Early Birthday Surprise!

We had Gram's first birthday celebration a little early, but TJ and Gram didn't seem to mind. My sister brought over ice cream sandwiches and they were enjoyed by all.

TJ helped open Gram's presents. He is such a great helper.
Gram you smell good! (She got some perfume and TJ got to "smell" it!)
Gram got a camera - now she can make sure she has great pictures!

"It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas"

Chuck and I always decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. I was so excited to get all the Christmas things out this year. TJ has really started to understand and was eager to help. The first thing I put out was the Fisher Price Nativity. This is TJ's third Christmas to play with the Nativity. I am so glad I pulled it out first because he played with it for the longest time. It gave me the opportunity to decorate the mantel and the dining room while Chuck put up the tree. TJ is really starting to understand that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday. It has been really special for me to see him get excited about Jesus. Christmas is such a special time of year and being able to experience it through the eyes of a child is extra special.

On Saturday we got all the house decorations up and Chuck put the outside lights up. Then on Sunday we decorated the tree. TJ was so cute putting all the decorations on the tree. (Don't look too closely he really seemed to like one spot at the bottom - it is decorated REALLY well!) I put all of our Christmas books in a basket on the hearth and we have already enjoyed several of them MANY times. Every Christmas I say to myself "there will never be another Christmas just like this one". When I am reminded of that I treasure the moments with my family and children just a little bit more.

Turkey Trot

I am so proud of my Turkey Troters!!! Chuck and Gram both ran/walked the Turkey Trot this year. Chuck used to run the Turkey Trot every year but the last couple of years we have either had an infant or been out of town for Thanksgiving. So this year when mom brought it up we both thought it was a great idea. We got up early and got downtown for an 8:00 race. The boys and I cheered Gram, Daddy, and Gram's friends as they took off. TJ was so excited to watch all the racers start. Over 4700 participants for the Turkey Trot this year, a record for the event. After only 23 min. our dad was done, we were SO impressed!!!

I have to take a moment and brag on Chuck. He has not run in months and certainly had not trained for this race. To run over 3 miles in 23 min. was GREAT! I can't tell you how full of pride I was to be his wife.
It was such a great moment for our family to cheer Chuck across the line and then cheer Gram across the finish line too. She walked the 5k and finished right at 45min. Great Job, Gram, we were SUPER proud of you too. We look forward to making the Turkey Trot part of our Thanksgiving Tradition.

Tot Trot

TJ ran his first race today. After the Turkey Trot was over they had a Tot Trot for kids. TJ was in the boys 3 and under category and Chuck was allowed to run with him. He was so excited to get his number just like Daddy. They gave all the children a number 1 but we let TJ know his number 1 was a big deal. He really did well. He ran the whole 100 yards and was so excited to get a 1st place ribbon (they gave those to ALL the kids too). It was such a great family event. We cheered TJ on and he was so proud of himself. I can't express what a great experience it was for me as a mom to see my little boy "run" in the race. After cheering Chuck on for so many years it was a pleasure to pass that cheering onto TJ. I look forward to many more chances to cheer TJ on in life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My sister hosted Thanksgiving this year and it was such a treat. She had our family and her in laws there as well. TJ loved getting to play with my sisters nieces and nephew. There was a ton of food but as my sister said "every ones favorite was there". We certainly didn't miss out on ANYTHING! We had such a wonderful time, she had crafts for the kids and special name cards for each person. She did such a great job we may just have her do it again next year!

Tyler Eats with a Spoon!

This morning Chuck gave Tyler a spoon for the first time. We were both SHOCKED when he put it right in his mouth like he had been feeding himself for months. We still have to help him get the food on the spoon, but he wants to be the one to put it in his mouth. I guess he has been watching TJ and knew just what to do. We can't believe how fast our "Little Man" is growing up.

CAR SHOW!

We took TJ to the car show for the second year in a row. I am sure it will be an annual event. He LOVES getting in as many cars as he can. As you can see from the pictures he is very intense about the experience. For TJ this is better than a theme park and for us it is A LOT cheaper. At the SUZUKI area TJ tried to say "SUZUKI" and instead said "zucchini". The girls there thought he was so cute they gave him a battery powered fan that has SUZUKI light up as the fan spins. He was really proud of his fan. TJ also got books at all the dealers' areas and had several days of "car reading". The trip to the car show was a HUGE success and he is still talking about it.

One Last Birthday Celebration!

Aunt Melodie and Uncle Jay were out of town for both of the boys' birthday parties. On TJ's actual birthday they brought over a car cake to celebrate their birthdays with us. Both of the boys LOVED the car cake and the presents were a BIG hit too. Thanks Aunt Melodie and Uncle Jay we had a great time celebrating with you.

Thanksgiving Feast at TJ's School

TJ had a Thanksgiving Feast at his school. Each family brought their child's favorite food and then the kids played some really cute Thanksgiving games. It was so sweet to see TJ with his friends. He was so good and was SO excited about Mommy and Tyler being at school.

