Tyler's Big Night

I guess this story actually starts Friday afternoon. The boys had just woken up from naps and we were playing downstairs. Tyler walked upstairs back to his room. When I asked him what he was doing I heard him say "changing my pants". Thinking he had had an accident I walk up there to find him inside his crib with his plug in his mouth (no idea why he was talking about pants). I asked him to show me how we got in there and he quickly climbed right into his crib with hardly any effort.

On Saturday morning Justin and I are listening to the boys talk over the monitor, like we do most weekend mornings. All of a sudden we hear their bedroom door open. Justin gets up to meet Tyler in the hallway saying he had to go potty. He was actually going back into his room to put his pacifier away first, then he was going to go potty. So it was decided - time for a big boy bed!

We set it up Saturday night, but since this was such a quick change that we weren't ready for, we were at Walmart at 8:45 at night looking for a bed guard to put on his bed - they don't have them. So we used pillows on the floor instead. Because it was so late and the boys were so tired, Tyler did awesome last night. He stayed in his bed until we came and got him in the morning. I was so proud of him and he looks so small in his big twin bed.

Nap time today was a little more difficult. The boys were talking for a good 30 minutes when I finally went up to check on them and thank goodness I did! I found Tyler in Carter's crib (which used to be Tyler's - yes we made Carter switch cribs too, not our best thought I don't think) with all the pillows from the floor in the crib as well covering Carter! Also in the crib were all of Tyler's blankets, stuffed animals and loveys. I immediately grab the pillows off of Carter and was happy to see him breathing and sleeping soundly. After that Tyler stayed in his crib, but it took him a good hour to actually fall asleep.

We will see how tonight goes. Tyler asked to "sleep in my crib" instead of his bed, but then got into his bed no problem. We also got bed guards today so no more pillows. We have already caught him once in Carter's crib, but I think he is getting the point of staying in his own bed. Hopefully he will still be there in the morning. Oh and during a time out today Carter tried to climb out of his crib and ended up falling, so we may doing this again in the very new future.

I can't believe my baby is already big enough to be in a big boy bed. If you know Tyler at all you know he likes his comfort items - and a big one for him is his crib. I had no plans at all to move him anytime soon. But he showed us he was ready. He really is growing up.

Splish Splash

On Thursday it was once again very hot so the boys and I went to the Sprayground - a playground with sprinklers. The boys weren't to sure of it at first. They would barely get their hands in it. Eventually Tyler warmed up some, but he never ran all the way through them. Carter would have rather played on the real playground equipment than in the sprinklers. The also had a really fun tunnel that both boys loved going in again and again and again. All in all it was a great time and we plan on going back again soon.

Today we went to the zoo and it was the perfect day for it. It wasn't crowded at all and the weather was very nice and cool. Almost all the animals were out and playing. Of course we fed the giraffes, and we also let the boys go on pony rides. They really loved it - although I think during the time Tyler was scared to death.

The best part of the trip tho was seeing the hippos. Of course Tyler remembered to wear his hippo shirt so he was so excited to see them. They were outside and just getting into their pool when we came back to see them the second time (they were eating breakfast the first time). One hippo had a 60 gallon plastic jug that she carried into the pool and then splashed around in the water with it. She was swimming all over the pool and even ran into another hippo a couple times since she was going fast. We even got splashed by the hippo a couple times -so much fun to see!! At the very end of our trip we saw the elephants and they were also in the pool. None of us had ever seen elephants swimming before and it was fun to watch. We had such a great day together - I love days like these!

Tonight is another big night for Tyler - picture and details to come soon.

Sky Sox

Last night on the spur of the moment we decided to go to a Sky Sox game. The Sky Sox are a Triple A team here in town who happen to have 2 dollar Tuesdays - can't really beat that. The boys had a great time. They ate some popcorn, shared a big pretzel with cheese of course to dip, and learned to yell "Charge!!!".

The Sky Sox's mascot is Sox the Fox. Tyler was pretty much terrified of the Fox and Carter wasn't so sure about him either. I think they kept their eyes on him, making sure he didn't get close, more than they watched the game. Tyler did happen to see one batters bat break. All he could talk about after that was how he broke his bat. There was another little boy in front of us (probably around 4 or 5) who played peekaboo with Carter. He couldn't have been happier. I was hoping we would make it to the7th inning stretch, but the game was very slow. So at 9:00 and the top of the 6th inning we headed home. Tyler can't wait to "see baseball again" and told everyone all about it at church today. Oh and he also went potty twice at the game and stayed dry the entire time! I think next time it will just be Tyler and Justin that goes, so that they can get a little one on one time. I can't wait to hear all about it from his mouth.

