeremy and Riley already had shoes on. Riley looked at my shoes, looked at my bare feet then picked up my shoes and brought them to me saying, "shoes"! If you ask him where his crocs are (he has 2 pair) he will find you a matching pair,haha!

Riley trying on Daddy's shoes before work

Now onto my soapbox. I think children should be taught manners. We've been working on "please" and "thank you" since Riley was able to speak. Most of the time he says "thank you" when you give him something but he's a little slower about learning the "please" except when he's "working" you. So how is it my 19 month old can say thank-you but little 5+ year olds can come in my store and you never hear a "thank you", "please", or "yes/no ma'am"? My parents and grandparents stayed on us and our manners so I pray we will do the same.

On a side note our family has been going through a difficult time. July 11th will be a year since my grandmother passed away. Our grandfather is 92 and overall has been in really good health. He has had some minor things to come up over the past year but we hit an unexpected rough patch last week. Turns out he had a duodenal ulcer that bled out while he was being scoped. We didn't know it at the time but while he was in ICU they constantly kept an O.R. booked just for him b/c they expected to have to possibly do emergency surgery. They had also done a full workup on his heart because his enzymes were elevated and they felt like he was about to have a heart attack. Then being 92 he suffered some various urological issues as well as severe pain from arthritis in his knees. He wound up with 2 cortisone shots in his knees and has to walk with a walker for now. But we are praising God because overall considering all he has been thru he is doing GREAT! My Mom is the best daughter to him and I only pray that I can be as good of a daughter to her as she has been to her parents.