Tyler turned 14 months old today. Growing like a weed! He's not as big as Brayden was, but he's big for him (if that makes sense). He's always been my little peanut. I'm still 100% convinced that they didn't weigh him right when he was born. But whatever. He's such a sweetheart. He loves to blow kisses to people and tonight he gave Billy a real kiss goodnight (on the cheek of course). I was surprised that he did it!
Today I did something I've never done before... I took both boys to the mall all by myself. We went to Old Navy and Children's Place and then played in the play zone. THEN - I took them to Chick-fil-A for lunch and managed to do it all without going crazy or even a little crazy at all. They were both really good. It was hard when I had to hold one and push the other in the stroller - the cheapie strollers were NOT made for someone to push with one hand. But I can't fit the bigger one in my trunk (oh where is that minivan when you need it!?!?!?). But all in all, it was a good enough trip that I may actually do it again sometime. However - I'm still not going to brave grocery shopping with them by myself. That's just nuts.
Well... I'm not feeling real great... I think maybe I'm just really tired. And I have a few things to do before actually making it to bed. I think I may just skip it all and take a nice long bath or shower and then hit the sack, though. I may go see how things are going with the Servants kids first... John's down there, and I don't want him to be all weirded out if he comes home, and I'm already in bed.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Playing Quietly
I had a few free minutes... Brayden is napping, and Tyler is playing by himself. He's been doing that a lot more over the last few weeks. Used to be that Brayden was the only one who'd play alone. I think he actually spoiled me because he liked to play by himself from about 9 months old. He'd sit in his room and play for hours. Very uncharacteristic for babies that old. But then there's my mommy's boy Tyler. He really needs people around. He does not like to be alone. But, he's started to change. He will play by himself for 20-30 minutes or with Brayden for an hour or so (or until he gets hurt or stuck in the toy box). He's growing up so quickly!! He tried to say "diaper" today. It was actually almost understandable! It's so weird to me for him to be talking since Brayden didn't talk until 2. Anyway - I got a few pictures of Tyler while he was playing...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Seriously.
I was sitting on the couch last night scrapbooking (again) and thought to myself that I needed to blog something... but again, I didn't. I guess I just tell myself that my scrapbooking kind of covers the blog aspect?
ANYWAY... I just saw a friend's blogger site and she's started blogging letters to her two little girls. I thought it was a fantastic idea, but I'd never keep up with it. Sigh. I wish I could. I need to get out of this pity party, though.
Brayden has now started talking in almost complete sentences. It's kind of happened gradually,so I haven't noticed it quite as much as John. But since he's not in the house all day, he keeps commenting on how many more things Brayden is saying these days. Like last night, they were taking a shower and B goes, "It's raining!" He's started liking "The Very Best Nest" book for bedtime - mainly because there's a big bell in it and he gets to go "bong! bong! bong!" really loud and with motions... He's very into the whole sound effect thing right now. He'll tell you there's a bug and then he'll shake his hands and say, "buzz buzz" (like he's trying to show you what the bug does). He also does airplanes, trains, trucks (big trucks!) and anything that makes loud noises, like thunder or growling animals. He's become obsessed with chocolate milk. The neighbor's dog is Chocolate, so he's started calling him Chocolate Milk.
Tyler is our little ham. He's started figuring out that he can make people laugh and he loves to do things to bring out that response. He's a generally happy baby, but when he gets mad about something, his fit is pretty intense. He's been learning from Brayden, though, so what less could you expect?
I'm cracked up because both of my boys are pizza freaks. I fixed them a Tony's the other night and I really believe it was the first meal EVER that neither of them dropped any on the floor. Speaking of dropping on the floor... meal times are like a warzone in the kitchen. I sometimes think these boys are actually having food fights just to spite me.
We had a great Memorial Day on Monday. We grilled out for supper and then Brayden got to play with the hose. That was the end of the great day. When we had to turn off the water, you would have thought we told Brayden that he could never have another cup of juice for the rest of his life. The fit lasted for 2 hours. Seriously. I'm not kidding at all. I tried everything to get him to calm down; he'd have none of it. I ended up just turning off his lights and closing his door and letting him just cry it out. He fell asleep by the door - he had pulled his pillow and blanket off of his bed and made a little nest right by the crack. He woke up fine the next morning... Here's some pictures:
ANYWAY... I just saw a friend's blogger site and she's started blogging letters to her two little girls. I thought it was a fantastic idea, but I'd never keep up with it. Sigh. I wish I could. I need to get out of this pity party, though.