Tidbits

Just some tidbits from the past few days of the happenings around the house:

• Tyler has once again decided he doesn't want to go potty in the toilet. He has now decided the best place to go potty is on our couch (3 times in the last 4 days). Of course if the couch doesn't work for you the floor, his booster chair at the table, and his Sesame Street ride-on toy also work just as well. We are back to rewards for pottying in the potty. Lets hope this phase ends quick.
• Carter has finally decided that it is not ok when Tyler takes his stuff. Usually Tyler will trade Carter one toy for the toy Carter has. Carter used to be ok with this. Now when Tyler takes something, he throws the toy Tyler has given him down, runs after Tyler, grabs him by the back of his shirt and swings around taking Tyler down. Tyler will learn quickly I think.
• Carter is also starting to exhibit this behavior at church (not my proudest moment). I guess another boy was pushing Carter. Carter's face got all red and he pushed him back. The other workers seemed to think this was hilarious - how upset Carter got and that he wasn't going to take that from anybody. I just think it means he deserved a time out.
• Carter is learning his colors, some letters, and talking in 4-5 word phrases now. He is becoming quite the stubborn kid knowing exactly what he wants and letting you know precisely what that is. Yesterday he was sitting on the counter while I was making dinner. He requested that "mommy put me down". Justin walked over to put him down. "No mommy down".
• Tyler's speech is always astounding me. When we are driving in the car now he reminds me to stop at the red lights and the stop signs. He then informs me that we have to "wait til its green to go". The second the light turns green he tells me I need to go.
• Tyler now thinks every time Carter gets hurt it means we need to go to the doctor. Carter can be a little drama king at times and a trip cause him into full sobbing mode. Tyler immediately tells me we need to bring him in. Of course when we are at the mall play area and Carter falls a good three feet he gets right up and brushes it off.
• Tyler's memory also amazes me. We went to the zoo a few months back and right before our trip he got a new hippo shirt. I told him he should wear that shirt to the zoo since we would be seeing hippos. Now he has worn that shirt many times when we didn't go to the zoo and we have been to the zoo without him in that shirt. However yesterday he told me he wanted to go to the zoo and he would wear his hippo shirt.
• Tyler's imagination is also coming out more and more. He likes to pretend he is Jesus. It goes something like this: "I am Jesus. Jesus walks on water. Jesus eats at the table. Hippos play in the water. Lets go to the zoo".

So there you have it - what its been like the past few days in our house. The good, the bad, and yes even the smelly (I think its time for a new couch).

Working Man

Tyler has his first official chore around the house. So far he loves doing it...I am hoping the enthusiasm will continue.

First he has to drag the container out of the closet, open it up and get the scoop.
Next he carefully pours the dog food into the bowl - notice how he makes sure not even one piece falls to the floor.
Then he has to put the lid back on, lock it up and push it back into the closet.
Of course we can't just leave the closet door open. After the door is closed he carefully carries the bowl full of food over to its correct spot. Of course he never drops a piece and the bowls have to be lined up together.

And Hana finally decided that maybe having these two little kids around isn't such a bad thing after all.

Tyler does this at least once, if not twice a day. he is also the one who reminds us that Hana needs to be fed. Carter - thinking that if Tyler feeds the dog so should he - also tried feeding her the other night. He pulled the container out of the closet and got the lid off, only to find out he was to short to reach the scoop. He practically fell in trying to grab it. So I helped him get the scoop out. He then tried to pour the dog food in the bowl - only to miss the bowl completely. So now (on days that Tyler likes to share) they do the chore together. I think I need to find something just for Carter to do -dishes anyone?

Family Day

Yesterday Justin took the day off and we had a great day. First we had Toby's 3rd birthday party to go to. His party was at a pool and Tyler was so excited to "go for a swim". When we got there it was just starting to thunder, so the pool was closed. We ate lurch and had cake and pretty soon the storm blew over. All the kids did great waiting to get into the pool.

This was a great pool because it had a totally enclosed area just for little kids. It started with one pool that was a foot deep with a little slide that went into a pool that was 1.5 feet deep. Perfect! The boys loved it. Tyler was a little nervous at first, but warmed up quickly. We also played in the regular big pool where the boys had a blast jumping in.

