Mommy, it's chillwy

Last night was a very long night with Tyler. So come 6:45 tonight, we had him in his pjs, stories read and were giving hugs and kisses tonight. He was trying to get cozy when he said "Mommy, I so chillwy. I need a sweater."

So we went to the closet and pulled out a sweater vest (his version of a sweater) and pulled it on over his Stud Puffin pjs.

And now he lies, cozy and warm in his sweater vest, stud puffin pjs and his favorite red socks.

During the day he is almost always dressed so adorable - all matchy matchy and pulled together. You'd never know he cares about what he wears each morning based on this precious outfit. But at least he isn't chillwy anymore!

Tough Times Parenting

I knew there would be days that would be very difficult being a parent. Yesterday was DEFINITELY one of those days. Tyler had been sick for the past four days, running a low grade fever and really just having a runny nose. After sticking close to home for those four days we decided we'd venture out to the park with some friends. After all, he was almost done with the runny nose and we were both a little stir crazy.

The first friend Tyler saw was Sophie. They immediately took out some sand toys and were truly playing together, picking up sand and playing with it on the sand table under the play structure. Everything was great. I was getting some much needed adult interaction and he was feeling good and loving being outside.

Then another mom came and dumped her sand toys in the sand. In this pile were two small balls. Before I knew it Tyler had those balls and was running around with Sophie chasing him. They then ran onto the play structure and seconds later Sophie was crying. I knew what happened. I didn't even have to ask, Tyler was the culprit and Sophie had to be hurt because she NEVER cries. Sure enough, Sophie wanted a ball - Tyler didn't want to share and his way of saying no was to bite her hand. I had really thought, or at least hoped, that we were past this biting phase. I was soo disappointed.

I picked up Sophie and cuddled her. She'd be ok but I wanted her to get my attention, not Tyler. We picked up our sand toys and less than 20 minutes after arriving we were on our way out. Tyler cried most of the way to the car wanting to hold my hand and be close to me. I had to let him know how disappointed and upset I was. I felt like the meanest mom and that parking lot felt as though it were MILES away.

We got in the car and headed to the grocery store. I told Tyler just how disappointed I was. I harped. A lot. We got to the store and he was silent in the cart. I was still upset. We shopped in silence and I knew he knew he was in big trouble when he didn't even say goodbye to the cashier.

Just as I was about to put him in the car he said, "Mom, your eyes are sad. I'm sorry."

BROKE MY HEART.

They were sad and I was sad.

We got home, had a little lunch and then it was nap time. I decided after nap that we'd try to move on and have a better night. We made dinner and about an hour after Dad got home, it happened AGAIN. This time he bit Collin on the arm, leaving a mark through a sweatshirt. What happened? I just don't understand. He knows. I know he knows.

He went to bed immediately, without stories, without songs, alone. It broke both of our hearts. As we were talking to him about biting he kept hiding his eyes.

Collin and I were just trying to figure out what to do. I took away one of his toys. He had to say goodbye to it and I told him we'd be taking it to another child who could listen and be kind.

This was a TOUGH day for all of us. Tyler knows better. We thought we were doing a better job monitoring this and teaching him right from wrong. We both went to bed feeling very defeated as parents. We were those parents whose child was a biter.

This morning was our first day back at MOPS which meant Tyler went into childcare for 2.5 hours. This time his best friend would be there - they are like brother and sister so I was worried about that. We talked about it ALL morning. He will not kick, hit or bite. He will be kind. He will treat others the way he wanted to be treated. I must have said it to him 50 times and had him repeat it back to me.

I watched the childcare numbers throughout the whole meeting. My number was never called. As I picked him up he said to me, "Mommy, I did not kick. I did not hit. I did not bite. I was a kind boy. A good boy." We were both beaming.

Then I found out that there was one boy who wouldn't share and was pretty mean to Tyler. The childcare workers told me he told the boy to "be kind, share" and instead of hitting, kicking or biting, he walked away until the boy was ready to share again.

Can I tell you just how proud I am that he seems to be learning? Maybe yesterday was a fluke? Maybe it was the Claritin (the first time he's ever taken it was yesterday)? Maybe it was just a day we all needed to go through to remind us that this parenting this isn't so easy. And sometimes, being an almost 3 year old little boy isn't so easy either.

Thanks for the good day we're having today. I hope the lesson we were all meant to learn yesterday has cemented in our brains and that we are all better for it today!

Christmas Gifts that Last

This was Tyler's third Christmas and it was a FANTASTIC one! (I'll post more on that later.) But what I really love is how he remembers Christmas, talks about it and still asks to sing Jingle Bells every night at bed time. He is enchanted by the season and that's so much fun with an almost three year old.

