Tyler and Daphne's Blog: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Pump It Up, Jr.

Psyched to do the obstacle course for the zillionth time

Calvin and Tyler exiting the obstacle course

Daphne and Lilith in the toddler inflatable area

Daphne climbed to the top of this mini slide all by herself
and then she slid down. Our girl is fearless!

Birthday Cake

The kids were more than a little happy to have some birthday cake to help Michael celebrate his birthday this past weekend!

Tyler practically inhaled his cake.
So much for giving him the option of a fork!

Can I have another piece????

Daphne didn't really eat much cake. She mostly just smeared
frosting everywhere. And earned herself a much-needed bath!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Michael and Tyler headed to the mountain this past weekend to snow tube. Daphne and I stayed home since we were both under the weather but will try to go again sometime this winter. Michael said that Tyler pretty much had a grin on his face the entire time.

Ready for a ride with Daddy. Tyler was a little scared at the
top of the hill the first time but ended up loving it.

After a few runs in the double tube with Michael,
Tyler was ready for his own tube.

Snow ride

And of course the day wasn't complete
without a few snowballs!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

First Steps!

I am excited to report that Daphne took her first unassisted steps today. She has really been working on balance over the past month and frequently lets go of furniture and just stands in place. And she can now go from the floor to a standing position without the aid of any furniture. This evening she took about four steps on her way from me to Michael and Tyler. She also took a few steps on her own in the kitchen.

A few seconds of fame

Thursday was an exciting day at the Hurtado household. I had already planned to stay home with the kids instead of work since Daphne was sick and had come home early Wednesday afternoon with a fever. When Michael went to leave for work around 7 am he discovered a wrecked SUV in our yard! I reported it to the Sheriff's office and they came out to investigate. The driver, who was missing most of Thursday, turned out to be a neighbor who lives with his parents a few houses down on the cross street we live near. The driver is okay although banged up. His dad was very nice, had the SUV towed, and came over yesterday to patch up our landscaping. A reporter came by in the afternoon and the kids and I ended up on the ABC local news at 6 pm. Click on the link below to see the news clip. Daphne and I are obvious. If you look closely at the last camera image of the SUV you will see Tyler shuffling by in his pajamas and Michael's sandals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zqY66SZKiI&feature=youtu.be

Under the Weather

Poor Daphne has had a nasty cold the past week and naturally she passed it on to me. Other than a nighttime cough that Tyler has yet to shake, the boys luckily haven't caught this cold. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon Daphne had a fever. She finally seems to be doing better although it is hard to tell because there is still some sinus drainage and coughing. And like most kids her age Daphne hates having her nose wiped, which often just results in tears and even more snot that needs to be wiped!

Cuddling with her dog Violet

This bucket has been popular as a hat this week.

Daphne has wanted lots of extra cuddles and Tyler wanted in
on the action too. He even requested that I take this photo.

Monday, January 21, 2013

At Play

My Sous-Chef

Tyler does like to help out in the kitchen some. Mostly he likes to make pancakes and French toast. He measures and stirs. Tyler particularly likes whisking the eggs. Last week he wanted to make banana bread and so we did. Tyler really liked mashing up the bananas. I thought the bread turned out quite tasty but Tyler didn't like it. He said they make it better at school.

And don't worry- the oven mitt is just for show. Tyler doesn't get to go near the oven or the stovetop.

Big Brother Tyler Song

I have been singing this to Daphne, but Tyler likes it so much that he often requests it.

To the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb:

Daphne has a big brother Tyler
Big brother Tyler
Big brother Tyler
Daphne has a big brother Tyler
Whom she really adores

Everywhere that Tyler went
Tyler went
Tyler went
Everywhere that Tyler went
Daphne was sure to go

Although Tyler is not always thrilled that Daphne follows him around, he does love that the song is primarily about him. Lately Tyler has been referring to Daphne as the monster and he will shriek and run away when she goes near him. Daphne thinks this is a game and it makes her laugh. Ignorance is bliss!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Mini Me

Daphne is showing great promise in following in my organizational footsteps. She loves containers and actually helps put toys away in bins. Daphne even helps put away Tyler's toys when she sees us putting them away. Now if we could only get Tyler to follow suit.

For years?

Tyler saw a cool toy in the store while we were out running errands. He told me, "Mommy, I've been wanting that for years."

Friday, January 18, 2013

Miss Manners

Daphne managed a bad manners trifecta while out to lunch today: she tooted, burped, and picked her nose. Gotta love classy babies!

1-Year Well Child Visit

Daphne had her one-year well child check-up with the doctor last Friday. She got a clean bill of health and a new round of vaccinations.

The stats:

Weight: 22 lb (86th percentile)
Length: 28-1/2" (27th percentile)
Head circumference: 18" (72nd percentile)

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Daphne's Drawer

Since we got back from vacation Daphne has climbed into
her kitchen drawer repeatedly to play.

This became more of a safety problem once
she repeatedly started standing in the drawer!!!!

Last weekend Michael put a safety latch on the
bottom drawer and put Daphne's containers and
toys in the next drawer up. She can still get to all
her goodies with both feet on the ground.

The funny thing is that Tyler still thinks that this is his drawer. He actually steals some of the items, especially the toothbrush holder and coffee cans, away from Daphne.

Monkeying Around

Tyler, Clara, Jack, Bebe, Daphne, and Viola

Mr. Monster Truck

Here is Tyler racing some of his monster trucks on his monster truck race ramp.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Daphne's 1st Birthday

We headed to the Houston Zoo on Daphne's first birthday although it was one of the coldest days of our entire trip.

Martha, Damon, Bryce, Sonia, Noah, Daphne,
Michael, Tyler, Andrew, and Lydia

First carousel ride- Daphne wasn't quite
sure what to think

A birthday snooze with
PawPaw at the helm

Tyler and Noah helped make chocolate chip cookie cake and
they both added some noise to try to drown out the mixer.

We waited until after dinner to do cake and ice cream and all the kids (except for probably Hazel) were near their melting point. Just prior to singing Happy Birthday I think Daphne and Damon were crying, Tyler and Noah were screeching, and all of the noise upset Hazel who started to cry too. But they all perked up with the singing and of course the eating of the cake.

Our precious birthday girl

I guess I'll take a little nibble of some cake...

Yummy! Can I eat the plate too?

I think I'm going to need a bath!!!!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Who is Walking Who?

Tyler and Noah enjoyed walking my dad's cocker spaniels Jamie and Allie. I enjoyed tagging along on the walks for the sheer entertainment of watching the boys try to keep up with the dogs! It's a good thing that 3-year olds have lots of energy.