Happy Birthday Tyler!

Our sweet little boy turned one at the end of April! He was a lucky kid and had parties spread out the whole week long! We started off his celebration on our kitchen floor with some deeelish chocolate cake!

Tyler did not hesitate to dig right in. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting means one messy birthday! Hence the garbage sack on the floor...

Favorite right here.

He couldn't get enough of the stuff! Even when it was gone he kept searching for more!

After a finger-lickin good time, it was off to the bath! We put him and his seat straight into the tub. It seemed to be the easiest way to clean it up. But, he didn't go before we let him see what a mess he was.

We opened his presents over the course of the next few days. Some we opened with our friends Matt & Brianna. Some we opened at our house. Some we opened at Grandma's house. He sure got a lot of fun things! Thank you!!

His favorite was his big box of blocks! He loves to push the box around and dump ALL the legos out, just because they make a cool sound. He likes to balance them on his head and take apart whichever pieces mommy sticks together.

Tyler also got a fun bubble blowing machine, a noisy, but fun, remote control, clothes, a baby soccer ball, and new monkey jammies! What a fun birthday!

We sure have loved having this kid around for one whole year. I couldn't imagine life without him. He is my world now, and I couldn't be happier. He is so full of life and excitement, and passes it on to me. What a blessing a little boy is! Happy 1st Birthday Tyler Boy! Thanks for all the fun!

MIA

Boy oh boy, have I been missing in action...

And, it is SO FUNNY that my last post said "...sometimes I just really want to blog..." What happened?

Well, life happened. This crazy, beautiful adventure that we call life happened. And it's great! But leaves little time for blogging.

I'm a working mom of a very energetic 1 year old, so when I would have time to blog, I don't wanna. I just lay on the couch, because I'm pooped. I'm still trying to figure this whole motherhood thing out, and sometimes it is just exhausting. I LOVE IT and wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING, but it is what it is. Tiring. And I am A-okay with that. :)

Speaking of that, my little tiny terror just woke up. It's breakfast time. I have about 5 minutes to either have food in front of him, or he thinks his life is ending...

I promise I'm not dead, and I haven't given up on blogging. There's more to come.

Filling in the Blanks...

Can I be honest with you?

Sometimes, I really REALLY want to blog.

But I don't have anything to say. Nothing of note is happening in our lives right now. That doesn't mean that our lives are boring or that I don't enjoy our time as a family, it's just not... ya know... "blog worthy." Who wants to hear about our trip to the grocery store? I bought 3 green peppers today.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Boring.

I have seen something on a few friends' blogs that seems fun. I may or may not do it again, but I'll at least do it once. So I can blog. Cause I want to, but don't know what to say.

I am....

Making: Little St. Patrick's Day blocks that say "Lucky."
Cooking: I hardly cook anymore. But sometime this week I plan on making steak sandwiches. That's what the green peppers are for.
Drinking: Soda... Uh oh. There was a sale and I couldn't resist.
Reading: E-mails from tenants.
Wanting: To be better at time management.
Looking: At the trail of fun that Tyler leaves behind. Toys, clothes, food, diapers, books......

Wasting: Time. Lots of it.
Wishing: I could go back in time one week.
Enjoying: Being a wife and mother. I would never go back and do it differently.
Waiting: For Tyler to go to bed, so I can too.
Liking: The rainbow nerds in my cupboard. Yum.

Wondering: If Tyler is teething again. He's been so moody.
Loving: My husband. He's so wonderful to me.
Hoping: I can get some work done tomorrow since Tom won't be in class.

Marveling: At how quickly time passes. 1 week, 10 months, 3 years.
Needing: A drink of water. Ice. Cold.
Smelling: The Desitin on my hands from the last diaper I changed.
Wearing: Sweats. My jeans drive me crazy.

Noticing: The days are getting longer and longer. And Rexburg has some beautiful sunsets.
Thinking: What else was I supposed to do today? There was something... I know there was something.

Knowing: There were a million things I forgot to do today.
Giggling: About the quiz I took online the other day, "How Many Kids Should You Have?" The result I got was ZERO. Um... Too late.

Listening: To Tom read Tyler a bedtime story.
Feeling: Happy, loved, tired, hungry... Ice cream?

Happy Holidays!

Oh, hey there.
Guess what.
The holidays are over...
Huh. That went fast.
Shall we recap??





Flashback to October......

Happy Halloween!

It was pretty low-key for us. Tom and I didn't even dress up. That made me sad, because I love to dress up. But we didn't have an occasion to, so we didn't worry about it. But, it was Tyler's first Halloween, so we had to make sure he had a costume! Que, Costco special:

This is one of my favorite pictures of him. Currently: My desktop background.

Tyler was an adorable dragon! No candy for him, but we did take a bag of goodies to our tenants for the holiday. Reverse trick-or-treating!

