New Year's Eve/Day

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve!

Cousin Sleepover and Demo Derby

Beatrice and Millie came to our house around noon to spend the entire day with our family. Patrick and Willa had a wedding and we were thrilled to have the kids for the evening. Both Matty and Bea decided they wanted to play with each other instead of nap, so they were outside with Adam for a long time. Meanwhile, Tyler slept until 5:00 and I stayed with Millie while she did a good job sleeping too. We eventually played with the slip and slide and just had lots of fun hanging outside. All the kids got along beautifully and Millie was such a tropper. Pasta was for dinner and ice cream cones were the big hit for dessert. It was so cute just watching the cousins eating and talking together during dinner. I got Matty and Bea settled in bed by about 7:00 and got to spend a little time with Mille before she drifted off to sleep. All in all the kids were so good. It seems like everyone had a great time and hope we can do it again some time.

We did have a "big" conflict in the evening. It was the last day of the fair which meant demolition derby day along with fireworks. It's like Christmas day for Tyler and he's really been talking about it for quite some time. So Adam left with Tyler around 6:15 for the big night out! They finally arrived home just before 10:00 and Tyler was pumped! He was telling me all about the trucks and how some caught on fire and there were "real" fireman there. And this is the first time he seemed excited about fireworks and not nervous. He told me they were "beautiful and so colorful"!!! Adam said it was a special night and Ty was so well-behaved and just really into everything that was happening. I especially loved hearing his version of everything in retelling it all to me. So sweet.

It was a great, memorable day for all of us!

Returning to Richmond

Building, Little Mermaid, and Camping!

What a busy, fun filled day! It started with the boys each making a tow truck at Lowes. Then Ty and I left for the Fulton Theater to see "The Little Mermaid" on stage. He seemed to really enjoy himself and was clapping all the time and participating when the audience was asked. It was a special date just the two of us. We had fun talking about the show the whole way home. He liked it so much that he wants to see more shows (which I think is a great idea!).

After everyone woke up from naps, we played outside and decided it would be the perfect night for a family camp out. While I was making fish sandwiches for dinner, Adam took the boys tubing down the creek. We then had smores. I think both boys might of eaten half the bag of marshmallows by themselves.

Then we got our PJ's on, brushed teeth, and got the tent ready for the night. Tyler was so excited and has been asking us to go camping for a while now.

We spent a LOT of time in the tent just hanging out and getting comfortable. Tyler loved having his own sleeping bag. It was about 85 outside but insisted on being inside the bag all snuggled up.

We read at least 6 or 7 books. It was about 8:00 and I could tell Tyler was starting to get a little sleepy. He snuggled up next to me and was so happy to being reading so many books. Meanwhile, Matty was being so silly and crawling everywhere wrestling with all of us, rolling around, and laughing. I think all those marshmallows gave him a sugar buzz.

We were telling silly stories and Tyler kept farting. There was about 20 minutes of silly boy humor laughing at farts, poops, and peeing. So silly, but we got some great laughs out of it. Then around 8:30-8:45 we spotted the first lightning bugs of the season. Ty was sooo excited and it might have been the first time Matty ever saw them too.

First, Tyler and I went out to catch the lightning bugs. We spent a good 20 minutes running around the yard. It was such a joy for me to see him so happy and thrilled about something like this. Adam was trying to settle Matty down but it wasn't working and Tyler ran over to the tent and invited them both to come out and catch some bugs with him. Matty was just as happy. Tyler was so good at the catching them and as soon as he got one when Matty was out, he ran right over and gave it to Matty. It was so sweet and made Matty so, so happy. We all ran around catching lightning bugs for a long time. I really didn't want the moment to end.

At one point Adam disappeared and said he'd be right back with a surprise. He ran into the barn and I was thinking to myself "what could be possibly be getting in there?". Then he came out with some leftover sparklers. The boys loved it! A perfect way to end the evening.

It took quite a bit for everyone to fall asleep but eventually they did. For a good 20 minutes Matty sat in the dark paging through some books and then finally wen to sleep. Tyler was lying next to me and was quite but we kept looking at each other and smiling. It was finally some time after 10:00 when he finally drifted off to dreamland. I didn't sleep much, but LOVED looking at all my boys fast asleep in the tent together. Every once in a while Tyler would moved around and I'd get an elbow or leg, but I didn't mind. There was something so special about all of us being so snug in there together. Around 7:15 in the morning the boys so sweetly woke up and we hung out for a bit just reading books. All in all, our first family camp out was a great success!!! One of the first things Tyler said when he woke up was if we could do it again tonight. That's a good sign and a great night!

Vacation in Virginia

Boardwalk time!