This year he got a few toys that have been amazing. He plays with these things almost every day. It's good to know Mom, Dad and the grandparents have such great taste! And Santa, well he has the best taste of all. This year Tyler got an awesome train table with train tracks on it from Santa. It's just about the first thing he plays with every day and the last thing he touches before heading upstairs for bed. It has already provided many, many hours of fun and enjoyment for him.

Grammie and Grandpa John gave Tyler and Collin two marble runs. Although he is a little young for them, many days the marbles are what wakes me up. No longer does Tyler come into my room at the ungodly hour he wakes up at, but instead he goes directly to the playroom and starts to run those marbles through the tracks. He just LOVES playing marbles with Daddy.

On Black Friday, Collin and I stood in a CRAZY line at Toys 'R Us for a silly little camera that was only $20. I figured he might play with it once in a while, but nope - it comes out just about every day too. He is getting better at aiming the camera properly and actually getting shots of people and not just his toes. This morning he and I had a fun "photo" session where he said "cheese" and I smiled and posed a lot. He then got crafty and took a picture of his breakfast! Gotta love this kid and his love of taking pictures. I wonder if it's because I had the camera in his face from the second he was born!

The other gift that was a real, real hit were his games. In particular, Candyland and Memory. Tyler just loves playing these games. It has really brought us together as a family when we have these little game moments together. I just really love it. I love that when Daddy gets home from work Tyler begs him to come upstairs because he has a "surprise"; ie. a game of Candyland set up, waiting for Daddy. He's figured out the good cards to get - the ones with the pictures.

I love that we found things that Tyler loves. I'm so glad that he continues to grow and learn and enjoy playing like little boys should.

Kings game

Last weekend we were lucky enough to get tickets for the Kings hockey game. This was Tyler's second game and he was ready. Back in December Tyler stayed with grandpa John for a few days and spent some quality time watching the Sharks play so he was ready!

We stopped at Lawry's Cavery for lunch. He was so excited to go he didn't want to concentrate on lunch. We quickly ate and headed over. The seats we had were awesome.

Tyler watched the game so intently. He knew when to cheer and when to boo. He watched his first real fight. Gloves were thrown down and punches wre thrown. The crowd was on their feet. Now the dilemma is to convince him that hitting is never ok. Ha ha ha!

He was glued to the ice all three periods in between his popcorn snacks and jelly beans! In between the first and second period the little kids came out. He started asking over and over again when they were coming back.

He also loved telling me every time someone was put in "time out" as he called it. That happened a lot!

It was a great day. We are going back in a few months to see the Kings play the Sharks with grandpa John. That should be great fun! We've got a hockey fan on our hands. Maybe one day he'll try the ice.

Halloween

Last week I had a Halloween party for my Mom's group. We had a photographer come to the house and set up a backdrop so the kids could take cute Halloween pictures. For a few months now Tyler has been telling us he wants to be Mickey Mouse. We got a very cute Disney Mickey costume and when we first tried to put it on - he CRIED. He HATED it!

It has been a few weeks now and he still dislikes his costume. Here's the pictures from the Halloween party the photographer took.

He finally succeeded in taking off the costume. We did actually get ONE cute picture...not in a costume, but at least it is kind of Halloweeny!

And then I jumped in for a few shots...they didn't turn out the greatest, but we sure tried!

Hoping tonight's trick-or-treating is a success!

Happy Halloween!

29 Months

How is it that yesterday marked 29 months that Tyler has been a part of our lives? It seems like he just arrived yesterday and yet, I can't remember life without him. He has been such a blessing to us and I know we both feel that way! Here are some of the cute things he does now.

- Using a high pitched intonation to say "yes" or "no". It's so darn cute!
- Likes to hold Mommy's hand, especially when crossing the street. He grabs on to a few of my fingers. His hand feels so wonderful in mine.
- Runs sideways instead of straight. This makes me giggle almost every time.
- Crosses his arms in front of him when he doesn't want to hold a hand and says "I'm too busy."
- Loves to sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Take Me Out to the Ballgame (go Tigers!)
- Still drinks a ton of milk, loves black beans and has a new found appreciation for rice.

He has transitioned to his toddler bed and is doing very well. The only time he gets out of bed is after his afternoon nap and once in a blue moon in the morning. He loves his new bed and still has all of his babies and blankets in with him. I'll have to take a picture and post it soon.