Brayden has now started talking in almost complete sentences. It's kind of happened gradually,so I haven't noticed it quite as much as John. But since he's not in the house all day, he keeps commenting on how many more things Brayden is saying these days. Like last night, they were taking a shower and B goes, "It's raining!" He's started liking "The Very Best Nest" book for bedtime - mainly because there's a big bell in it and he gets to go "bong! bong! bong!" really loud and with motions... He's very into the whole sound effect thing right now. He'll tell you there's a bug and then he'll shake his hands and say, "buzz buzz" (like he's trying to show you what the bug does). He also does airplanes, trains, trucks (big trucks!) and anything that makes loud noises, like thunder or growling animals. He's become obsessed with chocolate milk. The neighbor's dog is Chocolate, so he's started calling him Chocolate Milk.
Tyler is our little ham. He's started figuring out that he can make people laugh and he loves to do things to bring out that response. He's a generally happy baby, but when he gets mad about something, his fit is pretty intense. He's been learning from Brayden, though, so what less could you expect?
I'm cracked up because both of my boys are pizza freaks. I fixed them a Tony's the other night and I really believe it was the first meal EVER that neither of them dropped any on the floor. Speaking of dropping on the floor... meal times are like a warzone in the kitchen. I sometimes think these boys are actually having food fights just to spite me.
We had a great Memorial Day on Monday. We grilled out for supper and then Brayden got to play with the hose. That was the end of the great day. When we had to turn off the water, you would have thought we told Brayden that he could never have another cup of juice for the rest of his life. The fit lasted for 2 hours. Seriously. I'm not kidding at all. I tried everything to get him to calm down; he'd have none of it. I ended up just turning off his lights and closing his door and letting him just cry it out. He fell asleep by the door - he had pulled his pillow and blanket off of his bed and made a little nest right by the crack. He woke up fine the next morning... Here's some pictures:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I meant to...
Over the last week or two things have kept happening, and I say to myself, "I need to get on and blog about this before I forget it." And I really MEANT to... but I haven't done it. And I forgot what all those little things were. Time goes by so quickly and my days seem like just one constant run of naps and "no"s. But then there are some shining moments that I want to hold on to forever. I'm going to do my best to catch up on some of these...
Brayden
Brayden has recently discovered bugs - and has a weird fear of them. He freaks out. Seriously. And it's turned into anything that he doesn't like, it's a "bug." So last week he was staying with Grandma & Pa Pa and had the leftovers from his lunch in a take-home box. Unfortunately, a piece of Grandma's lettuce got in with his fries. So when he opened the box, he freaked out and yelled, "EW! Yucky bug!" Funny kid.
He's started talking in sentences and sings along with any music. Somewhere he learned "Happy Birthday" and will pretend that things are candles just so he can sing the song and blow out the candle. He is still obsessed with Backyardigans and will sing along with almost any of their songs - and sometimes says the words along with the episode. His memory amazes me.
His favorite book is "Go, Dog. Go!" and will not go to bed without it. However, I can start on the "now it is night" page and read to the end and that seems to satisfy him. I do that when we've read 2-3 other books and he STILL wants to finish up with "Go, Dog."
He and Tyler are the ultimate Steve McQueen duo. They've learned how to escape the house if no one's paying attention (like if I'm in the bathroom or on the phone). They will knock down the gate and go out the front door. Luckily, they haven't made it much further than that, but it still scares me to death that they are that brave. And defiant.
Tyler
Tyler has learned to spin around in circles. It's too cute to watch him "dance." He also loves the Backyardigans - just like brother.
He has said quite a few words - which is weird for me because B didn't talk until almost 2! He's said: mama, daddy, pa pa, light, milk, and most recently: da-den (Brayden). I think it's amazing how he tries so hard to talk. He'll mimic a lot of stuff. Although his favorite thing to mimic, though, is sneezing. So cute.
His hair is so red and all curly in the back. Everyone keeps saying we need to cut it because he looks like a girl. And even though I swore I'd never be one of "those" parents, I am. I can't bring myself to chop off his cute hair. I'm so scared his curls will be gone forever if I do.
Well, my battery is about to die on the laptop... typical for me... So I'm going to go. If I think of more later, though, I'll jot it down. Well, I'll MEAN to.
In the meantime, though - here's my latest scrap of the boys:
Brayden
Brayden has recently discovered bugs - and has a weird fear of them. He freaks out. Seriously. And it's turned into anything that he doesn't like, it's a "bug." So last week he was staying with Grandma & Pa Pa and had the leftovers from his lunch in a take-home box. Unfortunately, a piece of Grandma's lettuce got in with his fries. So when he opened the box, he freaked out and yelled, "EW! Yucky bug!" Funny kid.
