Easter Egg Hunt

I guess Apple Valley does do things for it's community! Our friend's, the Whitings, told us about a community Easter Egg Hunt this morning and we decided to go. Mark was a bit reluctant at first, but we ended up having fun!

Tyler and Daddy waiting for the egg hunt to begin.

Tyler with his basket.

Tyler loved the animals! Especially the cow!

Until the cow got too close . . .

Same thing with the goat.

Siena didn't have a problem though. Come on Tyler - you can't let a girl out brave you!

Video of the egg hunt. SOOOO CUTE!

Random Pictures

Tyler and daddy working in the backyard. Spring in Apple Valley consists of 80 degree days and 50 degree days. This must have been a 50 degree day. And a shout out to my awesome sis-in-law Stephanie for making Tyler that adorable beanie!

Tyler "hula hoeing" with the bbq brush.

An 80 degree day. Daddy and Tyler with their "eyes" on.

Daddy and Tyler taking a nap - well daddy taking a nap. Isn't Tyler's little impish face so cute?

Spaghetti face!

Oregon Trip

At the end of March Tyler and I flew up to Oregon to see my family for a whole week! Tyler had the privilege of sitting on my lap and may I just say that Tyler was AMAZING both ways. I was a bit worried - ok more than a bit. Our trip to Mexico last summer had pretty much traumatized me. Anyway, he slept half the time both directions and the rest of the time was fairly preoccupied looking out the window, playing with my water bottle, eating snacks, and playing with my ipod. And what was even better was that we had an empty seat next to us both flights! Both times it was the ONLY empty seat on the plane. Just goes to show that people do not want to sit by babies.

Anyway, we had a great time seeing all our family in Oregon. We spent most of the time with my mom and Jim, but were also able to see both my grandmas, my dad and Sheila, and my siblings. Tyler loves all his grandmas and grandpas. He has a great memory! The second he saw my dad he went running to him and gave him a big ol' hug and though this was the first time he met Jim he was attached at first sight! He loves his grandmas too and got lots of cuddles from both my mom and Sheila.

Here is a picture of (from left to right, top to bottom): Jared, my mom, Melissa, Andrew, Jim, Katelyn, Heather, Eli and Pete the Dog. Eli and Tyler had a blast together. They are only 5 years apart and Eli thinks its crazy funny that he's an uncle. It was cute watching Tyler play with him. I didn't get a picture of my dad or Sheila or anyone else, but hey sometimes you're having too much fun to remember to get out your camera.

One of Tyler's favorite things to do while at great-grandma Ross's house was play in her HUGE walk in shower.

Tyler emptying out grandma's very organized tupperware cupboard. Not so organized anymore. Sorry grandma!

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet can keep this boy inside. He continuously asked to go "ous" regardless of the poring rain. Grandma was nice enough to oblige.

Tyler hamming it up in the makeshift highchair at great grandma's house.

Tyler playing in the same wooden rocking chairs I played in as a kid.

So maybe you're wondering if I ever put clothes on my kid. I do. He just insists on getting them wet. And who doesn't love a cute, naked toddler running around?

Monkey Boy

I have a monkey on my hands. Tyler loves to climb anything and everything. The other day Mark went to Costco for some diapers and wipes and when he came home dropped them by the couch not thinking much about it. Well, later Tyler noticed that they made for great steps up to the back of the couch, which he could then flip over. When Mark got home that night he thought it was great fun and for a while my two monkey boys took turns flipping over the back of the couch, until Tyler hit his face and bloodied his lip. Eh well.... the life of a monkey mama. I'm sure this is not the last bloody lip I will see in my day.

The video was taken when I first discovered Tyler performing his trick, pre-bloody lip.

Body Parts

Tyler is learning all his body parts - well he's known most of them for a while, but I've just now got it on video. It's kind of hard to get this kid to perform when I want him to! He still seems to have trouble with nose. He confuses it with his mouth. I think he knows what it is, but can't seem to find it on his body. He'll get it one of these days.

Uh-Oh and Bye

I was beginning to wondering if Tyler would EVER say more than 5 words, but the past couple weeks he's started imitating and picking up words here and there. It's still not super clear but he can say: dada, mama (if he really wants to, but I'm still generally dada), dog, outside, snack, more, bite, up, out, bath, shoes, keys, socks, light, fast, no, eyes, and the two I've managed to get on film: uh-oh and bye. His favorite word right now is "uh-oh." Sometimes I think he drops things on purpose just so he can say "uh-oh." I can also tell he's working on a few more. He will say trash, drink, and yogurt sometimes, but its pretty inconsistent. Even though Tyler doesn't actually SAY much he understands just about everything we say and is really good at following directions. It also only takes him seeing something once to have it down and to imitate or do it himself. I think he's a pretty smart kid :)

Tyler Sings

Further proof that Tyler is musically inclined. I think I've talked before about how Tyler conducts the music in church and what not, but he has also started conducting for himself. When you ask him to sing he waves his arm and belts out a perfectly harmonious tune. Ok, maybe not perfectly harmonious, but perfectly hilarious. He will also semi mimic me when I sing. His favorite is part of a song from Sleeping Beauty.  He's done better, but this is the best one I've gotten on video.

Helping Daddy

Tyler has become quite the helper. He loves pushing the broom around, wiping the floor, and vacuuming. He also loves helping his daddy. Lately, when Mark has gone outside to do yard work or fix something, Tyler wants to tag along. First though, he has to have his "eyes" on (sunglasses) like daddy. Then he gets his tools and starts banging. Amazingly enough, he will leave his "eyes" on almost the whole time he is outside - as long as he's helping daddy. I love watching my boys together!

Messy Boy

Again not an extremely interesting video, but I had to document Tyler's feat. Anyone who knows Tyler knows that he is quite the eater. One night when I was gone, Mark fed the missionaries and claimed that Tyler out ate both missionaries. I believe it. There are times when he's eating and I wonder if he will explode. Amazingly enough he is still quite average when it comes to weight (aside from his chubby little face, which I love!). Probably because he spends his days running around like a psycho man - he needs all those calories. Anyway, I digress. This day he ate a WHOLE CAN of ravioli. I don't feed him canned ravioli much because it's so fatty, so apparently he figured he should cram it all in while he had the chance. His orange face is pretty cute too! :) He also does his one sign at the end of the video: "all done."

Brrrr... It's Cold Outside

This video isn't too interesting, but I think Tyler is so cute in his big puffy coat! We had a few days in February that were FREEZING!!! I wouldn't have gone outside unless my life depended on it. Proof: Mark is actually wearing long pants and a jacket and a hoodie. That never happens. He even wears shorts out in the snow occasionally. See this post if you don't believe me. But Tyler insisted on going outside. That kid would go outside in the Arctic. He LOVES outside.