Jake Tyler- 18 months

 

 My sweet Jakey.  I'm wanting to write his 18m post, but today is July 28- that means you are 18 months and 28 days now.  2 days away from being 19 months.

 

During your 18 month of life your little personality started changing.  You've spent so much time because so quiet.  You never really made a peep!  This month, you definitely starting doing some peeping, and lots of it.  On top of peeping, you are babbling, squealing, and screeching!

 

Don't get me wrong, you're still pretty sweet and you are definitely a cuddler.  You are a very easy going baby.  You still love to watch people. 

 

I spent a lot of time this summer taking you and Ryan to every single kids event and story time I could possibly do.  I have loved every single minute of this summer and spending them with you.  Daddy and momma take you guys to the mall to play around in the play place.  You love to run around.  When you run, you run on your tippy toes and you look like you're bouncing and your little cheeks jiggle up and down.  You arms are pointed outward and your elbows to your hands are facing up towards the sky.  Gosh, you're so cute.  Daddy and I are always talking about how cute you are!

 

At the play place, you love to climb up to the top of the little slide and just sit there.  You get in everyone's way and they have to climb over you, but you don't care.  You sit there and stare at everyone and don't even notice the kids doing giant steps just to get over you and go down the slide.

 

 

 

 

You love to eat.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  I haven't found a single food you don't like... except mushrooms.  But I don't blame you- I wouldn't eat them either.  You eat fruits, veggies, meats, dairy.. you eat everything I put on your plate.  Sometimes you eat all of your food and then you eat Ryan's also.

 

On this particular morning, you were a little sleepy when I made breakfast.  Ryan wakes up before you.  When you were younger- you always got up first and Ryan slept in.  I loved my mornings with you.  Now Ryan wakes up early and you sleep in.  And I love my mornings with him.

 

I've mentioned it before but you are definitely a sleeper.  You wake up every morning between 8:30-9:00.  You wake up in the best mood.  Every morning I hear you squealing in your crib.  When I walk into your room you're always standing up holding onto your crib railing.  When you see momma, you have the biggest grin, your thumb is always in your mouth, you grab your blankey and practically jump on me.  When sissy was in town, I always went into your room and you would be staring at her.  You share a room with her when she's here. 

 

You usually take a 3-4 hour nap.  You go down without a fuss.  You go to bed at night between 7:45-8:00.  You go to sleep at night without a fuss too.  I swear, you are perfect :)  You love brushing your teeth before bed too, mommy always sings ABCs to you.

 

 

Your sissy was here for 5 weeks.  You loved when she would love and kiss on you.  She's a great big sister.  You & Ryan love her to pieces.  You guys are so lucky to have her, I could never ask for a better big sister.

 

She played with the both of you the whole time she was here!  She did tell me a time or two how loud you guys are.  & yes, you are loud.  You guys are so sweet and quiet alone... but together you guys make so much noise.

 

You and Ryan went a few weeks at the beginning of June being little terrors and driving momma nuts!  It's safe to say, that for the last month, you guys have been back to your normal selves and I haven't been feeling overwhelmed.

 

 

You had your 18 month check up on June 1st.  I switched your doctor because I just wasn't liking your last one anymore.  Actually, I don't think I really cared from her from the beginning but I finally called around and found a doctor, and we love her!  She was great with you and so personable.

 

She put your teeny little self onto the baby scale and you were 20lbs exactly.  Ryan was 20.14 when he was 18 months.  You were also 30 1/4 inches long.

 

You are wearing size 6-9m shorts, sometimes 12m.  You wear 12m jammies and shirts too.  These past few days I've been putting you in 18m jammies and they are a little loose, but they still fit you pretty well.  You wear size 3 shoes. 

 

 

 

You have the cutest little toes and I love the way they look in flip flops!

 

 

This summer we spent a lot of time swimming.. you love the pool!  Usually you hang with mommy and daddy.  Daddy throws you up pretty high and I almost have a heart attack but you just giggle.  Sometimes we put you in the little floatie and you lay back and suck your thumb and just relax.  We also have a baby pool.  I put you in the floatie in that one too and you walk around and play with Ryan.

 

 

 

You played in a splash pad twice this month.  Pretty much your first time, you LOVE the water!  It took Ryan until this summer to really enjoy the splash pad.  Not you, you love batting at the water as it's shooting up at you.