After nice long naps we had a nice dinner and then went to play putt-putt - or "play golf" as Tyler puts it. They boy really enjoyed themselves even it they thought it was more fun to drop the ball into the hole than to hit it in. I think it was the quickest round of putt-putt ever played.

All Boy

I guess I need to get used to it. There really is no denying it now and no reason to pretend it's any different. Carter is all boy and that means MANY bumps, scrapes, bruises and stitches. Yes stitches. He already has gotten stitches once (and yes he is only 20 months old) and today I thought he would be getting his second set.

The boys were climbing on the couch as usual giggling with such glee I just couldn't stop them. They were using little stools to climb up to the edge of the couch. Carter tripped on his way back to climb up again and fell with his chin onto the stool. He immediately started screaming - the same scream that I heard when he fell out of his stroller. I picked him up and saw that his upper chin , just below the lip, was bleeding. I look in his mouth which is just splitting out blood. My first instinct was that his teeth went all the way thru his lip. This happened to me when I was about his age and I still have the scar from the stitches to prove it.

I call Justin who tells me to call the doctor and put some ice on it. The nurse informs me that mouths usually do a great job of healing themselves but to come in during the after hours clinic (a couple hours later) to have him checked out. She also suggested some Tylenol and a popsicle. We get to the doctors and the nurse looks at it thinking all that would have to be done would glue it. Justin arrived soon afterward as the doctor was looking at it. It seems that his teeth didn't go thru his mouth. He just had two separate cuts (well actually three, as he has two puncture wounds and a lot of bruising inside his mouth). So no stitches, no glue, no nothing. Just given the directions to use some spray mouthwash and keep it clean. And I breathe a sigh of relief.

However I am well aware that this will not be the last time. Carter is fearless and wants to do everything Tyler does. Even after the fall he wanted to keep climbing on everything. I just need to accept that he is all boy and will probably have many more scrapes, bumps, bruises, and stitches. I may get lucky and we won't have many more doctor visits, but in a family of all boys I just don't think its very likely.

*Just want to add that yes I do watch my boys. Carter got this one simply by walking and tripping. So why I may be a little less cautious when it comes to my kids as some I am also, what Justin says, "doing a good job of letting them be boys".

Hot, Hot, Hot

We went to the park today for a playgroup and it was soo hot. The boys didn't even want to go down the slide because they were to hot. So we walked around the park over to where some construction is going on. The boys loved watching the diggers, tractors, and bulldozers. It was a lot of fun, even if it wasn't the normal day at the playground. When Justin got home Tyler talked about the trucks with such enthusiasm - its so fun to have actual conversations now.

After naps it was much cooler so we spent a good part of time hanging outside playing, As usual Carter was in the sandbox and Tyler was throwing the baseball around. After baths we let the boys stay up a bit and watch some of the NBA finals. Tyler decided he wanted to play basketball instead and boy did he. He really hasn't been interested at home in a while so it surprised both Justin and I went he was shooting 5 feet back with at least a 50% accuracy. He was also trying to dribble the ball. Its amazing what they pick up. Carter was sitting on the couch with us and always clapped for Tyler and kept saying "good shot". Life is good today.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Happy Father's Day Justin!! Thanks for all you do for our family. Our boys are lucky to have a man like you to look up too. Love you!!

Ahh Much Better

Breathe a sigh of relief I think we are finally back to normal. Today has been a great day so far. The boys and I had to run to the store this morning. They did so well. We only had to get a couple things so I didn't use a cart -just held their hands. Neither of them ever tried to run off and the things Carter took off the shelves Tyler put back on for me - in the right places and perfectly straight on the shelf.. Having a child who is so orderly has its perks.

After the store we went to the park. Tyler has been asking to play soccer for a while now (note to self to put him back in classes this fall), so we brought the soccer ball with us. I also brought the basketball for Carter to carry around. Tyler loved running up and down the field just kicking his ball. We did take a couple of breaks from soccer to swing on the swings and to go down the slide, but Tyler always wanted to go back to kicking his ball. Carter had plenty if fun running up and down the field as well and watching all the other kids.

Since they were having a great day I gave them a special treat of going to Chick-fil-a and then getting to play. Once again they did great sitting and eating, no complaining, throwing food, running off, etc. It was very nice. So they boys got to go to the play area. Tyler actually made it up the climbing structure today - which is an improvement - only to get scared in the tube that leads to the slide A bunch of bigger kids (maybe 5 years old, not to big for the equipment) climbed up the slide and were coming towards Tyler in the tube. This scared him so much he started screaming and I had to climb all the way up it to get him out. I am not sure if its because other kids were in there, or if its because they came from the wrong side - Tyler is very big on rules and knows you shouldn't climb up a slide (hey I was teacher can you blame me for that rule?). Once the big kids left I asked him if he wanted to try again, at first he said yes, but then changed his mind. We then left without a peep otherwise. Life is back to normal and life is good.