In terms of the weather, it turned out to be a beautiful evening with only a few clouds and temperatures in the low 70's. In terms of the family, in turned out to be a beautiful evening as well! It was so fun watching the two boys on some of the rides together. The first ride they did were the mini boats and it was just adorable watching these two little guys smiling and riding together and having a grand time as brothers. It's a big year for both of the boys because now Matty can ride some of the rides without us and Tyler hit the big 42 inch mark to be able to do lots of rides without anyone else. One of my highlights was riding the "crazy bus" with both boys. I knew Tyler would enjoy himself because we did it together last year, but we took a chance with Matty. As we'd go from bottom to top and around he initially had a face that would be best described as "what in the world am I doing right now" and then very quickly changed to that face that he always does when he's really excited and says "ohhhh". It was clear that both boys were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Just before the dinner brake, Tyler became very brave and really wanted to try the rocket roller coaster. He's finally tall enough and I thought I'd do it with him for the first time. The first loop around I was a bit surprised at how fast it went and looked over at Ty and he was grinning from ear to ear. Then the rest of the ride was the two of us with a major case of the giggles. He was laughing so hard that I couldn't help myself either. It was awesome! We settled ourselves down after that and had a nice picnic dinner on a bench overlooking the beach. We had sandwiches, fruit, soft pretzels, and the family favorite...cotton candy. What a mess, but it was worth it and fun! The boys were in such a sweet, pleasant mood and Daddy and I would look at each other with such love and contentedness. It was a great family moment. We did a few more rides after dinner and as the grand finale, Tyler wanted to do the rocket roller coaster again and he did it completely by himself!!! We were so happy to see his growth since last year and seemed so much more confident and willing to try any of the rides. He would have done all of them if he was tall enough. It was a pleasure to see his excitement and bravery! I loved it and loved the whole evening.

The Eve of Ty's 4th Birthday

My Dearest Tyler,

It's hard for me to believe that I'm sitting here once again writing you a letter on the eve of your birthday. As I sit on the couch typing this, I can hear you in your crib singing and making all sorts of funny noises. It cracks me up! This morning at breakfast time I was telling you this is the last day being a 3-year-old. And then I was sort of teasing (sort of real) and in a sad voice said that I couldn't believe you were getting bigger and older. I was saying things like "you're growing up too fast" etc. and you were so sweet and replied "don't worry Mommy, I will always be your little boy and your little baby. Even when I'm older I will always come back and give you lots of hugs and kisses. I will always love you." It was really sweet. I have a feeling I'm really going to enjoy your fourth year. This has been such a fun stage because you are so interested in everything. The world is still so new and interesting to you. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, and whatever we are talking about you always want to know all the details and the meaning of everything. There are moments when it gets a bit exhausting, but I think it's an incredibly good sign of your intelligence and desire to learn as much as you can. You are definitely my "details" boy. Then you inevitably shock me at any given moment by reciting or relating a fact that you've learned in the past and relate it to the present. It's so neat to witness and proof of the sponge you really are. In addition to the typical interest in trains, cars, trucks, and any other mode of transportation your current fascinations are outer space and the weather. It's been nice because we've gotten many books on both subjects and I've relearned so much information myself. You can list all the planets in order and tell me all sorts of facts about each. You seem most fascinated with Jupiter because of the "storm" and want to go to astronaut school some day and have promised to take me to the moon when you go. You're also leaning about the weather and enjoy all the extreme conditions like hurricanes and tornadoes. Unfortunately, you've recently grown increasingly scared of thunderstorms and lightning and get very anxious when there is one. We've been trying some different strategies in keeping you calm and I hope it'll be something you grow out of because we get lots of thunderstorms in Lebanon. I think it'll happen because the last few weeks you've been in situations where you're much more brave than in the past. For example, today you had to give blood for some testing and didn't cry at all. And yesterday we hiked all the way up Governor Dick by yourself and even did the tower. At this time last year, we only got as far as a third of it. So you're making some real progress lately!
You just completed your first year of school at Jack and Jill and completely loved it. I think it's really helped in all different aspects of your development. You seem much more social and are more willing to be out of my sight and play with kids your own age. You are increasingly including your brother in moments of play. It also means that my role changes constantly between mother and referee. Matty, of course, wants to play with almost everything you're playing with and has a much more physical way of playing, but you're learning and becoming more patient with him. We have also had some recent difficult moments and are trying hard to teach appreciation and gratefulness. I've learned that time outs get you upset, but actually taking toys away for awhile seems to send a much stronger message to you. I recently had to pack up 3 large bags of toys because you had a very ungrateful moment. It was probably our hardest morning together, however, I'm glad we went through it together because we both learned a lot from that morning and I love you even more now. It's easy being a buddy and having lots of fun with you. With that said, you deserve much more. On the eve of your birthday, I wish and promise to be the very best Mommy I can be for you. You deserve to learn what no means and have limitations and boundaries. I can guarantee there are going to be more hard moments, but I truly believe this is when we both experience so much growth and become stronger and better because of these moments. I promise to be both your friend and your Mommy because the combination of these will give you the tools to become the most beautiful Tyler you can be. I love the boy you are and am so excited to see the boy you become in the next year. One of my very favorite moments during our days is at nap time and night time after I've put you in the crib and together we both sing "I love you to the moon and beyond forever and ever". You always have the sweetest smile on your face when you say it and it's become our little thing we like to do with each other. Then I shut the door and you scream it again and always want me to respond. You love so passionately and we've created such an incredible bond that will forever be the foundation of our relationship. You make me so proud every day and have truly made my dreams of motherhood come true. Happy Birthday, Buddy! I love you to the moon and beyond forever and ever!

Pirate Party