Happy 3rd Birthday, Tyler!

My baby is not a baby anymore - Tyler turned 3 today! We decided to go out to dinner and let Tyler choose where he wanted to go. We had our fingers crossed that it wasn't going to be McDonalds or Chuck E. Cheese. He ended up picking Famous Dave's BBQ, which we thought was a bit odd, but then we took one look at Emily who was smiling and realized where the idea came from. After all, they do serve Kraft Mac-n-Cheese, Fries and Oreo cookies as a Kid's Meal - what's not to love, right? Anyway, we had a great time and Tyler opened his birthday presents. His favorite was Alphie. I can't believe they brought that toy back. I remember that when I was a little girl!

Some of Tyler's traits and "favorites" right now...

• Color - Yellow
• Movies - Toy Story, Nemo and The Little Mermaid
• Cartoon Characters - Spongebob and Mickey Mouse
• Foods - Clementines, Blueberries, French Fries
• Drink - Chocolate and "Pink" Milk
• Frequent Saying - "Nuh Uh" or "Yeah Huh"
• Tyler walks in Emily's shadow and mimics her constantly.....good and bad actions! :)
• He loves boots.  He was constantly wearing his rain boots and Emily's boots around the house so we recently bought him a pair of light-up Toy Story cowboy boots.  He loves them!
• He is a night owl like me.  Emily is always the first to fall asleep between the two of them. 
• Tyler is sooooo independent!  This is probably another trait he picked up from Emily.  Whenever someone tries to help him, he responds "no, I do it!"
• He is such a sensitive little man, and whenever you show that you are upset by something he did, he runs over and gives you a kiss and a hug and says, "I sorry, mommy."  He also randomly comes over and gives me a squeeze and says, "I miss you, I love you."

Happy 5th Birthday, Emily!

My sweet Emily... I can't believe you turned 5 today! I love your sweet smile and enthusiasm. Your energy and passion are limitless, sometimes getting you into trouble! This year you started Kindergarten and have to wear an adorable little uniform. This is your 3rd year of soccer and you scored a goal in your 1st game of the season! Your favorite color is still pink (of course), and your favorite singer at the moment is Taylor Swift. You get excited every time you hear her songs come on the radio and sing along in a VERY loud voice. Speaking of... you still haven't learned to control your volume yet, and your voice gets louder and louder as your excitement builds when telling a story. We've suffered many headaches, but wouldn't trade you for the world! You are also a wonderful big sister to Tyler. You are so loving and caring to him - he simply adores you! Keep making us smile with all of your funny dance moves and unexpected comments. Happy 5th Birthday, Emily! I love you with all of my heart.

Happy 1st Birthday, Tyler!

I can't believe my little guy turned one last week already - where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday when we were bringing him home from the hospital. Over the past year he has brought such joy into our lives. His laughs, his kisses and all of the random expressions he makes just warms our hearts. But nothing compares to his smiles and expressions he makes when he is around our daughter, Emily. He adores her and you can tell the feeling is mutual when you see how she interacts with Tyler. She goes out of her way to bring toys to him, give him hug and kisses and help him practice walking. We love you, Tyler!

Some of the milestones Ty accomplished over the past year:
First smile – 6 Weeks
Rolling Belly to Back – 3 Months
Rolling Both Ways – 4 Months
First Food: Cereal – 4 Months
1st Tooth (bottom right) – 6 Months
Sitting – 6 Months
2nd Tooth (bottom left) – 7 Months
Crawling – 7 Months
Pulling Himself Up – 7 Months
First Word: Mama – 8 Months
3rd & 4th Teeth (front teeth) – 9 Months
5th & 6th Teeth (upper later incisors) – 10 Months
First Steps – 11 Months

Yummy, But Messy!

A fellow blogger, Momology mentioned a photo contest that 5 Minutes for Mom had posted. The theme is "Fun with Food."

Her photo was adorable and made me think about my own daughter, Emily during her 1st Birthday party. She had her first experience with something that sweet and absolutely loved the Elmo cake I had baked for her. She couldn't get enough - just kept stuffing it in!

She paused for a few seconds (which I caught in the photo below.) You can see by her cake-stuffed cheeks that she'd had enough, but yet it seems by her expression that she is comtemplating about going back for more! What was I thinking - red AND black icing! Even after scrubbing vigorously, her poor little face was stained a reddish hue for a couple of days. This was such a memorable photo of that day for me so I thought I'd share it and enter it in the contest for kicks. Wish me luck!