Happy 11th Birthday!

Christian turned 11 on today, February 28. Eleven!!!! How crazy! Happy Birthday Christian! Here's a picture of the two boys around Christmas time - almost 10 years apart!

The Zoo

Tyler and I took our first trip to the zoo today with the Mom's group! What a great day! The weather was beautiful - just perfect for a day at the zoo.

First stop - the Merkats!
The petting zoo - Mommy is being sooo brave!!!
Petting the sheep!
Enjoying my ride around the zoo.
No time for pictures - I'm checking out the flamingos!
Quick pose!
What a great day!
The three kiddos!

I got a membership to the zoo so now Tyler and I can go whenever we want. It's such a beautiful zoo and the animals were great to see. It will be so much fun as Tyler learns to walk. I imagine this may become a monthly trip - if not more often!

Sky City with Daddy

On Friday, the three of us went back to Sky City. Daddy loved it as much as Tyler! This time we went to all three rooms and played on all of the obstacle courses as well as the giant slides. Tyler LOVED the giant slides. Every time we put him down he'd crawl back to the big slides and bang on the sides! It was so fun!

Just look at that smile!
Let's go Daddy!!!

After a few trips with us, we let him go down alone. Here is a video of him sliding down the big slide alone!! Sooo much fun!

Valentine's Morning

On Valentine's Day morning we woke, played a little and then had breakfast. Tyler had his first taste of toast.

After breakfast, Tyler went down for his nap. Daddy took that time to head to the hardware store. While he was gone, I got the call that Grandma Elaine wasn't doing well. Daddy came home, we woke up Tyler and we were off to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, we broke the rules and took Tyler in to see her. The way Elaine's face lit up - it was worth breaking those rules! That would be the last time that Tyler saw his great-grandma. He was his normal smiley self - just what the doctor ordered! Great grandma survived another three days! We all had a good visit with her that day! Thank you God for that extra time!

Tooth Number 12

So just when I thought we might get a break, Tyler proved us wrong. On Saturday night we had another restless night. Again he woke up around midnight. I went in and fed again and fell asleep holding him in the chair until around 2:15. At 2:30, we heard the scream and the same process from the night before hit. This time, Collin brought him straight into our bed. Tyler and I cuddled and he slept off and on until 6 am. I realized at 6 he wasn't going back to sleep, so the two of us got up to play. That's when I found that tooth number 12 - the bottom left molar - popped through. Maybe, just maybe, we are done for a little while!! I know we all could use some sleep!

Tooth Number 11

We thought maybe we'd get some sleep on Friday night since the past few nights had been so yucky. Ha ha! We were fools to think so. Tooth number 11, the bottom right molar, popped through around 3 am. Tyler woke up around midnight crying. I went in and fed him and put him back to sleep. At 1 am, it happened again. I fed him again and fell asleep in the chair. At 2:30 I put him back in his crib. When I went back to bed, Mongo thought it was time to play and he brought me my frog. About five minutes after I got Mongo calmed down and was almost asleep I heard the blood-curdling scream a little after 3 am. Collin heard it too and went in to cuddle him for me. It didn't make a difference so I went in. Again, I couldn't calm him down. That's when I put my finger in his mouth and found the new tooth. Maybe we can all get a little sleep since two have popped through in as many days!

Tooth Number 10

Last night Tyler did not sleep at all! I wasn't sure what was causing the unrest. It could have been the long amount of time in the car driving to be with family at the news of Collin's grandma. I thought it might be the fact that he didn't have an afternoon nap. What I didn't really think about was the possibility of a new tooth. At 5:30 am I finally figured it out. See what lack of sleep does - makes you wait until the morning to figure out what is wrong. A little Motrin, some teething tablets and some cuddling with Mommy helped us get through as the tooth cut. Now, tooth number 10, the upper right molar finally cut through! It's amazing to think he is less than a year old with half of his teeth already! Let's hope for a great sleepy night tonight.

Remembering Great-Grandma Elaine

Tyler's great-grandma Elaine passed away peacefully this morning after battling an infected intestine, pneumonia and MRSA. She spent the last three months in the hospital. On Sunday we were able to take Tyler in to say hello. I'm so glad we broke the rules and just did it. The smile on her face was priceless. She just loved Tyler sooo much! We will always love her and remember her. Collin is so fortunate to have been so close to her all these years. She was 90 years old. May her memory live on in all who knew her. We love you and miss you already Elaine! Rest in peace.

All of the grandchildren and great grandchildren!