This past weekend we were shopping for an inflatable mattress and sleeping bag for Tyler for our vacation out to Palm Springs in a few weeks. It happened to be in the same aisle as the clearance toy section. He stopped and was looking closely at a couple of toys and then reached over, grabbed one and put it in the cart. He said "I have to have this baby." and that was that. He tried to reach for a few other toys and when given the chance to choose between the new baby and a different toy, the baby won out. This new baby (with a Moses basket, pacifier and two baby monitors) has gone everywhere with us since last Sunday. She has been to friends houses, to the grocery store, on a walk, and is currently on the mini vacation with us we are taking today. When asked what her name was he said "New Baby" so I ran through a list of names and the only one he said "Yes" to was "Sara" so we now have Baby Larry, Joey, Blue, Other Blue and Sara.

His other obsession these last two weeks has been Dora. I don't know how he knows Dora because I think he has only seen it on television once before. Well, he wanted a Dora boo boo ice pack but opted for Baby Sara that day without even fighting it. Today, he asked to put his new Mickey shirt back (another HUGE obsession) so he could have a Dora nightgown instead. I think this would have killed Daddy if I had said yes. Now my task is to find a boy's Dora shirt. Anyone have any suggestions on that one??? One that isn't pink and frilly?

Oh, I just love my little boy. Thank you Tyler for being such a wonderful son!

Golfing Fun

Erin had the opportunity to work for Earobics up in the Sacramento area, which is great, but having a Monday morning training meant that she had to spend the night in Sacramento as well. Great that she gets to see her family, but bad because Tyler and I miss her lots. Her flight wasn't until the afternoon on Sunday, so we decided to do something new and fun before she had to leave. Since Tyler is in a big golfing phase right now with hitting balls all over the house with his club, we thought miniature golf might be a hit, and it was. Only one small problem, everyone knows that when you get to the 18th hole of a miniature golf course, you hit it into the hole and it doesn't come back as the ball is kept to be returned. At least Erin and I knew this, Tyler didn't get the memo. He was completely devistated that his prize green golf ball was now lost. Poor kiddo, a bad ending to an otherwise great morning. Note to parents, next time bring another ball along to distract!













Did I mention it was a hot and humid day, poor kid, sweats as much as his Dad!











No time to pose Ma, there's golf to play.











Getting the hang of it now.

Summer Fun

Each Tuesday there are five moms that meet with their two year olds and we run a little preschool for our kiddos. It's lots of fun for the kids and the moms! I know Tyler is learning new things and gets excited for Tuesday afternoons. This past month we were studying The Beach and Ocean. Dusti, one of the moms, did a great lesson on seashells. She had the kids decorate buckets and then we went on a seashell hunt in the backyard. Tyler loved it!

Tyler and Miranda

More!

 

RUN!

I wonder if he'll realize next time we are at the beach that shells are on the sand, not in the grass!

 

Another afternoon, Tyler's friend Braden came over to play while Braden's mommy went to have an ultrasound. The boys wanted to play in the backyard in the water table. They locked me in the house so I grabbed my camera. They always have fun in that water table!

 

One night last week, Tyler really wanted to go swimming. It was too late to go find an open pool so we decided to play in the backyard. He convinced Daddy to join him in his pool. The evening ended in a complete water fight. Mommy was DRENCHED. Daddy was DRENCHED. Mongo hid inside and Tyler laughed his best belly laughs!

I'm sure I'll find more pictures on my other camera...when I remember to bring it in the house and upload the pictures I've taken!

28 Months and Counting

I cannot believe my baby boy is 28 months old. Two years, four months and four days old to be exact. Where did all of this time go? I figured I should document what's so special about him right now.

This morning he went to the doctor again because he has another ear infection in his right ear. He is a whopping 28+ lbs now. Dr. Yen was really surprised to hear how much he was talking. He really does speak in multiple sentences at once and I can understand him almost all of the time.

 Talking Machine
He is a talking FOOL! He repeats everything we say and is always listening to us even when it looks like he isn't. Here are some of the fun things he is saying right now.
- I love you ever, ever, ever.
- I miss you ever, ever, ever

These are two of my most favorite things to hear him say. He'll say it to Daddy when he calls him at work. He'll say it to me when I kiss him goodnight. He is just such a sweet boy.

Some of the other things he says are:
- Can't find anywhere - when talking about his toys, food, really anything he is searching for

Sing a Song...
He loves for us to sing to him at night. His most favorite songs are:
- Row, Row
- Take Out (Take Me Out to the Ball Game) with Brown Bear as his favorite team! (This just KILLS Collin)
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
- Mary had a little lamb
- Skid-a-ma-rink

A TV Boy - Just like his parents
He also is OBSESSED with all things Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He'd watch the cartoons over and over 24 hours a day if we let him. He will occasionally allow us to show him Little Einsteins, Special Agent Oso, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I have started introducing some of the classic Disney movies to switch it up a bit. So far he seems to enjoy Monsters, Inc., Bambi, and Finding Nemo.
He also likes Nick Jr. shows like Olivia, Franklin, and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends.

