2 years 8 months

Ryder at just over 2 1/2 years old is the sweetest, most hilarious, adorable little guy.  Here is a list of some of his favorite things, Ryderisms, and things we want to remember.

• Loves trains.  Lego trains, train videos on youtube, seeing trains in real life, train books...
• Says, "Last night ago" when he means "yesterday"
• Tells people, "I only had one kiss" when he doesn't want to kiss them
• Is in gymnastics and looks forward to it every week.  He really likes to walk on the beam and do the obstacle course, as well as playing with the balls at the end.  True to toddlers everywhere he also loves getting the stamp and sticker at the end.
• Says, "that's dee-wish-us"  (translation: delicious) to all food he likes or is helping me cook.
• Always wants to help me cook dinner/stir the food and put lids on it.  Lids on everything... whether I want the lid on it or not.
• Really likes to shoot basketball hoops and has started pretending to play baseball.  He doesn't have an actual bat yet so he uses whatever slightly resembles a bat, even if it is a tiny plastic straw.
• Says, "Well I'm just pretendin" when I tell him not to do something.
• Is really into puzzles, legos, and the alphabet.  He has known his entire alphabet song since he was 2 1/2 and sings it all the time.  However, he normally does not want anyone else to sing it with him and will tell you, "NO, I do it!"  He points out letters he knows all the time, including "R" like "Ryderbug" and "L" like Lisa (or, like you mommy!).  I would say he recognizes between 5-10 letters depending on the day.  Some he always knows and some come and go.  However, while doing his alphabet puzzle he can recognize almost all of them and tell me what they are like.
• Excited uses the word totally when somebody does something, makes something, etc.  For example, "You totally made it!" or "I totally did it Mommy!"
• Doesn't really like brushing his teeth, and rarely will actually do it, but loves to floss with the little Plaquer flossing things.
• Says, "look at that big boy!"
• Is really into hunting, watching hunting shows, and pretend shooting all sorts of animals.  Wonder where he got that from....
• Has an extremely vivid imagination.  He builds pretend fires all the time (wonder where he got THAT from), has running dialogues of all sorts of pretend games, scenarios, animals in the house trying to get him (normally sharks), etc., and talks about how he shoots elk, deer, and coyotes with his bow, works for Uncle Brad on my computer, and just comes up with random stories that he goes on and on about.
• Is shy.  It takes him a long time to get comfortable in new situations and around new people.  It took him a few weeks to get comfortable at gymnastics and almost 2 months to start doing the warm-up.
• Really enjoys building forts and hiding in them.  Forts everywhere... in his room, in the living room, on the couch under the pillows... lots of forts.  And he likes to hide in them and fake laugh and say, "he/she/they are never going to find us!"
• Goes to bed really easily.  (I knew it would get good sometime!)  Normally we read a book or two and then he just rolls over and falls asleep.  Sometimes I have to lay there for a little bit but I like the snuggles.  Sometime around 3:00-5:00 he comes into our room and climbs in bed to spend the rest of the night with us.  We don't mind, but a lot of nights he sticks his cold feet under one or both of us and that can get annoying.  After explaining he will have to sleep in his own bed if it continues it seems to have gotten better.  If we are somewhere other than home when he is ready for bed he will tell us (in a really pathetic, sad voice), "I want to go home."
• Does not like milk.  GASP!  I know... how did this happen?  Who knows, but he will only drink chocolate milk and even that is mostly only at Grandma's house.  He does however LOVE yogurt, cheese, and sour cream.
• Can drive pretty well when he gets to steer the car, gator, or Kubota.  He even seems to know his left and right most of the time.

 

"I'm not tired!" (throws himself on the floor screaming...) I ignore his tantrum.  Moments later he is asleep...

Of course we had to ride the "train" at the pumpkin patch!

Climbing trees in the walnut orchard.

We took Ryder to Jackson Bottom for a hike.  He found 2 caterpillars and carried them all around.  This is moments before he dropped the one in his left hand... notice it is "floating?"

So proud of his caterpillars!

He loves to color and draw at his art table!

We can hardly get him to brush his teeth but he loves to floss!