How much?

Last night, while putting Tyler to bed, he did his usual bedtime stalling tactics of asking for water, needing to find all the stuffed animals he wanted to sleep with, looking for his blanket, etc. In the midst of all that, he said to me, "Mommy! Do you know how much I love you?"
Me: How much?
Tyler: I love you a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot!!
Me: Do you know how much I love YOU?
Tyler: No...
Me: Well, I love YOU a lot, a lot, a lot, alotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalotalot!
Tyler: Wow, that's a lot.

Three-and-a-half, going on eight...

Dear Tyler,

Today you are 3-1/2 years old. To me, you seem much more mature than many kids your age, and I have come to expect more from you…often forgetting that you’re only 3-1/2. A typical 3-1/2-year-old is expected to throw tantrums, not be able to pronounce certain letters/sounds/words, and be a little selfish. You, on the other hand, rarely throw an all-out tantrum, can annunciate your words very well, and are always willing to share (toys, food…anything, especially with your little brother, Mason). I bought you a set of flash-card-type cards, meant for 4-5-year-olds. You’ve gone through the first set of cards with such ease, that I’m hoping the cards get harder as we go…otherwise I’ll have to get you the 6-7-year-old set!

You are very polite and kind to others. We hope that we are teaching you respect for other people, and it seems as though you understand. You certainly know the difference between asking politely for something and whining about it. I think you have also figured out that Mommy and Daddy have a soft spot for you when you do ask nicely for something. You, Mason, and I were at the library the other day, and we were getting ready to leave, but you wanted to play for a few more minutes in the children’s area. I had said we were running short on time, but you calmly pleaded, “Mommy, can I please play over there for a few more minutes? Please?” Well, what could I do but agree? (And also be secretly happy, because that was an example of what Daddy and I have been trying to teach you for so long!)

You were watching a movie this afternoon, and I was watching you. You looked so much older than 3-1/2 years. Your face looked more like a 7 or 8-year-old’s face, and I found myself imagining what you would look like in a few years and on. You’re a gorgeous child, and you easily smile, showing us your 4 dimples! How I love those dimples and what I wouldn’t do to see them!

You’ve become so independent, doing so many things on your own. You rarely need help with day-to-day activities. You can go to the potty by yourself, wash your hands, put on and take off your clothes, go to the refrigerator and get a snack, get out your toys, clean up your toys, and get in and out of the car (including opening and closing the door). You run very fast, you love to jump from high places, and you give wonderful hugs and kisses. You are very loving and gentle with Mason, and you are just as proud as Mommy and Daddy when Mason accomplishes new things (clapping, standing, etc.). You can make Mason smile easier than anyone else, and you enjoy doing things you know will entertain him.

With your independence has come a little bit of fear. You’ve recently become afraid of the dark, monsters, and growling (even if it’s fake growling that Mommy or Daddy is doing to play with your stuffed animals). Some days, you may have a bad day at daycare because you miss your cousins or us, and you want to be home.

Tyler, you and I have been tending to some tomato plants and basil plants this summer. You get very excited when a tomato turns red and you’re allowed to pick it. We’ve gotten quite a few tomatoes already, and I’ve already made 2 batches of pesto from the basil. You helped me transplant some tomato plants as they grew, you pick off the flowers from the basil plants, and you’ve helped me water the plants with your own watering can. I’m excited that I could teach you the little I know about gardening, and that our plants are doing so well!

You are so, SO smart! You've grasped some pretty complicated concepts, especially for a 3 (and a half) year old. You can play many board games all the way through, following the directions: Candyland, Hi Ho Cherry-O, Memory, Chutes and Ladders, a Thomas the Train board game we got at a yard sale, dominoes, Go Fish, War, and you almost played a whole game of checkers with me! You can tell a knock-knock joke, too!

You love your cousins, and you get along very well with all of them. Right now, it seems like Lauren, Hannah, and Reese are the ones you play with most, since they are all closest to your age.

All this is meant to show you what a wonderful little boy you’re growing to be. You are truly a delight for Daddy and me. We love to watch you play with your toys, play superheroes, and interact with Mason. You love books, and we love reading them to you. You’re a kind and loving little guy, and we are so proud of the boy you’re growing up to be. Daddy and I love you very, very much!

