Halloween!

We got to go pick out our pumpkin for Halloween while Grandma Atwood was here! There's a GREAT pumpkin patch on the other side of town--totally worth the drive. Lucy proudly drove the tractor. She even picked out her own pumpkin to paint. The family jack-o-lantern became Minnie Mouse. Ryan gets pretty buckwild when it comes to pumpkin carving!

For our church Trunk-or-Treat, Lucy went as Mickey Mouse, Riley went as a jack-o-lantern, and Daddy went as a hockey player (Shane Doan, of course!). Note the candy bag that Lucy used at the Trunk-or-Treat. My mum painted a few pillowcases when we were kids and she had the insight to save them! Cool, eh? When we went trick-or-treating, Lucy went as the cutest little purple and black witch I've ever seen (no bias here, folks!) and Riley again sported his jack-o-lantern costume. I know Lucy kind of seems like she didn't really like her costumes, but she really did. She especially liked her witch hat. We got to go trick-or-treating with Grandpa Miles, Auntie Lisa, and cousins Peyton (Dora) and Nash (Dora's monkey). Fun was had by all.

Lucy's New Bed Photos

Sorry I didn't attach these pictures the other day....Enjoy!

Riley and Lucy

Riley Walker Miles has arrived (almost two months ago...)! He was born on September 30, 2011 at 3:14 p.m. He was 20.5 inches in length and a whopping 8 pounds, 15 ounces! He's got dark blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a dimple in his right cheek! He's growing like CrAzY! He's started sleeping through the night (six to eight hours), but has a hard time going more than two hours during the day without eating. Go figure, eh? Riley has also started smiling!

Lucy loves her little brother--mostly! She loves giving him kisses, helping Mommy burp him, and holding him. When Riley starts crying, Lucy is often the first one there. It's really sweet to see. She's 18 months old now! About a month ago, Lucy was switched from her crib to a toddler bed. As soon as Daddy set it up, she was excited! She jumped right up there, giggling, and practically posing while we took pictures. The novelty is wearing off now, but she's still doing pretty well with it. She occasionally gets out of bed when she's supposed to be going to sleep, but overall, she's really good about it. In the mornings, she's still very much in the habit of waking up and waiting for Mom or Dad to come get her out of bed. She's also getting better at feeding herself. She's been pretty good with a fork for several weeks now. "Poke it, dip it, eat it," is what we tell her as she's eating--usually dipping what she can in ketchup! She's recently been getting better with a spoon too. It's still pretty messy, but she's really learning quickly.

Since Riley was born, we've had Grandma (Elaine) Miles, Auntie Mandy, Grandma Atwood, and Auntie Susanne and Uncle Chris come visit. They were a HUGE help!!

The Mesa Temple Visitor's Center

At the beginning of September, we took Lucy to the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center. When you walk in, there's a huge Christus, much like the one in Salt Lake City. We walked in and Lucy saw Jesus, she completely stopped walking, grinned, pointed, and said, "Jesus!" (Lucy had just learned the week before how to say Jesus; we were very excited!). It's amazing to me how she just knew who this statue was. It seems like kids always know, eh? As we walked around, she did the same thing with painting after painting of the Savior. It was the sweetest ever! Upon seeing the temple, she squated right down and pointed. She just loved it all. It was really neat to see her reaction to everything.

Lucy and Daddy looking up toward the Christus.

Lucy also enjoyed reading about Nephi and his bow.

Lucy on the ...Phone?

Just a little candid video of Lucy. If it is kinda blurry, try NOT watching it on full-screen. It makes a difference on our computer; it might make a difference on your's too. Oh, and it's cuter if you can hear what she's saying, so you'll have to pause the music at the bottom of our blog.

Pregnant Again!

Some of you may have seen "Ocean's Eleven." Ryan and I LOVE this movie--the whole trilogy, actually. In one scene, George Clooney is supposed to be beat up by this HUGE man, fittingly called Bruiser. What Benedict (the antagonist who has hired Bruiser to bean Ocean up) doesn't know, is that Ocean (Clooney) is pretty tight with this guy. While pretending to be beat up, Ocean asks him, "How's your wife?" Bruiser responds by spitting out, "Pregnant again!" Ryan loves quoting this line; especially now that it's true of his wife! Yep, we are almost 31 weeks along. Just over nine weeks to go! We are expecting Riley Walker Miles on September 29th!

Lucy is going to be a big sister! She will only be about 16 1/2 months old when he is born...The Great Debate: one crib and a pack 'n play, or two cribs? I really don't think Lucy is old enough to switch to a bed, or even a toddler bed. She's a great sleeper (as long as we're at home!), but she's all over the place...Do we keep her in the crib and Riley in a pack 'n play, or do we purchase another crib? Suggestions? I think I'm leaning toward a second crib....

There is a tradition on Ryan's side of the family to name a boy (though not all the boys) something that starts with "R" and then Walker Miles. Ryan's parents have both indicated that we don't have to carry on this tradition, but I think it's cool. Riley will mark the fifth generation of this tradition! Raymond Walker Miles, Russell Walker Miles, Roger Walker Miles, Ryan Walker Miles, and Riley Walker Miles. Most suiting, don't you think?

July First Family Reunion and Lucy's First Word

Ryan, Lucy, and I had the opportunity to go home to Raymond for a small family reunion over the July First weekend. It's been a LONG time since the Atwood's have all been together. All of my siblings were able to go home except my oldest sister, Michelle. It's crazy to think that Mandy and two out of the three "little boys" are now raging "Returned Missionaries." Bill just got his mission call to Quezon City, Philippines! Hurray!! He will report to the Provo MTC on October 19, 2011, where he'll learn a bit of Tagalog (among other things) before flying out. Bill went through the temple for the first time while we were home. That was really neat to see all the younger siblings together in the temple. No pictures because our camera died the second day we were home and, of course, we forgot the charge cord. Sorry.

While were were home, we were able to see the Raymond Rotary Parade...Mounties, the Scouts Canada float, the RHS Band, etc. It was all there with all our hometown pride. Seems to me the candy was better this year too! Lucy particularly loved the horses.

We also played for a day at Ridge Park, just outside of Raymond. While it wasn't really blustery out, it was chilly. Only Ryan, Billy, and Ronnie were brave (psychotic?!) enough to get into the water. Note Ryan's muscles! Lucy, Ben, and Kaleb loved playing at the park! Overall, it was a great outing. Above: Lucy and Uncle Jonnie pause to pose.

After the hustle and bustle of the First, everyone went home except Lucy and I. Ryan had to return to Arizona for work, but Lucy and I were able to spend an additional week and a half with Mum. Lucy had two favorites while we were visiting Grandma Atwood--being able to play outside every day (something we can't possibly do after 8:30 a.m. when it's 117 degrees F--about 46 degrees C--in Arizona) and Grandma's kitty, Coal. On July 7th, Lucy said her first word (after, of course, saying Mama and Dada). Yep--"kitty." She quickly learned that Grandma Atwood's kitty is a little more friendly than Grandma Miles' kitty; meanwhile, Coal learned to be patient with Lucy! They formed a happy friendship while we were visiting.

Lastly, while we were home, we were able to catch up with a bunch of old friends. Nicole successfully threw a raging 30th birthday party of Susanne! Happy birthday, Susie!