3rd Birthday Letter

Dear Tyson,
More so than the last two years, it is hard to communicate everything I would like to in words. Every year, around your birthday I am catapulted into this frenzy of remembrance and visions of your actual birthday bounce through my head. Memories of the last three years fill my heart and my mind. I had no idea before you were born what it meant to be a mom. I had no idea how much one little baby could change my life. My house. My car. My sleep. You have grown more than I ever imagined possible in the last twelve months:
You became a big brother. Loving and protective:
Your boundless energy keeps me on my toes. Keeps me busy. Keeps me young. You are one of very few people that can keep up with me at the Rez. I look forward to many running adventures in the near future. You are inquisitive. Exceptionally mechanical. Fearless.

Yet, you love to create. Your stepping stone sits proudly on our front walkway and always reminds me of this day. You have taught me the beauty of coloring outside the lines. Opened my color palette. Made our glider your “own”:

You have outgrown your Chandler Bing “CHEEEEESE” smile *thank goodness* and are now quite the ham…when I can slow you down enough to take a picture:

You learned a new phrase, “I do myself” and use it for both good and bad. You love to help wash Mommy’s car and even remind her when it is need of cleaning. Frequently. You often push out your car and wash it while Mommy washes hers:

You started preschool. As in drop off and leave preschool. I think it may have been harder for Mommy than it was for you. It only took a few weeks to get the hang of it and you now tell Mommy to leave so you can get on with your playing. You are particularly fond of Garden Kevin, the garden, and the chickens. You are so lucky to go to a school that introduces you to such fabulous things.

If one word could describe YOUR favorite toy this year it would simply be: TRAINS. You can’t get enough. Your ability to recall the names of each and every train simply by looking at their face is mind boggling. Amazing. You also love your books, especially your “I Spy” books. I often catch you reading until late at night in bed with a secret stash of books you have smuggled into your room. You build fun towers with your Duplos and rock puzzles. You knock out your 24-piece puzzles like nothing often putting your Mommy and Daddy to shame with your puzzle skillz:

You are silly. Funny. And have a great sense of humor. You make us laugh daily.

You love to sing. DANCE. You are truly entertaining when it comes to the Freeze Dance…just thinking about you dancing and playing the Freeze Dance Game brings a smile to my face. You discovered the “marmonica” at Christmas and are really good:

Despite your rough and tumble ways, you have the sweetest, most gentle nurturing side. You are so careful and loving with your stuffed animals. You make sure they are warm, fed, and happy. Your newest friend, The Big Bad Wolf, hasn’t left your side since you got him:

You continue to challenge me to become the best Mama I can. You have taught me patience. Forgiveness. How to let go. You have given me new eyes through which the world is different. Happier. Sappier. Ooey-gooey-er. We love you more than a letter could ever express.
Happy 3rd Birthday, Ty Ty!!
Mom and Dad
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8 Months

Jacob is 8 months old. Already. Sigh. His little personality is really starting to emerge. He loves just about any food. I should say he LOVES food. Period. It shows. He doesn’t discriminate. If he can reach it, food item or not, it’s in his mouth. He is a champ at feeding himself puffs. Manages to get some water down from a sippy though the majority of it ends up all over him. His favorite play spot seems to be the bottom toy drawer in the kitchen. He hasn’t a tooth in sight. He really is a happy, social, silly little boy. Always smiling:
He adores Tyson in every way. He loves to stand in his exersaucer and play trains with his brother.
LOVES it:

He loves the outdoors and often accompanies me on my runs around the Rez while Ty is at school.

Where ever Ty is…Jacob wants to be. One of very few toys that have stood the test of time in our house. Both boys really enjoy it…

Jacob had a BLAST on the swings for the first time:

A preview of his Halloween costume as it may be too small once Halloween rolls around. The price you pay for ordering too soon:
He’s figured out how to pull up and stand on just about everything. He cruises along the table. I love this outfit. The jeans. The mocs. Love it. You’ll likely see it often.

He’s also figured out how to push his walker and climb our stairs…did I mention life around here has got pretty interesting lately. Two very mobile boys. Roaming. Discovering. Exploring:

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7 Month Picture

I figure at this point, I’ll post the milestones in one big 8 month post. Here is Jake in all his 7-month cuteness for now:


The J-Dub Scoot and Shuffle

Bad lighting, poor video quality, and a silly two and a half year old…but you get the idea. Jake is officially mobile. And is getting faster by the day. Visions of going back to work are dancing in my head.