Flash of light! Suddenly, it's November....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving this year was with the Chambers, so we had the great pleasure of traveling down to Salt Lake and spending a few days with them.

We had a lot of fun going to the movies - Tyler's first move, mind you -, the arcade, and of course, BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING! On our way to Utah, Tom said, "I am so pumped for Black Friday in Salt Lake!" It wasn't nearly as crazy as we thought it would be, but we still had fun and found some great deals!

We scored over 800 tickets! Tom was a master and won 5 Jackpots! 

We decided that we should never go gambling... we rocketed through out nickles like nobody's business. But we got some pretty sweet prizes!

Tyler was a real trooper. We were out shopping until 2:30 AM! We got a bunch of funny looks, toting around a baby at that time of night, but Tyler didn't mind a bit. He's a night owl, just like his daddy.

You blink and.... WHAM! December!

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

We decided early that even though it is Tyler's first Christmas, we were going to keep it simple, since he won't know the difference. Next year though... oh ho. Ho ho ho. 

Tyler loved everything about Christmas... The lights, the snow, the tree. You name it, he loved it. Well, except the hat I made him wear because it was cold and snowy. That he didn't love so much. But, it's adorable, so I made him wear it often anyway.

We were home for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, then made the trek down to Pocatello to be with my family.

Santa brought Tyler a Bumbo! Hooray!

We had a lot of fun, and got some great presents! Tom told my mom that he didn't want anything for Christmas. When she wouldn't take no for an answer, he replied, "Fine. Get me home decor."

Then home again to ring in the New Year! We invited some friends over, and since all the students were gone, we played in our clubhouse.

I was obviously tired. Gross. Tyler was too. And then Tom... we love him.

We really enjoyed the holiday season this year and had a hard time saying goodbye when it was all over. It has a whole new meaning with a little one. It was so much more enjoyable too! 

We hope you all enjoyed 2013 and are looking forward to 2014 as much as we are! Except the part where I write "2013" on everything until September...

Food, Glorious Food

People tell Tom and I all the time what a happy baby we have. We always agree, but add, "Unless he is hungry..." Tyler is pretty serious about his food. It takes all of 2 seconds for him to go from perfectly content to STARVING! Literally. It amazed me how quickly he changes. Luckily, over the past few months, we've sure gotten speedy in food preparation!

We started Tyler on solid foods at about 5 months. We just slowly introduced him to rice cereal. He seemed to like it pretty well, but once we added in fruits about a month later, he LOVED it! At Tyler's 6 month doctor's appointment, he weighed in very small. He had dropped from the 25th percentile down to around the 3rd. Yikes! His doctor didn't seem too worried, but did advise us to give him everything, besides raw honey. And that is just what we did. Slowly at first, to watch for allergies, but once he was introduced to it all, Tyler has loved the variety! Tyler is loving every minute of solid foods. Even peas! In fact, he really likes them. I think it's because of the texture. He seems to like his food a little thicker. He also really enjoys mashed potatoes.

But his favorite is probably bananas, either freshly smooshed by mom or right from the baby food jar. He doesn't care which, just as long as it is in his mouth.

He's developed the very messy habit of eating with his hands in his mouth. He's been eating like that since we started, and it's a terrible habit to break! We're getting there slowly... but it's definitely a process.

Thanks to his cousin, Miss Macey Jo, Tyler has discovered that he is a fan of baby cheetos! He loves the Gerber "Lil Crunchies" in Mild Cheddar and Maple & Cinnamon flavors. Next, we're going to see if he is anything like his daddy and try the Ranch flavor!

It's so fun to introduce Tyler to new foods. He sure loves to eat! Even if his little body doesn't show it. He must have quite the metabolism...

And his adventures in food are just beginning. Want to know why?

His first tooth popped through!

Bring on the steak!

The Best Daddy

Hi, my name is Tyler and I have the BEST dad in the world. Wanna know why? I'll tell you why.

My dad is the best because he feeds me the good stuff. 

(But, he didn't really, because that would make me sick, ya know?)

My dad is the best because he gets me dressed in the morning. He has good fashion sense too.

My dad is the best because he makes sure I stay warm when we go outside.

My dad is the best because he knows how I think. He gets me.

My dad is the best because he teaches me how to putt a hole in one in glow golf!

My dad is the best because he is fun to swing with. 

(I promise, I was having fun... I just forgot to smile for mom's picture.)

My dad is the best because he takes me to parades! This was my first, by the way.

My dad is the best because he teaches me about "Stranger Danger."

My dad is the best because he takes naps with me.

Not only is my daddy the best to me, but he's the best to my mommy too. He takes good care of her and is always so nice. He makes us both laugh and smile. He is always there for us, no matter what. He works hard to provide the very best for us. He is patient, loving, and genuine. He is so caring. 

He's the best dad in the whole entire world and I love him so much.