Trick or Treat!! Our little cowboy had a great Halloween. The weather was beautiful and perfect for petitioning candy. We circled the block and that was enough to tire us out. Ryan got pretty into his costume as he would make motions with his body as though he was truly riding a horse. Ryan made some good scores on the candy. Now it's up to mom and dad to do their duty and finish the candy. Happy Halloween!

We managed to get our water line changed but not without flooding our basement first. Thank goodness it was clean water. Drew and Joey came to our rescue. Rainer and I spent most of the night vacuuming up the inch of water that had accumulated on the floor. Our trench is getting filled little by little. We still have a bit of a muddy mess but at least I don't have to worry about some poor unsuspecting passer-byer falling into the 4 1/2 feet deep trench that used to be there. Ryan has got his cowboy boots, vest and chaps, hat, and horse all ready to go for the big night. I'm sure it will be a memorable night. Kim is off to Napa Valley for a work conference on electrophysiology. Ryan and his dad get Saturday all to themselves.

Recent Events

Ryan is now 2 years and almost 3 months old. His mom started a new day job (:-) at the hospital and therefore Ryan has encountered a new arena: Daycare. The first week was difficult but he has clearly outgrown any fears about daycare. Now when his mom goes to pick him up he doesn't want to leave. He is in a group with other two year olds. They do art projects and play outdoors. They even have a class bunny that they get to play with. I am very pleased that Ryan is there. It gives him a chance to interact with other children and he is learning from his little peers. His teacher mentioned one day to me that it's amazing the things the children will do here and not at home because of peer influence. My hope is that the other two year olds who have started talking will help Ryan to start picking up some words and start talking. The little stinker understands you completely but has not yet started to say any words outside of Mama. But of course that is the most important word so I won't complain.
About a month ago, our dog Milo got very sick and we had to put him to sleep. He was a senior citizen in dog years and had lived a pretty good life. Milo was so good with Ryan and Ryan adored Milo. They were partners in crime. Ryan would go in the backyard to play in his sandbox and at random moments he would run over to Milo and give gentle love pats and hugs.
Fall is in the air. The air is cool and the leaves are falling. The days are shorter. The sweaters and jackets have come out of storage and school days long gone are memorable.
We are getting ready for Halloween. Ryan will be the local sherriff with his trusty steed. He even got real cowboy boots for the event. Ryan loves horses. We have been to a few places where he has been able to do a pony ride in circles. He did not want to get off when his turn was up. We end up leaving kicking and screaming. But he sure does get excited when he sees horses.
We are in the process of replacing our water line to the water main. Presently there is a large trench in the front of our yard with huge piles of dirt on both sides. Ryan can't wait to get outside to play in the dirt and watch dad, grandpa John and Joey and Drew dig deeper and deeper.
Our newest news is that Ryan was diagnosed with pneumonia. He had been quite sick with constant high fevers over the weekend and we got him in to see the doctor. His chest xrays showed that he had developed some form of pneumonia perhaps viral or from aspirating some foreign matter into his lungs. Thank heaven for antibiotics. He has almost done a 180 in the last 24 hours. He is back to smiling, laughing, and teasing his mom.