Adjusting

We have had a rough couple of days adjusting back to normal life after vacation. The boys did wonderfully on the plane ride home - which I am grateful for. Ever since we stepped off the plane its been a different story.

We have had many tantrums, not listening, yelling "no" at mommy and daddy, throwing food at restaurants, throwing shoes, toys, and anything else Carter can get his hands on, hitting, pushing and numerous time outs. On Monday I had to work and Tyler was just awful in the room. He kept running away and not listening to anyone. Even Carter came to my room crying at the end of the day - something that has never happen in the 18 months he has been in the nursery.

On Tuesday I tried to get back to our normal routine. We did have some very nice moments- a nice long walk to the "big blue mailbox" and getting a special treat at the convenience store, and some nice play time outside - with baseball and mowing the lawn as the main activities. But again not listening to word a mommy says. And the worst part of it all - Tyler has decided that he should also tell us he will go potty in 5 minutes and then just go potty wherever he is at. Not fun. No mare 5 minutes anymore.

Today has been somewhat better. Towards the end of the day at church Tyler was acting up again, but much improved from Monday. I am hoping after a couple more days they will finally be adjusted back to home and the rules at home - oh and sleeping in past 6 would be nice too.

What a Trip!

On Friday Justin and I took the boys to the National Aquarium. We figured it would be good for them to get out of the house and give Oma a break for a bit. The boys seemed to enjoy it, but were adjusting to being back with mommy and daddy. We got to see a dolphin show which Tyler wanted nothing to see until it was over (he was mad we had to stop seeing the fishes to see the dolphins) just to want to see more dolphins later on. We then walked around the inner harbor some and had lunch. The boys did well considering it was past naptime, but we had our moments that's for sure.

After dinner we went and got some frozen custard and decided the boys could try it out in a cone for the first time. Tyler did better with the cone than Carter did. Tyler didn't really want to eat the cone at first, and Carter we had to put in a cup half way thru. But if their faces covered in chocolate was any indicator I would say they liked it a lot.

Today Daddy and Opa went golfing (in 99 degree heat!) and the boys, Oma, and I went to see te horses, to a bookstore and then to lunch. The boys did not do so well with a lot of not listening and taking books off shelves. Then at lunch we let them play in the play area (after Carter had dumped water everywhere). Tyler kept crying because he kept getting scared of the climbing structure. He didn't like it if any kids got close to him. At one point I actually had to climb up and get him out of it. However even though he wasn't having fun he had a full meltdown when it was time to leave. Laying down, kicking and screaming, the works. So of course I picked him up and took him to the car. After a while Tyler was finally ready to tell me he was sorry for how he acted. Can you tell they were a little tired and ready to get back to their normal routine? Oma says she never saw this when they were with her which I was happy to hear.

The plan was to get the boys in bed early so we had an early dinner out (which they behaved much better for) and then back home. However they had another big thunderstorm so Tyler was up with me til 9 p.m. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning to go back home. We had such a great time seeing Oma and Opa. The boys are really going to miss them. Not much could have made this trip any better.

New York, New York

Justin and I put the boys down for their naps and then left for New York City on Tuesday afternoon. This is the first time we have both been away from the boys overnight since Tyler was born. I must admit that the eyes did get teary. However I knew they would be in great hands with Oma and Opa so away we went.

Justin and I did all the normal tourist things - saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Statue of Liberty, the Met, etc., etc. I found that I do not like driving in the city at all - I think I screamed at least 5 times - and the subway really isn't that hard to figure out. My favorite part of the whole trip would be walking thru Central Park. Our hotel was only half a block away and it was so unreal to be in loud busy chaos one moment to total serene quiet the next. Justin's favorite part was going to a Yankees game. The are tearing Yankee stadium down after this year so we had to get a game in. Personally I think its about time they got a new stadium.