TJ's Happy Birthday at School

TJ got to celebrate his birthday at school today. He was so excited to take cupcakes for his friends. They sang "Happy Birthday" to him and made him feel special.

We also took TJ to his three year check-up with the Dr. today. He is exactly 3 feet tall (25% on the growth chart) and weighs 31 lbs (50% on the chart). The Dr. had no concerns and said he was very well behaved! He got the flu shot today and was excited about receiving it (he didn't remember that shots hurt!). We have been playing with a Dr. kit at home and that "shot" doesn't hurt. After the nurse gave him the shot he cried just a little bit and then looked at her and said "that hurt". He was so sweet about it. Then he watched Tyler get three shots and scream the whole time. I think that is when he realized that he didn't have it so bad.

Can you drink from a Cup Tyler?

Now that Tyler is ONE he is supposed to drink out of a cup. He is really working on it and getting better. The first couple of days when I would offer the cup instead of a bottle he wouldn't have anything to do with it. But now he is starting to get the hang of it. I am really proud of him.

We took him for his one year check up and he was 29 inches long (25% on the growth chart) and 18 lbs. 8 oz. (off the bottom of the chart!). The Dr. was not worried he said that we have to work with what the Lord gives us and then pointed to me and Chuck!!!! Tyler was given a PERFECT bill of health. The Dr. was pleased with his social skills and even got to hear him say "no". I guess he has heard that word a few times!

Baby Wyatt

Today TJ and Tyler helped me watch baby Wyatt. Both of the boys were so excited to have a baby around. At the beginning of the day TJ kept asking Ginger (Wyatt's mom) what her baby's name was. After awhile TJ finally remembered and then kept very good tabs on where Wyatt was and what he was doing. I got a small taste of what it would be like to have three boys!!! We had a great time - I was SO glad I was able to help.

Tyler's First Birthday Party!

I can't hardly believe that Tyler is a year old. We celebrated his birthday tonight with our family. He did great with his first cupcake. It didn't take him any time at all to put it in his mouth and he LOVED it from the first bite! We have had a VERY busy weekend celebrating our boys birthdays, but it was worth every minute. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful boys. TJ was as excited about Tyler's birthday party as he was his own. He has such a sweet spirit. Every time I would say TJ's having a party he would say, "Tyler is too"! He didn't want Tyler to be left out. They will never know anything else but celebrating their birthday's at the same time since they are only 6 days apart. I think that will be something special that they will always share.

H3 Party Time!

The party day has finally arrived. Today was TJ's H3 party and it could not have gone better. TJ and the other kids had a great time. Our neighbor, Ms. Sue, has a HUMMER and she allowed the kids to climb in and explore her H3. Thanks Ms. Sue - the HUMMER was a HUGE hit! We also had some other HUMMER activities for the kids. They got to make their own HUMMER door hanger and they got to "drive" some small HUMMMERS on an obstacle course. They even got their very own HUMMER driver's license. We took each of the kids pictures in front of the HUMMER and then presented them with their own license. It was a lot of fun. TJ was excellent. He seemed to love the attention and the presents. I had a lot of fun planning and executing the party - it was ALL I had hoped it would be. The most important thing was that TJ had a great time and I think he really felt special. That was my goal.
Happy 3rd Birthday TJ - I love you, Mommy!

Happy Halloween!

We had a very Happy Halloween this year. It was so much fun to experience it with TJ. We did some trick-or-treating and we also attended the Fall Festival at our church. I just LOVE the festival at the church. We always get to see people there that we rarely get to see any other time of the year. It is such a great family event and we get to show off our adorable kids. If I have to say so myself, Tyler was the cutest frog I have EVER seen and TJ was the best looking Home Depot guy that ever was!!!

I was really proud of the way TJ played on some of the big festival rides. Some of the slides he went down were really BIG. He did great and really enjoyed himself too. Of course, as usual Tyler was the perfect baby. If you can't tell by the picture - Tyler is walking. Yes, we had a walking frog. He really was precious, we actually finally got some video of him walking. After we left the festival we wanted to take TJ to a few houses to trick-or-treat. I only wanted him to go to houses of people we knew but I think he caught on to what other people were doing because as we were in the van driving to Aunt Melodie's house TJ said "let's ring their doorbell and get some candy"(pointing to a house that we don't know)! I told him that when he got a little older we would do that.

I think we may have pushed it last night, we didn't get in until 8:45 and little Tyler was exhausted - he hung in there really well though. TJ was still excited from all the excitement of the evening. As he was coming in he said, "I'll be the Home Depot guy tomorrow and then I can get more candy". I told him that he could be the Home Depot guy tomorrow but there would be no more candy. He would have to wait until next year. There was only one night that you could ring someones door bell and they would give you candy and that was Halloween. There is always next year to look forward to!