Love always,
Mommy

Fourth of July Pictures

As our family and our extended families grow, I notice that we are trying to establish some traditions. I think that we're trying to get a fun one started, and this is my family's second year participating. Mike's sister and her family invite us to their house every 4th of July (or the closest weekend). They invite all of Mike's siblings and their families, and all of the cousins enjoy playing together all weekend. Two years ago, we all took family photos at my sister-in-law's house. They turned out great, and I truly hope it becomes a yearly tradition. As this blog is public, I'm only going to post photos of my own family. We had 8 kids there, ranging in ages from Mason (7 months) to my nephew who is 8 years old. Believe it or not, we actually got a photo of all the kids together, smiling, AND looking at the camera! Then, we even got a good photo of the entire family (those who made it down)!

Here are the photos of me and the main guys in my life:

Family picture:

Mike and his boys:

Tyler and Mason:
Me and Mike:

7 Months Old!

Dear Mason,

Today, you are 7 months old. It seems like I was just writing your 6-month letter yesterday, but here you are over half a year old! You are such a joy to be around, you smile so easily and laugh at so many things. You are a very ticklish baby, so we take advantage of that often. You’re still very easy-going, happy to play with toys or watch Tyler play with toys. You’re most happy when Tyler is playing with you, though I think you’ll settle for Mommy or Daddy. We love kissing your chubby legs, tummy, arms, cheeks, and nuzzling your neck.

You are a very good sitter, in fact, you love to sit in the bathtub and take a bath with Tyler. He loves taking baths with you, too! Tyler happily shares his toys and bathtub space with you. Though you sit very well, you still don’t like being on your tummy. You might tolerate a minute or two of tummy time, but you would rather be sitting up and able to see what’s going on around you. You still haven’t rolled over yet (either from tummy to back or from back to tummy), but I think you’re going to soon!

You have eaten just about everything that you’re allowed to eat, and you can chew little pieces of very soft noodles and bread. You can also eat those small cereal puffs made especially for babies, but you haven’t yet mastered picking them up with two fingers and putting them in your mouth.
You like drinking water from a sippy cup, and you like chewing on the sippy cup even more. You actually like chewing on anything! Two of your bottom front teeth have fully come out, and Daddy thinks that you’re getting ready to cut a top tooth soon.

We love you very much, and Tyler is especially excited that he can interact with you more. He often asks if he can play with you, he tries hard to make you comfortable, and he’s very gentle and loving with you.

Happy 7-month birthday, Mason!!

Love, always,

Mommy

They like each other...so far!

This morning, Mason woke up early (5 am), so I brought him into our room and let him play on the bed with us. After a few minutes, he let me know that he was actually hungry and that’s why he woke up in the first place. So, I fed him a bottle and we snuggled in bed for a few minutes. Close to 6 am, Tyler woke up and came into our room. He climbed in our bed, too, and we had the whole family snuggling for a few minutes this morning. Mason was THRILLED that Tyler was near, and everyone was sleepy and happy. So, I had to get up and actually start the day, take a shower, etc. When I came back to the bedroom after my shower, I noticed that Mason had fallen back asleep and that Tyler was laying next to him and gently patting his forehead. I stood there and watched as Tyler displayed such genuine affection for his little brother. Mike was asleep, and Tyler didn’t think anyone was watching him. And now, I think back to all the times that Tyler and Mason have been near each other: in the bathtub where Mason usually finds his way to Tyler’s side or is pulling on Tyler’s arm or patting his back, when I’m holding Mason on my lap and Tyler also wants to sit with me, or when both boys are on the couch together and Mason inevitably ends up leaning on or laying on Tyler somehow. Not once during those times has Tyler pushed Mason away or yanked his arm away, etc. Mostly, Tyler will tolerate Mason’s closeness, and sometimes he’s even pleased!

If I could only clone myself...

Being a working mom of two, I am still trying to find enough time to spend with both of my children, and my husband. Before we had Mason, I already found it difficult to spend enough time with Tyler. During the week, our main goal for each morning is to get everyone out the door dressed, somewhat fed, and somewhat on time. Our main goal for each evening is to get dinner ready and eaten, get the kids bathed, read stories, and get everyone to bed before 9:30 PM. While that’s a rare occurrence, our evenings are still so busy that I don’t feel I have enough time to just hang out with my kids. I cherish my weekends home with them, and love to spend free time with my family. During the week, if I decide to play with Tyler and Mason for a little while when we get home, dinner doesn’t get on the table until later, and therefore baths and bedtimes get pushed further. To ease my guilt for having them up so late, I tell myself that they’re growing up and they won’t be like this forever, that I need to enjoy and treasure those times instead of feeling guilty.

