Sweet Baby Ty is sick...again

 I know that hearing about Ty having ANOTHER ear infection is not really all that exciting, but this one was a bit different....Even though Ty is the proud owner of tubes we are now on our second ear infection. I thought he had pink eye and felt like a TERRIBLE friend when I took him over to my sweet friend Adrienne's with a little gunk in his eye only to pick him up and find his eyes nearly swollen shut. I was CERTAIN he would have infected her kids with pink eye and our friendship would  be over. :-) Long story short, it wasn't pink eye. One ear was completely blocked with gunk and the other was completely blocked with blood from his tube "shifting". What happened then is since the blood and gunk couldn't get out his ears it came out his eyes and nose instead. Poor little guy looked like he had been in a fight...We head back to the dr. for his "well baby" check up this week and will do some serious chatting at that time....

Myles was sharing a sweet treat from Adrienne and Ty was pumped!

Funny thing is that this picture looks MUCH better than he did in person.

Eyes are nearly swollen shut but we are still smiling!!

SPRING!

I feel that the arrival is spring is worthy of a post all by itself. The last two weekends we have has some amazing weather and have been outside as much as physically possible. The boys are really in heaven and there is less fighting when they have all the space to roam so that makes me happy. We are working on teaching Ty that dirt is NOT food, but pretty sure he will figure it out at some point. Last night we had to strip the boys down to their underwear and diapers before bringing them into the house because they were so dirty. That, to me, is the sign of a day well spent!!

Saving $14 and doing our haircuts at home.

You thought I was kidding about the dirt didn't you? :-)

 

 

 

 

Completed haircut and beautiful smile!

Those eyes just say, "I am SO going to get into trouble!"

No No daddy....

Yesterday Myles made me very proud. He stood up for the rules of Mommy! Nat was trying to let the cat in the house and Myles went right over and said, "Daddy, Tig is NOT suppose to be in the house". Then he came and told me what Nat was doing. It was kind of a bright moment for me. :-) Nat of course did let the cat come on the carpet and both boys loved it. Ty was in heaven. Tig not so much. He actually ran the first chance Nat let go of him and he was back outside. I think he understands that it really is in everyone's best interest of he is an outside cat.

Could Ty be any happier?

Tig looks like he is just waiting to run!

Friends

I wish that I did a better job of taking pics when I get together with friends, but I always feel like a big dork. Taking pics of the boys is so much more "acceptable" and not weird. This weekend my friend Christy came all the way from Nebraska to visit and I  only have 1 lone picture to prove she was here.... Anyway, her fabulous husband gave her the tickets for Valentines Day and I said it was the best gift he has given her. :-) We did some relaxing, drove around some of the horse farms, hit a few garage sales, and even got a manicure!! The weekend went way too fast, but it was a good little fix until we are home again in May!

Nana and Papa

This weekend we were blessed with AMAZING weather and.......Nana and Papa!! To say that the boys were excited is a huge understatement. They arrived late on Friday night and were bombarded by the boys pretty much every second they were here. We usually put my parents to work when they're here because their help is invaluable, but made a special point of not planning any work this trip. It was the most relaxing we've had with them possibly ever. (I did however ask my dad to help assemble a twin bed we brought with us from MN, but compared to the tree trimming and tiling he has done, I would not consider that "work" :-))

Papa doesn't even get a chance to take a break after a long day of traveling.

Pretty sure everyone involved looks to be enjoying life!

While they were here we all went to the Explorium in downtown Lexington which I have been meaning to go to for some time now, but something has always come up. Myles really loved it and Ty was much more interested in it all than I thought he would be. I did decide though that the next time I go I will only take one little guy at a time because it would have been nearly impossible to not lose them as they ALWAYS seemed to want to go in different directions. (Go figure) Afterward we went and enjoyed some of the best pizza I've had in a LONG time and took mom and dad to church Saturday night.

Showing Papa how strong he is.

Ty's favorite spot....the water tank.

My little cowboy.

Perfect rodeo form!

Conquering the moon together!

Just like his Papa.

These mirrors were so fun! I even found one that made me look tall AND skinny! Why don't they have THOSE in dressing rooms?

Sunday was a beautiful day as well and we spent most of the day outside having fun. Dad and I even got to go for a run together I can't remember the last leisurely run we have had together. It has been a long time!

Myles' new friend at the airport.

The hardest part is ALWAYS the good-bye. We went into the airport to watch them leave and squeeze out a few more minutes with them. That may be the last time we do that as Myles took it pretty hard. I was fine just waving away and wrestling a VERY feisty mini man when I asked Myles to wave one last time he stood up and that little lip just started shaking and he said, "Mommy, I don't want them to leave" and the tears started coming. I of course then started to tear up and the TSA agent brought us some tissues. I then did what any good parent would do and I bribed Myles with donuts. Classy hu? It worked though and we got out of their without a major scene and went to buy some donuts. He has asked me every day since they left though, "Mommy, why do I cry when Nana and Papa leave?" Little man loves his Nana and Papa. May cannot come soon enough apparently!

