Father's Day Weekend

We had a great Father's Day weekend!  We spent most of our weekend camping up Fairview canyon, about five miles north of the main parking lot.  It was gorgeous up there!  It was so green and there wildflowers growing everywhere!  We headed up as soon as I got off of work and made good timing.  We made it to camp and was set up by 7 p.m.  Tyke got right to work at playing in the dirt and getting filthy.  The boy is a magnet to the dirt, he loves it!  Luke enjoyed being spoiled by Aunt Danielle and Uncle Chris.  That night Luke started vomiting, again (he had thrown up the day before), so we had kind of a long night with him not feeling the greatest.  

Saturday afternoon we packed up our fishing gear and went for a ride to Gooseberry reservoir to do some fishing.  The reservoir was about a fifteen minute drive from camp.  The boys rode in the truck with Chris and Danielle while Chad and I drove the rhino there.  Once we go to the reservoir I realized I had left my fishing license back at camp and Chad realized he had forgot to pack Tyke's fishing pole.  Needless to say I didn't fish and Tyke had fun smacking the water with my pole.  The spot we fished at wasn't a very happening spot according to the people that left just before we took it over.  They said they had been fishing for hours with no bites at all.  We took the spot anyway and after about fives minutes Chad caught his first fish!  Tyke was so excited to catch "nemo"! (I believe this was the first catch he's ever really witnessed)  He took the fish and threw it on the ground and then stomped on it.  I wasn't quite expecting that reaction from him.  We're talking about the same kid that won't eat gold fish crackers because they're nemos.  Chad baited his hook and threw it out again and again within minutes he had caught another!  It didn't take long before we had reached our max for catches so we called it a day and headed back to camp.  Luke did really good throughout the day but he just wasn't quite himself.  He didn't eat very well and when we would feed him he wouldn't keep it down for very long.  Poor guy!  He was still a happy boy though and loved all of the attention he got throughout the day!  

Sunday morning we were up early and headed home!  We left our trailer behind.  We plan on going back up for more camping and fishing on the fourth of July weekend.  Tyke gave his Daddy his father's day gift from the boys, a key chain with their names on it that reads, "Daddy's Hunting Buddies".  I told Chad it was all I could come up with to give him.  

We got home around noon.  We surprised Chad with his "real" father's day present, a Traeger smoker!  He was so excited and couldn't believe it!  He grinned for probably a good hour or so!  Best present ever!!!  We hurried and cleaned up what little we had brought home with us and then relaxed and napped the rest of the afternoon, until it was time to ride up Bear Canyon for a Kay family barbecue.  Luke had been doing fine sickness wise so we figured we were safe to go and be around the Kay fam (we're mostly worried about Grandpa Wally catching something, in his fragile state).

The party up the canyon was supposed to start at 4 p.m. and run until around 9 p.m.  We all had fallen asleep and when I woke up it was pretty much 4 p.m.   I hurried and woke up everyone and we got ready and left.  We weren't the last ones there, luckily, and dinner wasn't done being cooked yet so we were pretty much right on time.  Tyke immediately went to playing with his cousins and getting dirty.  We had a yummy dinner of BBQ ribs, hot dogs, salads, fruit and desserts.  I'm not sure how many of the Kay family made it to the dinner that night.  We were expecting around 80 of us but I'm not sure if we hit that number or not.  We had a great time visiting, playing in the creek, and playing a mean game of softball in the tall grassy field.  Tyke loved playing in the water.  It was so cold though that eventually I made him get out, before everyone else, and he threw a mega fit about it!  We left the party early so that Chad could get ready for and leave for work.  All in all it was a great weekend spent with so many family members.  We couldn't ask for anything more!  

Happy Father's Day 2015 to the best Daddy!! Love, Me, Tyke and Luke

Wid Bampa

Tyke had a fun little day today.  He got to go for a ride on the tractor with Bampa Terry!  He rode the tractor with Grandpa from out west of Mona up to the shop.  On the way "home" they stopped for ice cream at the new gas station in town.  Tyke had an ice cream sandwich and according to Grandpa Terry he ate every single bite of it!  Tonight, when we asked Tyke how if he had a good day his response was, as always, "uh huh!"  When we asked what he did he got excited and told us.  This is how our conversation went:

Tyke: "I wide tractor wid Bampa Teh-ee!"
Us: "you did?!" and he said, "uh huh!"
Us: "What else did you do?"
Tyke jumping up and down excitedly yelling: "I eat eye-team wid Bampa Teh-eee!"