I played volleyball last night, and I was gone from 6:30 – 9:30 PM. When I got back, Mike had both boys in bed, and he was reading to Tyler. I went in Tyler’s room and said bedtime prayers with them. I asked Mike about Mason, and he told me that I might want to check on him, since it had been a little while since he put him down. Tyler said, “No, I want Mommy to stay with me.” I told Tyler that I would be right back. Well, Mason had a bib on, and it was covering his face, so I flipped it back down and tried to take it off without waking him. That was unsuccessful, and he started crying. I made him a bottle and fed him in the rocking chair. Then, Tyler came in, saying he wanted to say goodnight to Mason. He kissed him, and I kissed Tyler and told him to go back to bed. Mike later told me that Tyler went back to his room, and once he got there, he hung his head and moped slowly back to bed. Mike asked him, “What’s wrong?” Tyler said sadly, “Mommy’s not coming back. She’s feeding Mason.”

Luckily, Tyler was still happy with Mike staying with him, rubbing his back until he fell asleep.

Indy Race!

We took Tyler to the Indy Race last night. Tyler was more excited about watching the pit stops and crash-cleanups than seeing the cars go around the track 300 times. But we still had fun, and the weather was much nicer than last year (although, there were many more crashes last year!)

The sign on the car says "Please Do Not Touch". Hahaha.

There must have been a crash:

How does your garden grow?

Today my parents came down to visit us. They spent the day with us, hanging out and playing with the boys. I showed my mom the tomato, basil, and green pepper plants. Tyler and I planted some sunflower seeds, but they’re just sprouts right now, only a few inches tall. All the plants are looking so good, though! I’m so encouraged by it, I can actually grow healthy plants.

I harvested some basil leaves last week and took advantage of having my mom in town to make some pesto. It turned out so YUMMY!! I can’t wait to make some more!

We’ve also been waiting for the tomato plants to start producing tomatoes, and my mom found one when she was out on the deck with Tyler! Tyler was so excited, he ran inside just to tell me that we had a tomato.

Mike is pretty impressed that I can actually grow stuff, too. All the indoor plants we’ve had while living together have never seemed to survive. Last summer, I planted some “monkey grass” and took care of them. Now they’re still going strong, and multiplying!!

Mason is 6 Months Old!

Dear Mason,

Today, you are 6 months old! You and I went to the pediatrician for your well-baby visit, and we found out that you are a whopping 20 lbs 12 oz., 27 inches tall/long, and are back on the growth chart for your weight! (Your weight was off the chart at your 4-month check-up). You fit best in 12-month clothes right now.

Mason, you are now sitting up very well, though you still lose your balance and fall backwards, sideways, or forwards. Then, you’re stuck and you need help sitting back up. You can’t quite roll over yet, but it looks like that is coming very soon. You are very good at grabbing things and putting them in your mouth. You like grabbing your feet and toes when you don’t have anything else to play with. It also seems like you can understand simple concepts very quickly: we had a dinosaur-shaped toy that has a few holes in it where balls are supposed to be placed. Though you don’t quite have the hand-eye-coordination to put the balls in the holes yet, you know that they go in the holes and if we put one next to a hole, you will push it in.

You love being in the doorway jumper! You get so excited when you’re in there, and you jump all over the place! You will be quite content in the jumper for well over an hour. Sometimes, when we take you out, you still turn and longingly look at it, probably wanting to go back in. Myself, I think it would be pretty fun to have one of those, and I can understand why you like it so much!

You smile at everyone, and it’s very easy to make you laugh (I know to kiss you on your neck and below your ears). You were completely mesmerized with your Uncle Chad, who had a goatee and a mustache when you first met him yesterday.

Mason, you are babbling more and more, but now you consistently say, “Dadadadada,” which has made Daddy very happy! Sometimes, I swear I hear you saying things like, “Hi!” or “Mommy!”

You love to eat baby food! You’ve tried just about everything, and it’s only been a month. You are now opening your mouth for each bite and especially love sweet potatoes.

You cut your first tooth on May 17, 2009, (your bottom tooth) and now your second tooth is coming in next to it! It’s already broken the skin.