Sky City Bounce

Last week our Mom's Group went to Sky City Bounce - a giant building with lots and lots of bounce houses and obstacle courses. This was Tyler's first time in a bouncer and he loved it! All of the kiddos that went were about the same age. They weren't ready for bouncing but sure loved crawling around inside the bouncer. Tyler and I also went inside the obstacle course. We had fun until we got to the wall climb - how am I supposed to climb up a bouncer with Tyler in my arms? We managed and then slid down the slide. There were two walls to climb and we went through the course three times! We were both exhausted at the end of the day! We can't wait to head back with Daddy!

Tyler and Charlotte - climbing to the edge!
Trying to get them ready for a group picture. Mommies 0, Kids 1
Almost got it!
Close enough! Smile!!!

Valentine's Day Photos

For a Valentine's Day surprise, I took Tyler to the Picture People to take some photos for Daddy. Here are some of the cute photos we took.

Little did I know that I'd end up dressing him up as a cupid - silly Mommy! He was too cute.

Just plain cute

I love this picture. Tyler is just sooo cute - even with no sleep and a new molar!

A day with Keaton

Best buddies - Tyler and Keaton

Last Thursday I babysat our old neighbor's son, Keaton, while Ashlea had to work for the day. The boys both fell asleep at the same time. I though to myself, well, this is easy! Then Tyler woke up 30 minutes later, crying - always a bad sign. He usually wakes up happy. Little did I know what I had in store for me for the rest of the day. The two boys played happily together after Keaton woke up. That was the end of the niceness though. Every time I talked to one of them, the other would cry and then the first one would cry too. They had a contest to see who could cry the loudest. The same thing happened when I picked one of them up or fed one of them. Come 5:00, I was ready for Collin to come home. We ended the day walking the court in the red wagon. Here are some cute photos of the two when they were being nice to one another. I think they will both have some adjusting to do when it comes to a sibling.

Mongo wanted in on the fun!

Actually giving a kiss - not biting! What are you two boys planning?
A little chit-chat time!

In the end, it turned out that Tyler cut his first molar and that's why he was so grumpy. I also learned they both loved to be outside. Next time I have both kiddos, hopefully Keaton will be crawling a little and the boys can explore the backyard together!

Tyler's Favorite Food

Tyler has many favorite foods. He does not care for jarred baby food. He LOVES yogurt, especially Yo-Baby Blueberry, but his FAVORITE food is really black beans. He just cannot get enough of the black beans. It all started last fall when we were visiting my parents up in Roseville. We went out for dinner and after my plate was placed in front of me, he reached across, grabbed some black beans and stuffed them in his mouth. Ever since, they have been his favorite. Now, his favorite ones come from our new favorite mexican restaurant - Chronic Taco. He just smashes them in his mouth by the fistful!

Eating at Chronic Tacos!

What? Yummy! Black beans, rice and cheese!Eating one by one this time!Messy, messy boy!

Menchies - Raspberry vs. Sour Apple with Carmel

Collin's parents took care of Mongo while we were both out of town the first week of February. They brought him back to us and stayed the weekend. Before leaving, we went to Judy's favorite frozen yogurt place, Menchies! Tyler lovesss Menchies. We took a video of him eating two different flavors. He definitely has a favorite, can you tell??

Week in Chandler, AZ

I had the opportunity to work for my old company in Chandler, Arizona for a week. Collin was headed to Chicago for work so I took the job. I brought Tyler with me and flew my mom from Sacramento down to join me for the week. We stayed in a nice hotel and my mom watched Tyler during the day while I worked. It was a good week.

Playing on the luggage cart. Look how well I can stand!
Grandma gave me a ride! It was funnnnnn!
Trying my first taste of cheese pizza. Yum, yum, yum!!! More please!
It's not a colander, it's a hat!
Grandma is sooo funny!

We were able to see our old neighbors from Roseville, the Dotsons. It was the first time they met Tyler. We had a nice visit and then went to dinner where Tyler showed off his love for black beans. We then had dinner with Collin's best friend Jeff, his wife Abby and their 1 year old Wes (Collin's namesake).

Talking with Uncle Jeff and Wes.
Ahhhhh.
Both boys with Abby.
Playing with the giant mortar and pestle!

We were glad to see them so we could deliver Wes' first birthday present. He turned one on January 29! We got him a Mega Blocks dump truck, a book, a swim suit (a staple for Arizona) and a cute outfit. The boys loved playing with the dump truck in the back of their new mini-van!

Happy 1st Birthday Wes!

And then it was time to head home. Five nights away was enough -we miss our Daddy!!

Waiting for the plane!

Still waiting....

It was a long flight home. We were glad to be on the ground and back with our Daddy!