He's started talking in sentences and sings along with any music. Somewhere he learned "Happy Birthday" and will pretend that things are candles just so he can sing the song and blow out the candle. He is still obsessed with Backyardigans and will sing along with almost any of their songs - and sometimes says the words along with the episode. His memory amazes me.
His favorite book is "Go, Dog. Go!" and will not go to bed without it. However, I can start on the "now it is night" page and read to the end and that seems to satisfy him. I do that when we've read 2-3 other books and he STILL wants to finish up with "Go, Dog."
He and Tyler are the ultimate Steve McQueen duo. They've learned how to escape the house if no one's paying attention (like if I'm in the bathroom or on the phone). They will knock down the gate and go out the front door. Luckily, they haven't made it much further than that, but it still scares me to death that they are that brave. And defiant.
Tyler
Tyler has learned to spin around in circles. It's too cute to watch him "dance." He also loves the Backyardigans - just like brother.
He has said quite a few words - which is weird for me because B didn't talk until almost 2! He's said: mama, daddy, pa pa, light, milk, and most recently: da-den (Brayden). I think it's amazing how he tries so hard to talk. He'll mimic a lot of stuff. Although his favorite thing to mimic, though, is sneezing. So cute.
His hair is so red and all curly in the back. Everyone keeps saying we need to cut it because he looks like a girl. And even though I swore I'd never be one of "those" parents, I am. I can't bring myself to chop off his cute hair. I'm so scared his curls will be gone forever if I do.
Well, my battery is about to die on the laptop... typical for me... So I'm going to go. If I think of more later, though, I'll jot it down. Well, I'll MEAN to.
In the meantime, though - here's my latest scrap of the boys:
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Erin's Graduation
The boys and I headed down to Fletcher for Erin's graduation this weekend. Grandma & Grandpa were there too. I wish John could've come, but he had to work on the bathhouse - plus we had a few volunteers come out to help. We had a good time, though. Here's what I did for Erin:
...and here's what all Brayden was up to while we were there...
...and here's what all Brayden was up to while we were there...
Monday, April 14, 2008
10 Worries
Sometimes I just wish I could just *snap* and fix whatever it is I'm worrying about. I'm a total worry-wart. Seriously. I worry about EVERYTHING. I can't sleep at night because I think of things to worry about. Like if there's not something I'm concerned with, I rack my brain trying to come up with something to concern myself with. I'm not joking. Deep down I have a peaceful sense in God that everything will be okay, but I find myself thinking through countless scenarios of "what-ifs" and "yeah, buts" until I just drift off to sleep. (And even then I DREAM about junk.) I don't really know why this happens or why I let myself do this. I've tried convincing myself that worrying doesn't really help, but I find some sense of security in it - like if I think through every situation and come up with every possible outcome for every single stress in my life, then I won't be too shocked when it happens. Or I just like to be pessimistic? I dunno.
So to cap this all off, I'm going to try to list my top 10 worries/concerns and then focus on one week for the next ten weeks... Pray about it, be proactive about it, talk with John about it and have him help me let go of this gripping paranoia.
1. Finances - obviously a big one. I make a joke about the "money munchkin" tonight who told me the other day to not waste money on microwaveable popcorn. But then John came back at me with the fact that I don't listen to that money munchkin when I really should... So I'm going to try to be better about our budget and getting out of debt so we don't have this huge black cloud hanging over our heads for the rest of our life.
2. Work - I just don't make the time to get done what I need to, and I make all sorts of excuses not to. Then I freak out because I have "so much to do."
3. Being a good Mommy - I just need to focus more on spending meaningful time with the boys.
4. My relationship with God.
5. Erin - I just worry about her all day long...
6. My health/fitness (really, need I say more?)
7. Losing one or both of the boys or John. I seriously freak out about this more than I should.
8. My relationship with John - just making the time to talk about things other than work and the kids and really keeping "us" in good shape.
9. How others view me - I am so insecure and paranoid that no one likes me. I go home from meetings, church, family gatherings just absolutely convinced that I'm a mess and said all the wrong things and no one really enjoyed my company. I don't know how such an outwardly, seemingly confident person is so insecure, but I really am. And I'd really like to work on my self-image and thus change how I view other people viewing me.
10. Various little things that are totally within my control - like cleaning the house instead of playing xbox, or finding my keys, or writing thank you cards for Tyler's birthday, or forgetting to send that check to Courtney. I have so many things that just come down to laziness and at the end of the day I feel so dang guilty for it all that I just worry and worry that I'm not the person I want to be or should be and then my brain goes to how much I'm unhappy with myself... I just need to get my butt in gear so that I don't have the little things to worry about and can focus on the bigger things that might actually matter.