 

 

 

 

This next picture you are 18m2w old.  Ryan was exactly 18m2w when you were born. That is just CRAZY to me.  I do want another baby, someday.  But right now, you just seem like my little baby still.  I couldn't imagine having a newborn.  Ryan seemed like such a big guy when we brought you home.  But to me, you still are my little baby.

 

I love the way you guys are looking at each other.  You guys can be pretty sweet.  Not always, sometimes you hit him and throw cars at his head.. and he makes you lay on the ground and covers you with every toy we own.  Sometimes when Ryan covers you, you scream.  Sometimes, I uncover all the toys off of you and you are laying at the bottom of the pile sucking on your thumb like you are laying on top of a water bed.

 

 

You know what else?  You are a climber!  Ryan was such a little scaredy cat.  He didn't and still doesn't, climb on anything.  You climb on your toys, on top of furniture, the coffee table.  I have to pull you off of everything because I'm afraid you're going to fall down and hit your had.

 

I caught you standing on top of your car ramp just staring out the window and eating snack!  You're such a nut.

 

 

 

You have gappy teeth right now.  I remember Ryan used to as well until he grew more teeth.  Right now, you have 7.  Your 8 tooth just cut through your gums on Friday.  You would have never known you were teething.  You are never grumpy or whiney.  I love the big ol gaps you have in between your teeth.

 

I love you, sweet baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Date 5- Pool Party

6.11.12

 

 

 

For Elyse's last family date, I wanted to do something special and I wanted everyone here to share it with her.  I planned a pool party/bbq/pot luck for her on her last full day in town.

 

 

She was super excited when she opened her envelope.  While I was sad that it was her last one, I am SO glad that I made these for her.  Her face when opening each of them has been priceless and she LOVED them!  The only thing she said was that she wished she knew about the pool party earlier.  She said we should have another pool party next year and she will have a lemonade stand to raise money and she will use her money at Party City to buy Luau decorations so we could have a luau party.

 

She wanted to make decorations for the party, but since it was starting at 5:30 and we still needed to go grocery shopping for the party- she only had time to make place cards.  She gave each family their own color, and she made little signs that said "You are mint" or "You are green" to hand to the guests when they arrived.  It was so cute.

 

 

 

Before the pool party, we went out front to do some sidewalk chalk!  Her and Ryan decorated the whole driveway while Jakey took a nap.  I swear I feel like that kid is always sleeping.

 

 

 

 

Elyse decorated her part for us telling us she loved us and would miss us.. It actually got washed away that night before of the rain.. but she doodled again the following morning because she wanted to tell us she loved us.

 

 

I didn't take too many pictures of her party because it was dark and phones don't take the best pictures in the dark.

 

 

We had hamburgers, pasta salad, Cheetos, eegees, and sub sandwiches.  Yum!

 

 

 

It was a little bitter.  Fun to see her playing and swimming with everyone and have everyone together.. sad that it was her last night in town and we'd have to wait 5+ months to have her home again.

 

I will definitely be doing these family date night envelopes with her again next year.. now I just need to come up with new ideas!

 

 



Citrus Lane- July 2013 review

It's that time of the month again!! Our Citrus Lane box arrived on the 17th!. This will be our 7th box.

 

 

For anyone who does not know, Citrus Lane is a subscription box service for babies/toddlers/kids from birth to age 5. Basically, you will receive a surprise box filled with 4-5 (mom approved, top of the line) items tailored to your little ones age.

You can get boxes on a month to month basis for $25/month.. or you can a 6 month subscription for $21 a month! When I signed up, I put in my little one's name, birthday, and gender to ensure that Ryan would receive a box especially made for him.

 

Citrus Lane ships their boxes from California on the 15th of every month and arrive on your doorstep between the 17th and 22nd of every month. Did I mention that you also receive free shipping?!

Here we go! Our box is for a 37m old boy.  As always, Ryan loves when he gets his boxes.  He's starting to ask for them more and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Dried Bananas from Just Tomatoes Tomatoes ($1.25)

As usual, the food item was the first to go.  Ryan shared his snack with his 18m old brother.  They gobbled them right up.

 

 

2. Decorate-Your-Own-Racecar from Melissa & Doug - $5.02

This was Ryan's favorite item in the box.  At 3 years old, he loves crafting, painting, and cars, so this item was perfect. I supervised, but he was able to paint the car by himself.. momma just helped glue the wheels on.