Talk about adorable!  I love that this cute kiddo is starting to make big sentences.  It's the cutest!!  And thank you Bampa Terry for making Tyke's day!  Our boys sure are lucky to have such a fun Bampa and Gamma!

Sick Boy

Poor Luke!  He has been one sick boy for five days now!  He has been throwing up and having diarrhea for days.  We tried to convince ourselves it was just his way of teething but I knew there was more to it.  Last Thursday morning, as I was dropping the boys of at Grandma Cheryl's, as soon as Luke and I made it to the back door he started dry heaving.  He heaved three or four times and then threw up.  It was the saddest thing ever to watch.  He was so confused and upset.  I called into work and told them I had a sick Lu and wouldn't be in.  We stayed at grandma's house for an hour and then headed back home to rest.  Luke did good the rest of the day and had no more puking episodes, the only unusual thing for him was he wouldn't smile at all.  He's the smiliest baby ever so I knew he wasn't feeling too great when I couldn't get even a small grin out of him.

Friday he was totally fine other than a little diarrhea.  Again we just blamed that on the teething thing.  He was a little whiny but that's nothing new.  We had planned on going camping up Fairview canyon with Chris, Danielle and fam.  We debated on whether to go or not and ultimately decided that Luke was fine and we would go.  He did great all day.  Everything was normal until just before midnight, he threw up all over Chad and our bed.  He puked and puked and puked.  We stripped him down to his diaper and got things cleaned up the best we could.  I layed a towel under Luke in case he got sick again and Chad went and layed on the couch with Tyke to get some sleep.  Luke puked a few more times through out the night, it was so sad.

On Saturday he was very lazy and just wanted to be held and snuggle.  He threw up pretty much every time he ate.  I noticed that he hadn't had any wet diapers since Thursday morning and I started to worry.  We debated on leaving camp early and going home but, again, chalked it up to teething and stayed.  That night was awful.  Luke woke up around midnight screaming.  He scrame for a good two hours!  We tried everything and nothing could calm him down.  I teared up and told Chad we should have gone with our gut feelings and gone home.  I was worried about our little guy.  We stripped him down to his diaper, rocked him, fed him, turned on a movie, took him outside, nothing worked!  I finally ran a warm bath but before I could get Luke in it his Daddy had found a position to hold him that calmed him down.  His tummy was rock hard and he was gassy.  He eventually fell asleep and we were able to lay him down with no problem.  He slept fairly well the rest of the night.  I didn't.  I hurried and got things cleaned up and put away in the trailer so that we could leave first thing the next morning.

Sunday we got everything packed up and put away.  We left the trailer (we plan on going back up for the fourth of July weekend), loaded up what needed to go home with us now, and left.  Once home Luke seemed okay again.  He had some really bad diarrhea and blew out of his clothes a couple of times.  He perked up later in the afternoon and hadn't thrown up for a few hours so we thought he was over whatever it was that had got him.  We decided to ride up Bear Canyon (up Nephi canyon) to the Kay family father's day barbecue.  I was careful not to let Luke get too close to people, especially Grams and Gramps.  He did great!  We thought for sure we were past whatever it was he had.  I still hadn't seen any wet diapers from the kid.  We gave him pedialyte but he soon found out he didn't like it and refused to drink any.  I bought him some of the pedialyte popsicles too but both he and Tyke thought they were nasty (and they are!).  That night Luke was whiny and miserable again.  Big brother Tyke took good care of him for me.  He snuggled right up to Luke and played with him, told him stories, and gave him kisses.  It calmed Luke down and eventually they fell asleep.  They have a sweet bond, these two boys of ours!  Tyke is always so concerned for Luke and makes sure to let us know.  I love it!