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Six Months

Jacob is SIX months old today. The right words to express how quickly time has gone by fail me. Jake has turned into such a social, happy, smiley boy.
* He still desperately wants to keep up with his brother; so much so, that he has become dangerously close to crawling and has figured out how to scoot towards toys- especially those left within reach by his brother.
* He loves to “play” ball- he’ll roll it back to you and loves to watch it roll towards him.
* His favorite “toys” are non-toys: keys, wooden spoons, measuring cups, etc…
* He wears mostly nine months rompers and size 3 diapers
* No teeth to report though he’s got all the typical teething behaviors down
* Of all the foods he’s had so far he loves squash the most
* He loves it when his Mommy and Ty sing to him
* He loves to laugh at his brother
* His hair is growing cute little ringlets
He is a very LOVED little boy!

The Tale of the Six Month Photo Shoot

The days of the easy baby pictures are long gone. The days where I could plop Jacob down just about anywhere, pick out the cute outfit, pose him in a non-posey looking way…and snap away no longer exist. Seemingly overnight, he became mobile. I can no longer simply plop him down in one spot and hope for him to stay there. Case in point: my attempt at a six month photo. I got the boppy out, covered it with a blanket, and invisioned a cute shot of Jake on his belly with his head propped in his hands. Yeh, not so much. Here’s what I got instead. First think he did when placed on the boppy was flip over:
What better time to play with the old feet:
Rolled entirely off Boppy:
And made his escape:
Annnnd after about a good twenty minutes or so:
The Winner


5 Months

Five months old…*sigh*
My sweet little baby is growing far too fast. I know in a blink of an eye I’ll be chasing after both Jake and Ty…in different directions. Losing what little mind I’ve got left. Jacob’s curiosity grows each day. He loves to watch the breeze blow the leaves on the tree. He loves being outdoors. He could watch Ty play all day. He can scoot around to grab a toy and is dangerously close to figuring out how to scoot forwards. He rolls effortlessly and diaper changes are now challenging, though I know they will only become more so. He sleeps on his tummy with his little tush in the air. I wish I could say he is sleeping fabulously, not so much. He has the cutest, happiest little personality…happy boy.

Four Months Old

Jake is FOUR months old. Already. I didn’t think time could possibly go by any faster than it did with Ty, but it is.
* He rolls.
* He manages to scoot himself up and down on his back. I’ll put him down in one spot and find him another. I am fully UNPREPARED to deal with two MOBILE kiddos. I have had many conversations with Jake about the oh-so-magnificent ways of staying IN ONE SPOT. Relaxing. Not moving. He clearly doesn’t listen to me. Shocking.
* He still LOVES his jumperoo.
* He reaches for, grabs, and chews on his toys hanging on the play mat.
* The drool never. ends. but neither do the smiles.
* He weighs 15 pounds 11 ounces. Unfortunately, he wasn’t cooperative when it came time to measure length so I have only a guess on the nurses part…26 inches. Though, he seems longer than Ty and Ty was 27 inches long at 4 months. Hopefully the 6 month visit will produce more accurate numbers. Neither of my boys seem to be fans of the doctor.

Ty’s First Last Day of School

Tyson has had his first two last day’s of school in the last couple of weeks. He attends two different toddler classes and we have LOVED them both. While our school career started off very rocky, he has grown and matured so much since last fall. Independence. Vocabulary. Social Skills. Separation. Structure. Sitting to eat. Following rules. Listening to other adults. Asking for help. Taking turns. Numbers. Colors. And perhaps my favorite thing thus far, Ty’s first art portfolio:
“Art” only a mom could love:
Also known as “five second don’t-want-to-sit-at-the-art-table art”:


Three Months…

Three pictures for three months (and because I couldn’t decide on just one). Everyone told me time would fly when I became pregnant with Ty. I didn’t believe them. It didn’t take long for me to learn that they were in fact right. Unfortunately, time seems to be going by even FASTER the second time around…if that’s possible. I have a hard time believing that my little sweet Jake is already three months old…
* he smiles, coos, flirts, talks, and giggles
* he ROCKS at jumping in his jumperoo and tries to jump unsuccessfully in the exersaucer
* he laughed, like belly laughed, for the first time yesterday (5/2)
* he has outgrown all of his 3-month clothing- especially the pants
* he is wearing a size 2 diaper though he should be in a 2/3 or 3
* he can escape tummy time with a roll
* he can scoot himself towards something on his back and escape his swaddle at night
I wish I could say he takes a bottle but we are still working on that.
Otherwise, he is as perfect as can be…