Pearce Party of Four:: The Last Few Months of Summer

In July, Riley turned 2! It is amazing how fast two years can fly by. Ryan and I threw her a birthday party with some of her favorite friends. The theme this year was a Backyardigan BBQ. I'm sure most of you have no idea who or what are Backyardigans. Turns out, it is Riley's favorite cartoon on TV. They are just little animals that sing and dance and she loves to watch them. Ryan grilled up some food and we set up water activities for the kids to enjoy in our front yard. It was a great day and Riley had so much fun.

Raising a two year old brings a lot of joy. Although lately, we seem to be hitting the "terrible two" phase. I think one of her favorite words is "no" and she is now well aware of what "time out" is. Overall, she is a very sweet girl and we are so thankful to have her, temper tanturms and all ;) haha. She talks up a storm and is learning new things everyday. We have decided to wait until Riley turns three to enter her into preschool. But, we try to teach her new things all the time. It's surprises me how fast she picks up on stuff. She knows all her colors and animals and can count up to six on her own. She also knows just about every nursery song you can imagine and she is a dancing machine. Currently, we are working with her on shapes and the ABC's. We would like to have her potty trained soon but that has proven to be a little difficult because she has digestive problems. She loves babies so we are hoping that she adjusts well when our new little one comes.

It's hard to believe that August and September have already come and gone. In August, Ryan and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. In September, I started my ninth month of pregnancy. I always regretted not taking any maternity photos when I was pregnant with Riley and since we were overdue for some family pictures we decided to do a combined family and maternity photo session. The photos turned out great despite the fact that the day was overcast and windy.

It's finally October! This month is so exciting because we will be welcoming a new addition to our family. I am really tired of being pregnant and I'm so anxious to meet our new baby and to find out what we are having. I've been trying all the home remedies to induce labor but nothing has worked so I gave up. I'm hoping by this weekend we will be able to announce the birth of our second child. Fingers crossed for a quick and smooth delivery! We will be sure to post pictures once the new baby has arrived and we have adjusted to our new life as a family of four :)

Hope you all enjoy the pictures below of Riley's 2nd bday party and our family/maternity photos!