Whew. I feel better. For now.
So to cap this all off, I'm going to try to list my top 10 worries/concerns and then focus on one week for the next ten weeks... Pray about it, be proactive about it, talk with John about it and have him help me let go of this gripping paranoia.
1. Finances - obviously a big one. I make a joke about the "money munchkin" tonight who told me the other day to not waste money on microwaveable popcorn. But then John came back at me with the fact that I don't listen to that money munchkin when I really should... So I'm going to try to be better about our budget and getting out of debt so we don't have this huge black cloud hanging over our heads for the rest of our life.
2. Work - I just don't make the time to get done what I need to, and I make all sorts of excuses not to. Then I freak out because I have "so much to do."
3. Being a good Mommy - I just need to focus more on spending meaningful time with the boys.
4. My relationship with God.
5. Erin - I just worry about her all day long...
6. My health/fitness (really, need I say more?)
7. Losing one or both of the boys or John. I seriously freak out about this more than I should.
8. My relationship with John - just making the time to talk about things other than work and the kids and really keeping "us" in good shape.
9. How others view me - I am so insecure and paranoid that no one likes me. I go home from meetings, church, family gatherings just absolutely convinced that I'm a mess and said all the wrong things and no one really enjoyed my company. I don't know how such an outwardly, seemingly confident person is so insecure, but I really am. And I'd really like to work on my self-image and thus change how I view other people viewing me.
10. Various little things that are totally within my control - like cleaning the house instead of playing xbox, or finding my keys, or writing thank you cards for Tyler's birthday, or forgetting to send that check to Courtney. I have so many things that just come down to laziness and at the end of the day I feel so dang guilty for it all that I just worry and worry that I'm not the person I want to be or should be and then my brain goes to how much I'm unhappy with myself... I just need to get my butt in gear so that I don't have the little things to worry about and can focus on the bigger things that might actually matter.
Whew. I feel better. For now.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Freaking Kid. Seriously.
"Um.... Cheese-berger."
"You want a cheeseburger? Okay, I'm getting you a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger."
"Yes."
"Okay."
5 minutes later at the table.
"Cheese-berger!"
"Yes, that's your cheeseburger. Eat it."
"No way."
"Brayden, seriously. You need to eat."
"No way!"
"Okay, fine. Ty-Ty will eat it."
"NO WAY! (and crying ensues)"
*sigh* "Okay, here's your burger."
"CHEESE BERGER!"
"Yes. EAT IT."
"No. No WAY!" (as he wraps it back up, and total melt down follows.)
John takes the screaming child outside... He's met by a grandma who says, "Aww... Little guy giving you trouble?"
John: "Every day."
PS - the wrapped up cheeseburger is still sitting in the car. Uneaten.
"You want a cheeseburger? Okay, I'm getting you a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger."
"Yes."
"Okay."
5 minutes later at the table.
"Cheese-berger!"
"Yes, that's your cheeseburger. Eat it."
"No way."
"Brayden, seriously. You need to eat."
"No way!"
"Okay, fine. Ty-Ty will eat it."
"NO WAY! (and crying ensues)"
*sigh* "Okay, here's your burger."
"CHEESE BERGER!"
"Yes. EAT IT."
"No. No WAY!" (as he wraps it back up, and total melt down follows.)
John takes the screaming child outside... He's met by a grandma who says, "Aww... Little guy giving you trouble?"
John: "Every day."
PS - the wrapped up cheeseburger is still sitting in the car. Uneaten.
When at eleventy-hundredth you don't succeed...
So I've been trying to keep this blog/journal for 4 years now. I stink at it. I'll have my days where I'm really good at getting on here and writing something, but then MONTHS. I don't know why I don't make myself do it more. My mom has been keeping a DAILY journal since 1977. Seriously. She has 30 books of journaling. I can think of any day in my life and go find out what she had to say about that day. Usually it's just composed of "Today, I..." but how neat is it to be able to know that in October of 1977, she went to KFC for lunch and spent $1.50 total. Or being able to go back to the '80's and read about every day of my brother's life.
So I'm going to try (again) to pick it back up.