This and That

This post got a little neglected since I started it and didn't finish it because mom and dad were coming to town and we just got so busy having fun. Here it is a little late. :-) 

This week has been an interesting one. Seriously filled with TONS of ups and downs!! That's how it goes when you're a parent though right? Besides the meltdowns we have had other activities going on as well. One fun event has been Myles' desire to wear clothing as seldom as humanly possible OR if he must wear clothes he'd like them to be his footie pajamas. Yep...He is just like his father. He BEGS me to take his clothes off. I've at least gotten him to understand that "underroos" MUST be worn at all times and he seems to realize that when we go out he has to wear clothing, but when we are home he's all about not wearing clothing. I've gotten to where I allow him to take his nap in just his underroos and you should see the pure joy on his face as he snuggles in for a nap. Insane. :-) Other than that he literally cries that his clothes are not "warm enough" and he needs his footie jammies or he will be "shivering". I find it hard to argue with because once the jammies are on he's a peach. I guess he knows comfort hu?

Naked boy sitting on his brother....

On Ash Wednesday and I took Myles to church with me and we got to spend some quality time together just the two of us. It was awesome! Not only was it a great church service, but getting to spend the time just one-on-one was really cool. I loved seeing how animated he was and how silly he was and I didn't have to worry about keeping an eye on him AND Mini Man. I am for sure going to try to do this more often with both boys.

I already mentioned that at nap time Myles loves to sleep as close to naked as possible now. The other thing he has started doing is telling me he loves me when he lays down to sleep. He also did this the other night when we were playing together and he just came and hugged me and said, I really like you mom! THIS is what gets me through the temper tantrums and the sleepless night for sure. I LOVE IT!!!

This week I have seen a HUGE jump in Ty's vocabulary. He is trying much harder to say the words that we say and is actually getting a couple pretty clearly. He even said "timber" when he and Nat were playing on the bed together and Nat was "chopping him down". Nat and I both stopped and looked at each other like, "Did you hear that too?". He is really growing up quickly!

This is the Kentucky State Motto.

TEMPER TANTRUMS!!!

I typically try to write about all the fun things we're up to and how pleasant (and crazy) life has been, but I have to be honest here, things have not been pleasant here the last couple days. BOTH of my little guys (Luckily Nat is staying strong and not joining them) have decided that tantrums are the way to go right now and it is just wearing me out. One thing that drives me crazy is that Ty is seeing Myles do it and then thinks it is a good idea and I am trying to get Myles to "be a good example" and he's having NONE of that. Nat and I don't get too worked up about the tantrums and LUCKILY they have pretty much all been in the comfort of our own home and without company. We honestly just use the old ignore it till they stop technique. Ty cried for 20 minutes the other night while Nat and I sat right next to him offering our hands for him to come to us but he just wanted US to come to HIM. Not having it. It was actually kind of nice, in a sick way, cause Nat and I got to sit on the floor and just chat and laugh. (Shows you how badly we need a date night hu?) Today Myles was all worked up because there wasn't enough syrup on his waffle (I assure you there was!) I told him he had plenty and he lost it. Throwing a fit on the floor. I calmly carried him to his room and put him in his bed and said he could come out when he was ready to enjoy breakfast with Ty and I. 10 minutes later he came out like nothing happened. Sat at the table and realized that his syrup had soaked into the waffle and he couldn't see it any more and lost it again. Long story short, I ate his breakfast and he waited to eat until lunch. He is also still in his jammies right now and it is 4pm. I decided it was not a battle I was willing to start right now.
I have been praying that God will give me patience to deal with it all, and he has. I am thankful for that. I am much calmer with dealing with it now than I use to be because I know that getting worked up won't do any of us ANY good. I have decided that my prayer will change though to, "God please get them to stop!!". :-)
Here's to raising two strong-willed children!

Rainy Day

This is how we handle the cold rainy days here in Kentucky as we are waiting for Spring.

What they're up to.....

I decided along with all the regular day to day stuff that I post, I wanted to kind of do an update every once in a while of milestones I see the boys accomplishing at a certain point. It never ceases to amaze me at how fast they are growing and I will stop and realize some days that a task that seemed so hard for them 2 weeks ago is not an issue at all anymore.

We have seen some big changes in Ty lately. He is really leaving that baby stage and into the little boy stage. As much as I hate saying that, I just adore the little person he is becoming each day. Ty is still very much the early riser and early to bed kid. He has been giving me a bit of a break this last week and has slept in at late as 8:30 a couple days. I'm guessing it's just because of his cold, but whatever it is, it's been nice. The thing that both Nat and I LOVE is the time with Ty right after he wakes up. The smiles on this child are insane. I don't think you can find a happier little man at 7 am.

Right now I am really trying to slowly get rid of the paci so I'm working on him having it only when he is sleeping or at church. When I go in to get him out of bed in the morning he gets so excited and finds the paci, if it isn't in his mouth, and just starts bouncing until I give him the bin where we keep the pacifiers. He throws it in there and then gives me a five and we can start our day. I just love how excited he is about it all.

He isn't really doing a ton of "talking" exactly, but he is CERTAINLY mimicking us as much as possible. He does say mama, dada, cracker, and can growl like a lion when asked. He has refused to use sign language like Myles did, but has been using it a bit more lately which is nice.