You love bathtime. You love watching and feeling the water come out of the faucet into your baby tub (which you will probably outgrow in the next month, or so). You like the feeling of water pouring on your belly, and you love sucking the water out of your washcloth (yuck!). Your big brother also loves taking baths with you. If you’re already asleep at bathtime, Tyler always asks, “Where’s Mason? I want to take a bath with him!”

Your big brother loves playing with you, and I can tell he’s getting more excited as you are able to do more things. He likes showing you how your toys work, he likes sharing his cars and trains with you, and he really gets a kick out of making you smile and laugh.

Mason, we love you so much, and we are overjoyed at watching you grow, knowing that you are on the brink of learning so many more things! Happy 6-month birthday!

Love, with all my heart,
Mommy

Read all the fine print!

So, here is the cover of the box of the kid's "Waterpark" we bought for Tyler:

Look at the kid on the far right, using the water gun at the corner of the pool. Note that he looks about 8 or 10 years old, he's kneeling on the ground, and the side of the pool is above his waist. The gun is almost shoulder-height to him.

Now, look at the basketball hoop, note how the kid shooting the basketball is throwing the ball UP to shoot. THAT kid looks around 7 or 8 years old, also. See the gushing waterfall coming from the arch, and how big the slide is, compared to the kid going down (who also looks about 7 or 8 years old).

See the kid behind the pool, he looks also about 8 and the top of the arch is clearly above his head.

Now, here is a picture of my 3-year-old, 39" tall son playing in the actual pool we pulled out of the box:
The dimensions were clearly labeled on the box, (the length & width, not the height), but we didn't read it. We just looked at the cool picture. Oh well, at least Tyler enjoyed playing in it.

Now, notice how it's called "Hydro Blast". The little watergun that's installed at the corner has a pinhole that water can "blast" out from. It's like being shot with a bathtub squirt toy. Also, if you notice in my picture, we've got the slide off to the side, not even installed, because (though the picture shows it UNDER the gushing waterfall) it's not long enough to reach the sprinkling water coming out of the arch. So, you have to slide into the pool on a dry slide!

Lesson learned.

"Day off"

Today, Mike and I both took the day off, to extend our Memorial Day weekend to a 4-day weekend. We spent all day ripping out the bushes in front of our house and tilling up the soil (removing weeds, roots, and rocks). I got to use my new wagon! Though our yard is small, it was nice to have it to bring stuff from the shed out to the front yard. Tyler and Mason hung out with us outside, and Tyler enjoyed playing in the wagon. He put his snacks and gardening gloves on the wagon. Mason sat in his stroller and was happy just chillin’.

Here is a picture of our house 2 years ago, while we were removing the evergreen-type ground-cover that we had along the corner of our front yard:

And below is a picture I took this afternoon, showing how we removed the shrubs in front of the house:

Now, we need to figure out what we want to plant in front of the house, instead!

All I Want for Mother's Day...

Here is my belated Mother’s Day gift (mine is green):
I say belated, but on Mother’s Day, Mike gave me a gift of sleep and not having to make breakfast. He ended up so frustrated with the skillet pan that we have (it burned half the pancakes he tried to make) that I also ended up with a new skillet! But that wasn’t something I really WANTED. This wagon, I want!

What color is my thumb?

So, I’m actually growing a vegetable garden. I say “actually growing” because that is what the plants are (surprisingly, under my care) doing. They’re growing! None of them are dead! And, it’s been almost a month! Last month, Tyler helped me plant tomatoes, green peppers, and basil. They’re now so big that we’re going to have to transplant some of them to other planters, so that they can (hopefully) grow even more! I hope we get real vegetables from them, and that I can teach my son about plants/gardening/etc. I’m really hoping the basil grows, because I want to make my own pesto sauce. My mom has this wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to have homemade pesto, instead of the salty store-bought pesto!!

Teething

Last Saturday (the day before Mother’s Day), Mason’s first tooth broke through his gums! As happy as I am that he’s growth is on track, I find that I’m counting down the days I have left to enjoy his toothless grins. The only reason we even knew he was teething was his constant drooling. If his gums have been hurting, his disposition hasn’t been affected. He’s been the same happy, smiley little guy. Tyler was like that, too, not really affected too much by teething. Mason does love chewing on everything, though. Most notably, his hands, but I found a cool pacifier-shaped teether that he can hold easily which has a gummy/rubbery tongue, instead of a pacifier nipple.

