An 18-month-old!

I can't believe it! Denver turned 18 months! Wow....the time has flown by! He is definitely a full blown toddler now! We are growing to love the little heart and personality God has given him. We know he is a special little boy, created for a purpose, and pray for the wisdom to train him up to follow God's plan for his life.

A few things about our #1 boy!
He loves.....

*balls balls balls

*books

*food

*his blanket
*his bed
*his daddy (and mommy of course!)
*giving hugs and kisses
*doggies
*being chased
*my piano students
*people
*playing with his friends, especially best bud Halle

His personality...
*independent yet obedient
*reserved yet friendly and scared of no one
*quiet yet playful and full of life
*happy happy happy
*kind
*loving and oh so sweet

Things that fill our days:
*reading lots and lots of books
*walks across the street in the snow to see the doggies

*shooting hoops, carrying balls around, playing catch
*long wonderful naps!
*hugs
*helping mommy swiffer vac the floors
*building with blocks
*rolling around with his blanket

Things I don't want to forget about these days:
*the way he grunts when he helps me carry something heavy
*the giggle/grunts he makes when he's really excited to play basketball or read his Biscuit book
*the way his eyes light up when he knows he's going to be chased
*that little pointing finger to tell us what he wants
*how he gives hugs so freely when I least expect it

Denver, your daddy and I are so proud of you. You are so loving and kind, energetic and full of life, and you bring so much joy to our house. We pray for you every day and know that God has a special plan for your life. We are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy.
We love you, Denver! You are the best!!!!

Highlights

Too much time has passed to write up a lengthy review of our last two months, so I will do a photo montage with little highlights and snippets along the way. Enjoy!

Denver had an ear infection that persisted on and off for a month and a half. It was NO fun!!! He was finally back to 100% by the week before Christmas! Also.......HE LEARNED TO WALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents and celebrated "Thanksmas" with the Miller family.

Denver loves the kitty at my parents house. This is him giving kitty a kiss. He does know how to kiss with his mouth but this is his preferred form of kissing.:)

And of course when you're at grandma's you have to make some sort of a mess!!!! He liked getting into cereal boxes and pulling all their movies off the shelves and taking them out of their cases.

Highlight of the trip: Riding in the combine with Grandpa!!!!

Soon, a snowstorm hit most of Iowa and we got all bundled up to head outside and watch Daddy and Carson shovel. It didn't last long but was fun for a short time! Dare I say more work than it was worth??? At least for this year...:)

My parents came up to visit for their anniversary weekend and Grami brought a Nativity book for D to play with. He loved taking baby Jesus out "kissing" him then putting him back in his manger.

We also used this as an opportunity to get dressed up and take some family pictures for our Christmas card. They turned out pretty good for using a regular old camera!

D is so blessed to have two sets of wonderful Grandparents who love him and love Jesus. We need to get one with Jim & Joyce to complete this set!

ON TO CHRISTMAS!!!!!

We headed down to Steve's parents the Tuesday before Christmas and stayed until Christmas morning. It was so fun to get together, even though Steve's oldest brother Brian and his family wasn't able to join us. The boys seized the opportunity to go do a little hunting! Maybe Denver can go along next year!!!

Cousin shot! These three were so awesome with Denver. They loved on him so much. There will be MANY fun cousin adventures in the future I am sure!

D loved opening his gifts!!! And especially liked the attention he got when he put the bows on his head. Best gift: a basketball hoop with FIVE basketballs!!! THIS KID LOVES BALLS!!!!!

 What a fun week with Steves's family. We love you all.

On to my parents for Christmas day and the three days following. D loves his baths, especially in Grami's big tub! A little toboggan ride from Grandpa. It was fun....

...until Grandpa took the corner too fast. hehe

We celebrated our Christmas on the 26th. What a feast! Here is only half the table. Wish I would have gotten a group shot. Come to think of it...wish I would have taken more pictures at both Christmases. :( Next year!!!!

Denver and cousin Lilly playing "toddler games" on the computer. Denver gearing up to open presents! Best gift? Big red wagon with seats/seatbelts, cup holders, the works!!!

Uncle Keith with Denver and Lilly before nap time.

Cousins Denver, Ruby, and Lilly.

We are so blessed to have wonderful families who we know will love Denver and point him towards Christ. It was a wonderful Christmas!

A NEW NEW YEARS TRADITION

The annual Nelson/Riggs New Year's Eve Sleepover.

Our friends Ryan and Mallory spent the evening with us, full of a wonderful dinner at their house (notice the BEAUTIFUL cake) ;), back to our house for bedtime for D, snacks and games for us adults (which the girls won of course), then bringing in the New Year, and off to bed for a sleepover. In the morning, more games, then up to Waverly for a little Pizza Ranch lunch! Couldn't think of a better way to celebrate New Years or better friends to start this tradition with!!!! Already looking forward to next year. And to seeing if our 2010 predictions come true...including this one: South Dakota declares independence from the US.

And that brings us to the present! Whew! Hopefully you will be seeing more frequent posts in the months to come. My goal is once a week...we will see!:)

Playing Catch-Up

I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. Well...by lately I mean the past 2 months! I can't believe it has been that long. About a month ago I decided to bid farewell to facebook, which also meant a lot less time on the computer/internet in general. It has been amazing. Actually like a huge burden was lifted, knowing I didn't have to feel guilty about the amount of time I spent on the computer and not having the pull to want to get on there. However, less time on the computer meant less time to blog and once I got out of the habit, the days, weeks, and eventually months flew by! But, I have a new year's resolution to blog more so hopefully I will be able to stick with it and stay up to date now!!!