Book-a-holic
Tyler also really loves books. His favorites this week are:
- If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff
- Catch that Ball - a Mickey sounds book
- Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
- Gossie by Olivier Dunrea
- Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle

On his own, he likes to read his Mickey Mouse Find and Seek book. He is getting good and picking things out. 

There are many others that he loves to read but I think these are the obsessions right now. I think you now know where the whole Brown Bear reference comes into play when singing Take Out.

Open Wide
Tyler's favorite foods right now include:
- black beans (still a go-to food)
- rice (especially fried rice)
- smoovies (smoothies - I love the way he says it) a.k.a. special drink
- maraschino cherries - eats these instead of ice cream. What kind of kid is this?
- powdered donuts
- frozen peas
- raw green beans
- raspberries
- fresh picked strawberries - only eats them when he is at the farm, picking them
- honey nut cheerios with milk
- fruit snacks
- popcorn
-MILK - the boy drinks two gallons of milk a week. We are working on limiting this but it is proving to be a difficult battle

Play time
Tyler continues to be really good at playing alone. He still loves all balls - baseballs, footballs, basketballs, golf balls, tennis balls, racquet balls, etc. It really doesn't matter - if it's round and bounces he loves them! He is getting really good at throwing and catching balls. We play toss all day long. Whenever he tries to catch he says "almost" and whenever he throws he says either "nice" or "good one."

He still loves his kitchen. He likes to make me breakfast just about every day. The only thing is, breakfast is never food - it's always a ball or a coin. He has found his pretend piggy bank and loves to carry around all of his coins. He also likes to make change in his cash register.

Thomas the Train has also become a daily toy. He likes to put together the "puzzle," in other words, the train tracks!

This past week the Cozy Coupe (with his pretend keys), his roller coaster, his slide and his tricycle have all been favorites. These were toys that have sat unused for a few weeks that have suddenly become hot again. Just when I think maybe I should start clearing things out he rediscovers them.

He is getting really good at his building blocks to make towers. I know that Daddy is waiting for the day that he wants to build things with his blocks so that Daddy can relive his childhood love of Legos!

Daily Activities
I'm still very involved in the mommy group so we do lots of things with other mommies just about every day. We love to visit a variety of H.O.A. pools with friends, visit Scooter's Jungle, story time at the park, visit museums, and meet up for frozen yogurt treats (or maraschino cherries) at Menchie's. We have something just about every day of the week so we keep busy while Daddy keeps the bills paid. (We are SO lucky to have him!)


Summer Fun
Tyler definitely takes after me in his love of water. He is turning into quite the fish, loving to go under water, jump in and shows just about no fear. Just this week he has started floating in a tube without holding on to Mommy. I just love how much fun we have in the pool together. This past weekend we went to the beach and he actually (after a lot of coercing from Daddy) to go in the water and loved it too!


Other Loves
- bath time
- shower time
- playing in the backyard
- cuddling in bed (just like his mommy)
- his babies - Larry, Joey, Blue, Elmo, Little Elmo, Tiny Elmo, Teddy, Other Blue, Daddy's Snuffy, and Pluto
- sleeping with a pillow over his body instead of under his head
- lots of blankets - he carries them around, has to have them in the car, on walks (in 100 degree heat), and lots in his bed.
- walking Mongo
- sweeping the floor
- baseball with Grandpa Jerry
- his bike helmet
- sitting on the counter
- Gymboree
- peppers, onions and potatoes (Daddy and Tyler make these for Mommy just about every weekend) YUM! Lucky Mommy, huh?!?

It's been a great 28 months....here is to many more. But I think this is a pretty good update on who he is now. A very happy, loving boy who we (I know Collin feels the same way) adore and feel exceptionally fortunate to have in our lives!

Concert in the Park

This evening the city hosted their first Concert in the Park for the summer! It was a beautiful night and there was an Eagles tribute band playing tunes. We met six other families at the park. We got there at 5:45 and still had to park close to a mile away. The whole town was at the park! It was a really fun evening with seven two year olds running every which way and two infants (and I mean infants - one was 4 months old and the other was just 16 days old)! The Dads had lots of fun (right, hun?) chasing and playing ball with the kiddos. Us Moms took our turn too! The kids had so much fun. It was a great night of music, friends and fun. Tyler was EXHAUSTED by the time we got home at 8:45. We can't wait for next week! Maybe I'll even take pictures next time!