Birthday Cake

My sister loves watching the Oprah Winfrey show. She tries to catch it every day, and since she’s home with her 3 girls, they (obviously) are very familiar with Oprah, as well. Two weeks ago, my sister turned 30. Today was her daughter, Hannah’s, birthday. Prior to both birthdays, my sister asked Hannah who she wanted on her birthday cake. Hannah promptly told her that she wanted Dora on her cake. Then, Hannah asked her mom what was going to be on her cake. My sister said that flowers or candles would be nice. But my niece didn’t think that was enough. She asked, “No, Mommy, what PERSON are you going to have on your cake?” My sister replied, “I don’t know, who do you think should be on my cake?” My niece responded, “I know! How about Oprah?!”
So, today we went to my niece’s 3rd birthday party. The kids had fun with their cousins, and I also got to see and visit with my family. My mom and I thought that my sister deserved a birthday cake, as well. This is what we brought her:

Days and Months

Here is Tyler singing the days of the week:

And reciting the months of the year:

5 months!

Dear Mason,

Today, you are 5 months old. You probably weigh over 20 lbs and your hair is growing in more evenly. You're growing so fast, all your milestones are seeming to fly by! I missed playing with you today. We were all so busy with errands after I got home from work, and Daddy had class this evening...it seemed like we were all just bustling around all afternoon and evening. Before I knew it, it was time for you to go to bed. Right now, you're asleep in your crib, and I want to sneak in there and pick you up and hold you in my arms.

Speaking of milestones...we started feeding you baby food about a week and a half ago. We first started with oatmeal (mixed with apple juice) and you LOVED it! I think it's the apple juice ;) You took to it very well. Two days ago, we started you on carrots (baby food). They're a bit soupy, so I might get you the "2nd Foods" version, and try that. You sure love eating, though!

You are also sitting up much better. You're still not sitting on your own, but I can tell that's coming very soon. You would rather be upright than laying back. In fact, you usually try to muscle yourself to a sitting position if we set you down in any reclined position. You love your doorway jumper...I mean you REALLY love it! You can still stay in it for almost an hour, I think it makes you feel free.

You are grabbing things and picking things up (then putting them in your mouth) much better, though your favorite thing to chew on is your own finger...any of them.

We moved you from an infant carrier to a convertible car seat about 2 weeks ago (you were actually about 20 lbs 2 weeks ago, so I'm sure you're heavier now!), since you're near the weight limit of our infant carrier. You don't seem to like being put in the car seat, though, you always cry when we put you in there if we don't distract you enough.

Random

Mason is a great eater. He always loved nursing, and then formula, and now baby food. He has been eating oatmeal mixed with apple juice (which he loves!) for about a week, now. Tonight, I introduced carrots to him. Loves them!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this might mean he won't be a picky eater. Tyler wasn't a picky eater, either, and it was awesome. He ate so well and so healthy.

One thing that Tyler loves to do is ask us about our favorites. Especially about our favorite parts of movies or tv shows. He's asked us so many times that he knows what our answers are going to be. His "favorite" parts somehow end up being the same as ours, too.

Tyler's attention span has definitely increased, also. He can play a board game all the way through, following directions. We recently found a Thomas the Train board game at a yard sale (for $0.50!) and he LOVES it. We've actually played that 2 or 3 times in a row with him.

2 Cute Things

We usually say a short prayer before dinner, but one evening, Tyler busted out his own prayer! We later found out that he says it every day at daycare, which I was pleasantly surprised about. It seems that they're still teaching the right things in some of our schools! :)



Then, he showed us how they also say the Pledge of Allegiance:

Old and...

This afternoon, Tyler was especially energetic: running around, hopping, jumping, falling down on purpose, etc. He kept asking me and Mike, "Can you do this?" and then he would do some crazy move like jump up and land on his knees, or something. When he did that (land on his knees), I winced and said, "No, Mommy is too old to do that." His reply, "But I can do it because I'm new?"

********************************************************************************

Later, we were all rough-housing, Mike and I were on the ground and Tyler was taking turns jumping on top of each of us. Right after Tyler had landed on me, I grabbed him while I was laying down and tried to sit up with him in my arms. It was wholly unsuccessful, since I don't have the ab strength to sit myself up with an additional 35 lbs attached to my shoulders. I repositioned Tyler and tried to sit up again, finally doing it on my 3rd try. Tyler smiled at me and said, "I knew you could do it, Mommy!"
Me: Thanks Tyler, you had more faith in me than I did.
Tyler: More face? (Tyler touched his face with his hands) I only have one face, Mommy.