More Shoes Please

I've been wanting to write this post for several weeks now, but haven't taken the time. Tonight's the night...after the week(s) we've had (and it's not over yet!), I need a chance to reflect on things that make my sweet boy happy. As you may have guessed from the title, shoes are one of those things. He didn't care about shoes until he began walking about a month ago. Up until that point, I wasn't too concerned about him wearing any because he was just crawling around everywhere. He wore the same pair all summer thanks to some great friends in N.O. handing them down (love y'all, Hudson's!). Anyway, he is now ALL ABOUT shoes!

He likes to walk around the house carrying our shoesHe likes trying on his daddy's shoes! Now that's a "shoe" I would love for him to fill one day! I pray he always wants to be like daddy.

And he likes to try on his own shoes in his room. Notice them scattered across the floor...
It's not even necessary that they match!
In fact, I think he kind of likes it when they don't match! :)
As you can tell, if we're just playing in his room and have no intentions of going outside, he still wants to have shoes on. One day he even tried to put a pair on OVER another pair. He wouldn't believe me when I told him it wouldn't work...I had to SHOW him! Can we say determined?!

I'm just so thankful that his shoes currently come from his cousin C.J. and his grandmother, Ya Ya! If he still loves shoes this much when he's older and we're buying them, I sure hope he'll get excited over the ones we find at Goodwill! :)

Sick boy

I don't have much time to write right now, but I wanted to ask you all to please pray for the little man. He's had a rough go of it the past couple of weeks. Last Monday (18th) I took him to the doctor for congestion and a cough. He was given an antibiotic and breathing treatments. The dr. said he didn't have bronchitis but was close to it. Yesterday he finished the antibiotics and still wasn't better, so we took him back to the dr. today. I'm so thankful Daniel was able to go this time. They did chest x-rays and took blood and determined he now has bronchitis. SO, we're trying a different antibiotic and continuing the breathing treatments. I feel so sorry for the little guy! He's such a good sick patient, though. He hasn't really acted like he's feeling bad, and he gets so excited when I give him his medicine...they must really make it taste good! Anyway, please remember him in your prayers. Thank you so much, and I'll try to write a more "fun" post soon.

Turkey

I was reading a cooking magazine yesterday when Riley came up and pointed to the front cover. There was a turkey on the front, so I said, "turkey." He then said his rendition of "turkey." I thought it was just a fluke, so I said it again, and then he said it again. I was shocked...I mean, he won't say book, but he'll say turkey?! Then, last night after dinner, he just started saying it on his own for Daniel. I knew it was time for a video!

Lord of the Dance

Watch out Michael Flatly (if you're not sure who he is, click on his name)...Riley Bramlett has arrived! Just yesterday he started showing off his riverdancing skills, and it's hilarious! Enjoy our little superstar! :)



P.S. Thank you Ya Ya for the shoes! He loves them!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Last week we were out for a family walk when we spotted two pear trees on an empty piece of land. The pears were ripe and ready to be picked, so we loaded up Riley's stroller. Said pears have been sitting in a laundry basket on the dryer for the past week, and I was given an ultimatum today by the hubby...do something with the pears, or they're going! So WE (yes, I made sure to include him in the fun!) peeled and sliced about 20 pears this afternoon.

I then used some of the slices to make a delicious pear pie (click here for the recipe)

Ready to go into the oven!

40 minutes later it was finished and smelled amazing!

Needless to say, we had to try it out and make sure it was edible :)

Later in the afternoon, after Riley woke up from his nap, he decided it was time for him to bake! I was innocently washing dishes when I turned around to find this...it's a little blurry, but he's holding a rolling pin while rubbing his feet in baking soda :)

And you thought we slept on Sunday afternoons!

This Makes 32

We have a new member of the Bramlett family and also the 32nd car my husband has ever owned. Yes, that's right...he's 30 years old and on number 32! :) Thankfully, this one cost us nothing...well, so far. One of our church members owns a farm and all of his family's old vehicles are parked all over the farm. He decided he'd pass this one on to us...

It's a 1961 Ford...apparently just like the police car in the Andy Griffith Show, so Daniel's even more excited about that! In case you didn't know, Andy Griffith is his all-time favorite show.

He told me Friday afternoon that he had a surprise for Riley and I. As we were driving to the farm, I had an idea of what type of surprise it might be, so I asked, "Is this a surprise for us or for you?!" He replied with "both!" This is what we pulled up to and he said, "Surprise!"

Riley and his first car...ha ha! :)

While the men worked to clear the trees, Riley and I played in the back of the truck

Almost ready to pull her out!

Riley "driving" as we waited

And there it is!

You think he's just a little excited?! :)

And here it is in our driveway. It doesn't run yet, but I've been promised that as soon as he can get it running, he'll move it to someone's land. :) We'll see how long that takes...no worries, I will keep y'all updated as to the progress of our newest family member!

18 years

I only had to wait 18 years to live in a place again where the leaves change colors during fall! :)

Lesson?

So last night as I was feeding Riley dinner, I was quickly reminded of the post I wrote earlier in the day. You know, the one about God using Riley to teach me things. What's the lesson I am to learn when my child not only refuses to eat what I'm offering him, but throws it on the ground repeatedly? Or what about when I'm trying to feed him applesauce and he shoves the spoon out of his way and the applesauce lands all down my pants??? :) If anyone has any interpretation, I'd love to hear it!

Gorgeous creation!

The past few weeks we have enjoyed amazingly gorgeous weather! It's been cool in the morning and evening and warms up during the day...but not too warm! After spending much of the summer cooped up inside while it was BLAZING hot outside, Riley and I have definitely enjoyed getting out and strolling all over Hughes Springs! Now that he's walking and much more of an explorer, we've been taking some detours at various parks around town. My type A personality would love for him to just sit in one spot when I take him out of his stroller...lol! However, he is a ONE YEAR OLD who is having a blast exploring the world around him. He doesn't just want to look at sticks and rocks and dirt...he wants to touch them! I have loved watching him learn and grow through these simple explorations. The Lord has used him to remind me what He wants from me and every other believer...simple faith, simple belief, simple joy...just keep it simple! Riley finds the greatest joy in what we (adults) would consider to be so simple and silly. Yet, I can't help but think of the joy God must feel when He sees Riley excited about a leaf or holding his own piece of bread (instead of mommy breaking it into small pieces for him!) or walking on the grass without holding my hand. I'm so thankful the Lord uses the greatest blessing He's ever given Daniel and I to teach us truths about Himself!

And because no post is complete without pictures, here's the little guy in action...

This is the angle of Riley I see most of the time now :)

Supporting the Hogs on game day!

Learning the art of sliding :)

Walking around with an acorn in his hand and a smile on his face

Mr. Independent

About 2 1/2 weeks ago, Riley began walking on his own. He would take a few steps and then fall...take a few steps and fall...etc. While we were gone to Glorieta for a week he got better, but it wasn't until this past week that he really started walking for long periods of time on his own. Now that he feels more comfortable with it and a bit more confident, when offered a hand to hold while walking, he pushes it away as if to say, "I don't need that! I'm an independent man!" :) I was definitely a strong-willed, independent child (or so I'm told by my mom!), and the older Riley gets, the more I see that emerging from his little body. What's that saying? "What goes around comes around?" Mom, it's coming back around to me. :) Here's the little guy showing off his stuff...