The boys did great for Oma and Opa. Tyler had his usual one accident a day and they all stayed plenty busy. They saw horses, went to the park, went on walks, went to the mall, etc., etc. They also had no problems taking naps or going to bed. One night it was thundering a lot which scared Tyler, but overall they did great - although I don't think Oma and Opa would tell us otherwise anyway. While Justin and I really did enjoy our time - can you say sleeping in! - we missed the boys a lot. We actually gave up seeing David Letterman so we could put the boys to bed tonight - not sure what we were thinking. Seeing their faces when we got out of the car was priceless. It sure is nice to be missed!

Sesame Place

What a day! I don't think much could top this day in the life of Tyler and Carter. We got up nice and early and headed on the 2.5 hour drive to Sesame Place. Tyler fell asleep on the way there, but Carter did not. Instead he had a fun time of ripping up stickers. Opa accidentally drove by the park once and Tyler kept saying over and over again "missed the park". It was quite humorous.

I had been somewhat worried on how Tyler would take the park, given how he is usually apprehensive in new situations. As we were walking into the park he saw the roller coaster and immediately wanted to ride it (the one ride he was to young for). I was so happy that he was excited to go on it. First stop was climbing on the fire truck and then onto the carousel. I knew
the boys would love these and they did. Bert and Ernie stopped by as well. Tyler looked on from a distance and Carter got a little closer, but still wasn't sure what to think of them. After that we kept going on ride after ride. Tyler loved every single one - his favorite being the flying fish ride. Carter didn't really seem to enjoy them that much, asking to be all done in the middle of them. One ride was the blast off ride, which I am surprised they even let Carter on. All you could see of him from the harness was his feet and face. He really didn't like that ride so we went and got lunch afterwards.

After lunch we went and saw Elmo's World Live Tyler didn't like it at all so Justin gad to take him out. He kept asking to see Cookie Monster, but we don't think that would have made a difference. Carter was mesmerized by it. He wasn't sure of when Elmo came up right next to him, but he loved watching the show. We then switched into swimsuits and hit the water rides. They both had a great time splashing, going down slides, running thru the fountains (Carter wasn't so sure of them) and wading in the pools. On one of the tube rides they got to go down a water slide with Justin and I. When Justin and Tyler hit the water the tube flipped over and into the water they went. It was the end of water slides after that for Tyler, which was too bad since he loved it up til that part. So we stuck with the wading pools and fountains. The boys also loved getting to climb on Cooke Mountain and bounce on Ernie's bed.

Then it was onto the parade. We had a great spot thanks to Oma saving them ahead of time. Tyler loved watching the characters from afar, but didn't like them up close. Eventually he was ok enough to let daddy high-five them for him and wave to them when they were on their floats. Carter loved the whole thing, even when Zoe, Grover, and Cookie Monster rubbed his head. After the parade we rode a couple more rides and got ready to head home. Carter started falling asleep in his stroller so Opa picked him up where he proceeded to fall asleep sitting up straight. We then tried the carousel one more time (I wanted him awake to take pictures) where he fell asleep on that as well. He woke up enough to make it to dinner and then fell asleep within 5 minutes of hitting his car seat. Endless to say he had never been awake that long in his life and I don't see him doing it again in the near future.

I am so glad we got to do this with the boys, I think it stretched Tyler a lot and I was so happy to see how well he adjusted to everything. They both had a great time and we had so much fun watching it thru their eyes. I am hoping our picture website will be working again soon (its not letting me upload pictures currently) so here is a slide show of pictures from the day so you can see the pictures now.

Cousins!

Yesterday the boys, Oma, and I headed to the mall. The boys had a great time getting to ride the carousel, eating lunch, and playing in the play area. I love the mall play area here. It is all toddler size so they don't get a lot of big kids running around in it. Also it takes some effort to get in and out of it, which helps with the little escape artist otherwise known as Carter. At one point Carter did try to escape, but he ended up sitting in someone else's stroller just as happy as can be instead. The equipment they can climb on is all health related too - a giant toothbrush, a giant soap bar, and Tyler's favorite and ambulance. Can't get much better than that for this kid.

Today Uncle Todd, Aunt Jessie, Acacia, Shiloh, and Josiah all came over to visit. The boys were napping when they first got here, so they were somewhat reluctant at first to play. After a few minutes the warmed up. They loved following the girls around, and they were a big help making sure they put their shoes on when they went outside and off when they came inside. After an early dinner all the cousins played baseball. Tyler did a great job at running the bases once he saw his older cousins do it. I guess they are better teachers than mom and dad. It started to rain so the girls then played duck duck goose and car and trucks. Tyler keeps asking to see Acacia and Shiloh again. We also found out that we will be adding another new cousin to play with at the beginning of next year - how fun!