Everyone keeps telling me how fast these toddler years go by.  I don't know about the toddler years yet, but the toddler days are slipping away and I already find myself forgetting details that I never thought I would!! 
I can't remember the first time Ryder started saying "Thank you" without being prompted, but he does! No, not all the time, but he does and it makes me sooo proud every time!!  His manners are really developing. More than once now, I've heard him say, "Excuse me, Scout" to the dog when he passes by her!  Infact, Ryder has been interacting even more and more with Scout. I can't remember the first morning, he sat down to "read" his book to Scout, but now he does it all the time while he waits for me to get ready for work.  I can't remember when he got strong enough to hold the rope for more than one second when playing tug with, Scout, but he does all the time now!  The first time he fiigured out how to wrestle with her, he got down on all fours and started head butting Scout's front legs, Scout started swatting at him with her front legs and belly laughs emerged from Ryder's cute little mouth!!!
I can't remember what day that was, but I know they wrestled like that again tonight!!  Sooo adorable!
I have no recollection of when Ryder first became obsessed with busses, mostly school busses, but I swear it's been almost a year! His favorite things to play with are his busses and his animals. Lately he has been filling his busses with his animals, his horses, goats, sheep and cows. He wants them to "drive" and to "ride." He gets quite upset, when they won't all fit in his big bus. He loves his busses so much that they are the first thing he grabs to play with when he wakes up in the morning, after he comes downstairs and the first thing he grabs when we come in the door at the end of the day. I so badly want to play with him, but when he is playing with his busses, he is so happy all by himself that I hate to interrupt. Instead, I catch myself just watching him, smiling at how he has really started using his imagination.

 Every now and then Ryder will play with some of his toys that are not busses.

He has also become very partial to this tuque, handed down to him by our good friend, Bailey.

This bus is his fav!!!

I don't remember when Ryder's other obsession, horses, started, but I know it started with our visits to Dirt.  Ryder wakes up in the morning, talking about Dirt, or busses, talking about horses or busses and goes to bed talking horses and busses!  Ryder has recently started pretending to feed his horse (actually a purple unicorn) treats. He even brushes his "horse" with Scout's brush.  Sooo cute to see him, do with his stuffie, what we do with Dirt at the farm. 

Yep, he feeds his horsie "treats" from Scout's bowls.

I am happy to be living in the moment, and I know I can't write everything down and I can't take pictures of everything, but some things I can!

 

 Nic's latest visit was a fun one to remember!

 

 Another memory: making Christmas ornament "cookies" with Auntie.

 

I know this winter is going to be full of "firsts" and the joys of discovering things for the first time. I am excited to make all kinds of unforgettable memories with my little cutie!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and lock those memories into your heart!