I have been working on getting him to point out his eyes, nose, mouth and ears as well and the only one he really gets excited about it his nose. The moment I ask him where his nose is he starts breathing as heavily as he can through his nose and just giggles.

Ty's also getting much more cuddly. He gives kisses when we ask and just learned how to give hugs when we ask for them. I love it!

One of my favorite things that Ty does is at prayer time. We hold hands when we say our dinner prayers and Myles was never a big fan of this. Ty LOVES it and just smiles the entire time and doesn't let go of the person's hand he's holding until he gets to do the sign of the cross. I use to do it for him and now he tries to do it himself. Makes me count my blessings even more.

 Both boys like being outside, but Ty is getting much better about playing for longer amounts of time without needing me there to entertain him. Myles would stay outside without me for HOURS if I let him.

Myles has been amazing me lately with how complete his sentences are. He asked me a complete question the other day and it caught me off guard at how "not little boy" it was. I just LOVE his questions. His mind is just going a mile a minute and I never get tired of hearing what's going on in his head. I know he wore out my Grandma pretty quickly, but I just love it. I guess all parents are like that though.

Myles LOVES going to church school. After all the tears and heart ache early on, he now jumps into the car as fast as he can and has no problem saying good-bye to us. It's great to see him so comfortable there.

Myles still loves watching TV. I really only let him watch it when I need a little down time or as a reward. He is in LOVE with anything dealing with Thomas the Train and is starting to really like Diego as well. I am just hoping to stay away from wanting to BUY all things Thomas related but so far he hasn't made this connection yet.

I am loving watching Myles grow and it makes me more excited to watch Ty grow because I know how fun it is once they start talking and expressing themselves. I often sit and think about how blessed I am to have these boys and wonder what I did to deserve it.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this post you are one dedicated (or bored) person!! I don't look forward to updating this post because it will mean they are getting older and I am not in any rush for them to grow. If only I had a say in that.

Atlanta

As each project in this house gets done I get more and more excited about really being "done". We really only have small touch up projects to get done, but they seem to take FOREVER with the little guys around. They either need something right when Nat and I are working, or they are getting into stuff when we aren't looking. I got this GREAT idea that I should take the boys to Atlanta to visit Grams and let Nat work for the weekend himself to finish up. I then thought I could make it a long weekend and go all the way to Macon to see Nat's family friends as well. Let it be know right now that I AM CRAZY!!! I always seem to forget that Macon is another TWO hours past Atlanta. That means the boys and I were in the car for EIGHT HOURS.  Six hours I can do no problem, but once I get over 6 (by myself) I kinda go crazy. We did make it to the Wright's house in one piece  and around the time we were hoping even, but that is the last time I will be making that trip by myself.

Keith and Cindy

It really was all worth it. We got to visit with Keith and Cindy and enjoy some AMAZING weather. It was 76 degrees there. We took Myles and Ty to a  little lake and he did some practice casting with his fishing pole. Makes me excited for when he and Nat get to go fishing.

On Sunday we went to visit Grams in Atlanta. She's 91 and classy as EVER!! I cannot get over this woman. I love spending time with her and just wish we could see her more often. Myles found her wheel chair right away and started telling her all about the levers and what the "tractor" does. After listening to him for a couple minutes, she looked at me and said, "Does he talk all the time?" Awesome. She says what's on her mind that's for sure.

Look at how classy this woman is!!

After lunch Myles took Aunt Barb on his "Diego Adventure" around the assisted living complex. She was such a trouper and just went with it. They climbed hills, went under fences, and had a ball. A couple days after we got home, he said to me out of the blue, "I miss Barb. She went on adventures with me". Makes me smile. We also took the kiddos to a park near Barb and Doug's house and just enjoyed the weather. Doug was such a great host and pulled out all of Evan's old toys for the boys to play with which was SO helpful. Not only did I not have to bring the toys out of the car that I had brought, but then they got to play with new toys that were more interesting to them anyway. Before we left on Monday morning Doug made us breakfast complete with smoothies. It made me a little less focused/worried about the drive home at least. :-)

Just chillin with his uncle Doug.

It took right around 6 hours to get home and both boys were just troupers. Honestly though, doing it by myself was enough work to make me rethink going for a long drive for quite some time. I LOVE seeing Grams, but the next trip Nat will be coming with FOR SURE!!

Nat's Birthday

It happened again this year! Nat had another birthday and is another year older. Although it was not as "exciting" as other birthdays he has had, no surprise parties, no drinking, no staying up til all hours, I think he enjoyed it. We surprised him at work with cupcakes and were invited out to lunch with the entire office but declined. Myles was still not feeling very good and I was not going to struggle through an entire lunch with 8 other people staring at me. I think Nat was relieved I declined.:-) We did have our FAVORITE Qdoba waiting for him for dinner as well as he triple lemon cake. Maybe next year I will try to step up the fun a bit, but it was really kind of nice being low key and just making a big fuss out of Nat.

It's not a party without balloons.

Who wouldn't want this for their birthday?

So many candles he needed extra help.