So I'm going to try (again) to pick it back up.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Tyler's First Birthday
Well, it's been a year. We woke up this morning to Tyler making a lot of noise. At 7:30. AM. Go figure. Guess he wanted to get an early start on the day. I don't think Aunt Erin liked it very much - but she had earplugs in. So I got Tyler out of the pack-n-play and put him in bed with John and me. He just wanted to play mountain climber. Typical. We were supposed to be leaving for Silver Dollar City at 9, so I went ahead and got up to get ready. We found out later that Tyler was everyone else's alarm clock, too... Mom and Dad (and Brayden) were in the adjoining room and could hear him, so they all got up. We went down to the hospitality room to see what they had for breakfast. It was packed with all the teens for young Christians weekend. Had some donuts and took a few back for Mom and Brayden. Finally we all got ready and got the diaper bag ready to go. We had PLANNED for the Young Clan to go with us at 9, but they weren't even up yet.
So we took off for The City. It was a little chilly out, and kind of looked like rain, but we were all being optimistic that the weather would get better. It didn't. I think the stupid weather fairy was out to get us (again). But we had a pretty good day anyway. Tyler tried to ride some of the smaller rides, but he didn't like them!! I was really surprised because he's usually such a thrill seeker. Brayden LOVED everything and couldn't stand to leave. He especially loved the spinning teacups. I wanted him to ride the mini-rollercoaster, but it started raining so they shut it down. =(
We just kind of stuck it out through the rain... We rode the train (Tyler and Brayden gave the "bandits" some money), rode the Shoot-out (Tyler actually really liked that), and sat and listened to the Pickers (Brayden fell asleep; Tyler sang along & clapped). I think it would have been a lot more fun had the weather been drier and warmer, but it was still a neat thing to spend the day with the "whole" family. As we were getting ready to leave, Pure Heart was getting ready to sing on the Main Square stage. There was NO ONE there listening, so I thought the boys might like to go dance to their music. We all headed over there and Tyler started to CRAWL UP ON STAGE. So the girls picked him up and started singing to him!!! It was just too cute. They got especially excited when we told them it was his birthday. It was the perfect end to the day.
I cannot believe that he's one year old already. He's 20 lbs and 30" long. So he's really tall and very skinny. He still has red hair, and we can't go ANYWHERE without people commenting on it. It's also really long and curly in the back, so sometimes he gets mistaken for a girl. His eyes are a very dark brownish green. He is attached to me for about 90% of the time. He can't stand to be away from me for too long. He's already trying to talk and we *think* we've heard him say Mama, Dada, PawPaw, love you (vvv-eeeew), and again (giiiiii). He loves to play with Brayden, but he's VERY violent. He likes to hit and thinks it's very funny. He obeys a LOT better than Brayden did, but generally he only listens to me - when John tells him no, he just laughs. He's a pretty good humored baby as long as there are people around. He's been a great addition to our family, and we can't imagine life without him.
So we took off for The City. It was a little chilly out, and kind of looked like rain, but we were all being optimistic that the weather would get better. It didn't. I think the stupid weather fairy was out to get us (again). But we had a pretty good day anyway. Tyler tried to ride some of the smaller rides, but he didn't like them!! I was really surprised because he's usually such a thrill seeker. Brayden LOVED everything and couldn't stand to leave. He especially loved the spinning teacups. I wanted him to ride the mini-rollercoaster, but it started raining so they shut it down. =(
We just kind of stuck it out through the rain... We rode the train (Tyler and Brayden gave the "bandits" some money), rode the Shoot-out (Tyler actually really liked that), and sat and listened to the Pickers (Brayden fell asleep; Tyler sang along & clapped). I think it would have been a lot more fun had the weather been drier and warmer, but it was still a neat thing to spend the day with the "whole" family. As we were getting ready to leave, Pure Heart was getting ready to sing on the Main Square stage. There was NO ONE there listening, so I thought the boys might like to go dance to their music. We all headed over there and Tyler started to CRAWL UP ON STAGE. So the girls picked him up and started singing to him!!! It was just too cute. They got especially excited when we told them it was his birthday. It was the perfect end to the day.
I cannot believe that he's one year old already. He's 20 lbs and 30" long. So he's really tall and very skinny. He still has red hair, and we can't go ANYWHERE without people commenting on it. It's also really long and curly in the back, so sometimes he gets mistaken for a girl. His eyes are a very dark brownish green. He is attached to me for about 90% of the time. He can't stand to be away from me for too long. He's already trying to talk and we *think* we've heard him say Mama, Dada, PawPaw, love you (vvv-eeeew), and again (giiiiii). He loves to play with Brayden, but he's VERY violent. He likes to hit and thinks it's very funny. He obeys a LOT better than Brayden did, but generally he only listens to me - when John tells him no, he just laughs. He's a pretty good humored baby as long as there are people around. He's been a great addition to our family, and we can't imagine life without him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