 

 

 

3.  Cool It Buddy Instant Cold Pack from Me4Kidz ($2.99)

These ice packs freeze/chill instantly when you activate them with a firm shake.  This pack of two is a one time use only cold pack.  I already put them in the diaper bag since I have two boys who are prone to getting hurt at the park or wherever else we may go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 & 5. Bynto and Dishwaser-Safe Sticker Set from Goodbyn ($9.50 & $3.50)

Another container- but I love containers and pouches and all that stuff that you can take with you on-the-go.  The purpose of this Bynto, is that it is three different compartments in one, designed so that the food in them will never touch (for those picky eaters.)  It also has a little handle at the top.  With it, is two sheets of dishwasher safe stickers to decorate your bynto or any other snack cup for your child.  The kids are able to customize their containers as they choose.

 

 

 

 5. Postagram from Sincerely Inc. - $10

 

 

 

  My step daughter just sent me this picture this morning!  These Postagrams are an app in your smartphone that let's your customize your own postcards with words and pictures. I was SUPER excited about these because my little lady lives 1,700 miles away and this was a perfect way for the boys to send her mail!!! We got 10 free Postagrams in our box and I also reviewed 3 free when I signed up!

 

We LOVED this box! There was something in it we all could enjoy. The value was about $32. We got this box for free through referral credits so THANK YOU! Would you like to try out Citrus Lane? You can get your first box for only $15 by clicking the link Citrus Lane Sign up. You will get $10 off your first box and I will get $10 off my next order!

Do you already subscribe to Citrus Lane? Share your review link with me so I can read your review!

Family Date 4- Color Me Mine

First off, I have to start with my sweet little Ryan!  I know I have had to mention in here before, but he LOVES Curious George!  Ryan calls him "Monkey George."  His cousin, Aiden, has a stuffed George that he got from his Aunt who got it at Kohls.  I've been wanting to get Ryan one, but online they are too expensive.  Since Rebecca goes to Kohls more than I do, I told her to let us know when they had George again.. and what do you know?  On Friday, she text us to let us know that George was at Kohls!

 

I took the boys to Kohls and Ryan ran straight over to George and hugged him!  They also had dogs and dinosaurs.  Since Curious George (the show) has a dog named "Hundley," I thought this dog was supposed to be Hundley but wondered why he was black instead of brown.  Turns out, it's just supposed to be the dog from "Curious George and the Puppies."  Oh well, Ryan still thinks he's Hundely.  He got $10 for his birthday from my friend Jennifer so I let Ryan spend his birthday money on these two little guys.

 

 

I turned around at every stop light to see him hugging these guys so tight.  He couldn't stop smiling!

 

 

 

 

.....

 

Now to Family Date 4- Color Me Mine

 

 

 

I had originally wanted Ryan to paint with Elyse, but it was already 7:00 when we got there and I had a feeling Ryan didn't really have the patience to sit and paint.  Especially because he knows the mall has a play place.  Paint or Play?  Tim took Ryan to go play while I sat with Jakey and Elyse painted.

 

 

She picked out two things- a light switch cover for her room and a coffee mug.

 

 

She painted for almost two hours!

 

 

Jake sat like a good little boy for the most part.  When he started getting antsy, I just let him sit on my lap where he sat perfectly.

 

 

This one wasn't so much of a family date because Tim & Ryan did something different- but everyone had fun.  Elyse's pottery will be ready on Wednesday and she can't wait to see the finished product.

 

 

The plan was to get a Redbox movie afterwards but for whatever reason-- the thing wasn't working so we just went home and watched "The Truman Show."  Elyse and I made a big cookie/s'more type thing and I actually fell asleep during the movie.  I am the worst late night movie date- I always fall asleep!

 

 

 

Independance Day!

The Tuesday before the 4th, I took Ryan & Jake to story time at the library & the theme for the day was "4th of July."  I love taking them to story time, they always read a few books and sing songs and dance.  At the end of class, they always have a craft for the kids and some coloring pages.

 

 

This craft was a little visor.  They were cute and Ryan was so excited to make it. I absolutely love the age he is now and how happy he is to make crafts and how proud he is when he is done with them! 

 

 

 

Cheeeeese!

