My Good Shopper

I wish more grocery stores had these little carts. I would much rather have Tyler push around a mini cart and help me out than have to push him around in those big massive race car carts that are hard to push and don't turn very well.

Pony Ride

I forgot to post the video of Tyler's first pony ride at the Tulip Festival from last weekend.

Take a "Nap"

Tyler likes to pretend to take a nap on the couch. He lays against the pillows and then asks me to put a blanket on him and hand him stuffed animals.

Easter

Easter

Click on above photo for more Easter photos.

Tulip Festival

Tulip Festival

Click on above photo for photo album of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. Below is a photo from our trip to the Tulip Festival last year.

At the Park

I Want It!

Tyler just starting using the word "I" although he still mostly talks about himself in the third person. We now frequently hear him say, "I want it!"

At the Park

The weather was so nice today we made it to the park in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Aggie Muster

Tyler attended his first Aggie Muster (here in Portland) this evening. Whoop!

Big Boy

Every time I blink it seems Tyler grows up just a little more. This past week Tyler has started eating Cheerios in a bowl with milk. He has seen Michael eat a variety of different cereals with milk and just had to try it for himself. Back in December or January I bought Tyler a pair of slippers (pictured above). I thought he would love them because he loves shoes, he is always taking my slippers (even while I am wearing them), and the slippers I bought have sports balls on them. Of course Tyler wanted nothing to do with the slippers. I suggested them today out of the blue and all of a sudden he is a fan. He looked so grown up with them on.

While Tyler is still content to swing very fast in the baby/toddler swing, he was excited to follow his buddy Calvin to try out the big kid swings.

Yeah

Tyler has started using the word "yeah" quite a bit (note to self and Michael- start using "yes" more often!). It is refreshing to hear positive words instead of "no" all the time.

We Love Spring!

We are loving all these nice weekends we have been having with sunshine and dry weather!

Crib Monkey

These days Tyler likes to entertain us by playing in his crib in the morning before he lets us take him out of the crib. Prior to all this jumping Tyler threw two of his blankets overboard, threw his stuffed dog Patches overboard, and then told me, "Patches fall down!" Really? Did Patches fall down or did you hurl him onto the floor?

Swimming

We decided it was time to give swimming with Tyler another try after Tyler repeatedly played in the fountain, even splashing himself in the face, on a recent trip to the mall. We headed to the indoor pool this morning and found Tyler to still be very traumatized by the pool. He tolerated being in the pool for about an hour but we never once saw him crack a smile. Tyler cried when Michael and I tried to get him to stand in the shallow end that is only one-foot deep. We did get Tyler to sit in an infant float and he seemed to like that okay. Most of the time Tyler clung to either Michael or I with a death grip. As we got changed out of our swimsuits, Tyler kept talking about swimming: "Tyler swim. Mommy swim. Daddy swim." Then out of the blue at dinner tonight Tyler said, "Swim. Fun." Well you could have fooled us!

No Fair!

It takes an eternity to get Tyler into his car seat these days even when we give Tyler the option to climb in on his own! However, we just discovered that if we count to 5 he likes to try and climb in before we get to 5. The other day as I got to about 3, Tyler turned and looked at me and said, "No fair Mommy!" When I asked him what he thought was not fair he just repeated, "No fair!" I am guessing Tyler picked this phrase up from another kid at day care because I have never heard him use it before. I am sure I will be hearing this phrase many more times in the years to come!

PlayDate PDX

The new PlayDate PDX play structure/café is crazy fun! The castle-themed structure has all kinds of obstacles, climbing options, tunnels, slides, etc. There is also a whole ball area where you can shoot or throw balls (really soft ones) at each other. Tyler and Viola had a blast exploring and Tyler cried when it was time to go home.

Potty Curiousity

We have decided not to rush potty training and have been letting Tyler slowly explore his potty at his own pace. Today Tyler asked to sit on his potty without pants and a diaper a whopping three times! His diaper was already wet before he sat down so he pretty much just sat on the potty without doing anything. I got a money shot of Tyler sitting on the potty wearing my shoes and reading a book on trucks. I will spare him the indignity of posting the photo online but you better believe I'm saving that photo for future girlfriends.

So Tired!

Tyler rarely misses a nap. Today, despite spending an hour in his crib Tyler was not able to fall asleep for his normal nap. Around 4 pm he finally conked out on the couch for a little over half an hour. Boy was Tyler cranky after that! We moved bedtime up early to try and help make up for the sleep deficit.

At Play with Calvin and Christopher

Velociraptors like milk too!

Biking Downhill

Yummy Yummy Tummy...

... is what Tyler has been saying recently when he really likes a food. French toast and mac & cheese get this response.

What to wear?

Tyler has started to provide his opinion on what he wants to wear. Earlier this week Tyler really wanted to wear his dinosaur shirt even though he had already worn it the day before and it was in the dirty clothes. I eventually talked him into one of his car shirts. Then the other day Tyler was insistent on wearing his Aggie pants and Aggie shirt. At the end of the day he was upset he had to take off his Aggie shirt to get into his pajamas. And often Tyler does not want to get out of his pajamas, especially his favorite ones (e.g. football, cars). It is nice to see Tyler expressing his opinion but a part of me is sad because I enjoy picking out his little outfits.

Exploring by Bike

Tyler loves going over bridges, checking out the creek, and looking for ducks. On this particular outing we did see one duck in the creek.

Tyler was amused by his shadow and frequently stopped to check it out.

The playground we stopped at only had big kid swings and Tyler insisted that he swing in one. He actually held on to the chains pretty well but I only gave him little pushes because I was afraid he would fall out.

Newest Phrase

Where are you?

Phrase of the Day

No way Jose!

2-Year Portraits

Portraits

Yesterday morning I finally got around to taking Tyler in to get portraits taken to capture age 2. By some miracle Tyler actually cooperated for the photographer. Click on photo above to see all the photos.

Behind the Wheel

At the Park

Spring is here! Although the temperatures could be warmer, we have been having nice breaks in the rain. Tyler was excited to get back out to the park today to ride his bicycle and to explore the playground. And for some reason Tyler found it funny when Michael grabbed at Tyler's feet while he was swinging. Hence the giggling in the video.

Toe Fuzz and Other Yucky Stuff

I am constantly surprised by what Tyler finds "yucky":

• Toe Fuzz: After Tyler, Michael, or I take off his socks Tyler looks for toe fuzz because he thinks it is yucky.


• Loose Threads: A few days ago Tyler had a loose thread on the hem of his shirt sleeve and he found that yucky until I trimmed it off.


• Mommy's Hair: Whenever Tyler finds a strand of my hair on the floor he offers it to me and tells me it is yucky.

Yet Tyler finds nothing wrong with using his arm to wipe ketchup from his face and then licking the ketchup off his arm. Go figure!

First Bike

Tyler got his first bike today and he is so excited about it! We got him a Strider PreBike with no pedals. This style of bike is called many things: running bike, gravity bike, balance bike, etc. The basic concept is that Tyler uses his legs to propel the bike. Most kids start off walking the bike slowly (like in Tyler's video) and then they eventually learn to run to gain speed and to glide along with their feet on the footrest. Since they are so low to the ground they just use their feet to stop or to regain balance if they start to feel wobbly. Using this bike we should bypass the tricycle and training wheels. We had to keep reminding Tyler to sit on the seat but overall we were pretty impressed with how well he handled the bike and really seemed to enjoy it.

Mommy's Sunglasses

Play Park

Beep! Beep! Watch out for those young drivers!

Calvin, Viola, and Tyler

Tyler sat remarkably still to get a fire truck painted on his face.

Tyler LOVED the inflatable rocket ship. The inside of the ship was an obstacle course that the kids entered at the front of the ship and then came out the rear of the ship. Initially Tyler was scared, but I went through the ship with him twice. After that he was hooked. Repeatedly Tyler emerged from the rear of the ship all smiles and then he would run back to go through again. He still does not fully understand the concept of waiting in line so I had to tell him a few times to move to the end of the line instead of cutting in the middle.

More Male Cousins

We have known for a while that Tyler is expecting new cousins in August: Aunt Megan (my brother Brad's wife) and Aunt Sonia (my brother Bryce's wife) are both due in August and their due dates are only one day apart! Now we know they are both having boys. Once the babies arrive that means my parents will have 4 grandsons: Tyler, Noah, and the babies. I think we are in for many rowdy family reunions. Little boys rock!