 

I had to take a picture of the rare moment when they share <3

 

 

 

 

 

For the 4th of July, I checked out Arizona Familes to see what we could do.  I saw that they were having a parade on the mountain!  How had I never knew that before?!  I was so excited... I love going to the mountain & I love picnics.  Perfect.

 

 

The parade started at noon but the roads closed at 11:30- by the time we got up there and parked out car it was about 11:00.  We had enough time to find a spot to sit and eat our lunch.  We had sandwiches, yogurt, and popcorn.  I brought the kindle to keep Ryan entertained.  Jake was not that easy to keep entertained, he kept trying to get up and walk in the street.. and I had to keep grabbing him and making him sit back down!

 

 

 

I have more pictures on my camera- but I haven't uploaded them yet.  Maybe I'll post some later.  The parade was cute, it was short but Ryan and Jake still had so much fun.  Ryan liked the candy getting thrown at him.  He loved all the police cars and fire trucks and squealed and pointed at every.single.one.  Ryan and Jake dance to all the music.

 

 

After the parade we found some soldiers from the parade to take a picture with.  Elyse didn't want to be in the picture but we made her anyways!  & you can see Jakey hiding behind Ryan!

 

 

 

We walked down a little road to get some pictures of the kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we came home, it was time for Jake to nap.  I thought the kids might want to paint to pass some time.  I got out some canvases and paints that I had bought for Elyse and Ryan before summer started.

 

 

 

Ryan finished his canvas quickly.  Elyse took h o u r s.  She was such a perfectionist and she wasn't happy with anything she was doing.  She like part of her canvas but then not other parts.  Eventually we made her take a break and try again the next day!  In the end, she painted a bunch of trees and a beach with a pretty sunset and she wanted us to hang it up in her room.  She did a great job.

 

 

I pulled out Ryan's water painting book that he had gotten from his Citrus Lane box a few months back.  He was loving it.  I let him color two pictures and he wanted to give one to Grandma!

 

 

 

 

After Jake woke up form his nap, we went over to Tim's parents house for dinner.  Dinner ended up being super late so we didn't have time to get to the place where we normally watch fireworks.  We went to the country club right by her house and the fireworks were only like 10 minutes long!  I was a little bummed.  But there is always next year!

 

Overall, the day was a lot of fun and we got to spend it with our family.

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

 

 

 

Family Date 3- Breakers

[6.28.13]

 

 

I took a picture of what was inside the envelope after we got back from the water park.  Back in March, there was a living social deal for $15 which included an admission into the water park, a large soda, and an order of nachos.  I was so excited!  I bought 3 of them and couldn't wait for Elyse to open her envelope!  I also gave her $10 to spend that night at the swap meet.  This envelope was the best one and I absolutely loved watching her open it!  It was priceless!

 

 

That morning, I packed everything we would need to spend a day at the water park including lots of water, snacks, and sandwiches.  We went outside and took some picture while we waited for daddy to finish getting ready.

 

 

See the milk that Ryan got all over Jake's carseat?!

 

 

 

 

 

& does anyone notice Ryan's sweet face?!  He's finally forward facing.  We kept him rear facing til he was 3!  Safety first for my little guy <3

 

 

Right when we got to the water park, Elyse wanted to swim in the wave pool!

 

 

 

I took Ryan & Jake over to the splash pad for a little while and they loved it!  Their little faces were so cute and they were so happy!

 

 

 

 

 

Elyse held Ryan and made him go under the big bucket with her.  She was hiding behind Ryan in the picture.

 

 

The weather was 113 degrees that day!  It was so hot, but thankfully we wore a ton of sunscreen and nobody got burnt!  Plus, being at the water park, the weather actually didn't feel too bad since we were able to swim and get wet.

 

 

Elyse and I went down all of the slides.  She went down them more than I did, obviously.  But I still had fun going down the slides.  Tim went down a few too.  He also took Ryan down his first tube slide.  Ryan loved it.  I was surprised he was tall enough to go down the slide, but he sat in Tim's lap on the tube and it went really slow.

 

 

My new favorite picture :)

 

 

 

We stayed there until 15 minutes before close, at Elyse's request.  Both of the boys fell asleep on the way home.  Ryan even stayed sleeping when we got home.  We took showers and got ready to go to the swap meet. 

 

 

 

The swap meet was when I realized how miserably outside it was.  It was awful and humid... but Elyse had fun.  I couldn't wait to get home and shower again and lay on the couch!