Monday morning we still didn't have any wet diapers from Luke.  He still wasn't acting his regular happy self so I stayed home from work and we called and got him a doctors appointment with Dr. Fullmer.  I was pretty concerned that Luke may be dehydrated from all of the sickness.  Our appointment was for 10:40 a.m.  We hung out at Grandma Cheryl's house for a while (daddy was home sleeping thanks to his graveyard shift).  I checked Luke's mouth to see the progress of his teeth and noticed another new tooth had popped through, his top left canine!  Little vampire baby!  Tyke stayed at Grandma's house while I took Luke to the doctor.  Can I just say how much we love our pediatrician and his staff?!  The nurse weighed Luke and took his temperature.  Luke weighed in at 20 pounds 8 ounces.  I was surprised it wasn't more but at the same time not.  Little guy felt light to me after all of his throwing up episodes.  Dr. Fullmer came in and I told him all that had been going on and that I was really worried Lu might be dehydrated.  Dr. Fullmer let me know that throwing up is NOT a sign of teething and that our poor little guy had the stomach flu.  He looked him over good and everything checked out great except for the upset tummy.  Dr. Fullmer informed me that Luke's other top canine is super swollen and on it's way through too.  Vampire baby for sure!  Luke was slightly dehydrated but not enough to cause concern or need an IV.  Luke gurgled a few times during the visit, worrying us both that he was going to throw up, but it just turned into the hiccups.  Dr. Fullmer told me that we were doing a better job at keeping Luke hydrated than we thought and to keep up the good work.  He gave me some zofran to give Luke as needed.  Dr. Fullmer told me to watch for a few signs (fever, distended tummy, bloody stools) that would equal big trouble.  Dr. Fullmer let me know that the vomiting could last a couple more days and that the diarrhea could last up to another week!

Lucky for us, after the visit with Dr. Fullmer and a good long nap our little guy perked right up!  He acted fine the rest of the day Monday.  Tuesday we started giving him baby food again and it thankfully stayed down.  As of tonight, there has been no diarrhea or vomiting since Monday morning.  Our little guys is happy and back to his old happy self.  I hate seeing my boys sick!  Hate it!  I wish more than anything that I could take that misery and pain away from them.  I'm so glad that my Lu is all better!!!

Big Owie

I've dreaded this day, I really have.  I'm surprised something like this (or worse) hasn't happened sooner with as wild as Tyke is.  Poor little man was outside yesterday helping his Daddy do yard work.  Tyke went running a hundred miles an hour across our uneven sidewalk and tripped and landed right on his forehead.  He skinned it good!  Chad carried him into the house.  He was hysterical and his head looked awful.  I panicked for about thirty seconds and then calmed down and, of course, took a picture.  It was just a bad case of road rash with some grass clippings, sticker weeds, and dirt mixed in.  Poor guy!  It wasn't too fun getting it cleaned out.  Tyke really freaked out (and I got a little nauseous) during the whole ordeal.  Luckily Daddy got it cleaned up so that I could doctor it up.

This morning things are looking better.  He has a giant knot on his head that's bruised and sore.  There's a dent right through the middle of that knot that has me a little bit concerned but we'll watch him for a day or two before jumping the gun and going to the doctor (is that bad of  us?).  Here's to hoping this first big bump won't scar.  Tough Tyke!

First Tooth!

Luke hadn't really shown any signs of teething, nothing like what Tyke did, so we didn't know that he had little teeth popping through already!  About two days ago I noticed a small white lump on the lower right front side of his gums.  I felt it but couldn't really decide if it was a tooth coming in or not.  Yesterday it looked a little more white so I mentioned to Chad that I thought maybe our little guy was going to be getting his first tooth!  I was only about 40% sure though.  I feel like most things are a guessing game when it comes to kids and all of their new adventures.  Last night Luke and I spent most of the night awake and on the couch.  The poor guy was whiny and just wanted to be held.  I figured he was just restless and didn't even think that he might be hurting/teething and needed something more.  Sometimes I'm so naive.  I just cuddled him and nursed him and cuddled him some more until we both fell asleep around 4 a.m.  I checked his mouth this morning and there was still nothing more than the little white bump.  After I got off of work and got home I fed Luke and then changed his diaper.  Little did I know he had made a big mess for me!  He had a bit of diarrhea and it blew out the back (signs of teething).  Again, being naive, I didn't think much about it.  Tonight Luke was super grumpy and miserable.  I gave him a warm bath which calmed him down for about five minutes.  I hurried and got him into his jammies and stuck my finger in his mouth one more time to check that little white bump.  To my surprise TWO teeth had popped through his poor little gums!  Two!!  We gave him some Tylenol and extra snuggles and he fell right to sleep.  His two bottom front teeth are in!  It's going to be bittersweet.  I love my baby boys gummy little smiles but I can't wait to see his new toothy grins as those teeth grow in to place!  He's really been such a good boy through his first teething experience.  I really had no idea!  Yay for new teeth bubba Lu!    

29 Months Old

Oh how we love this boy!  He keeps us on our toes and is so full of life.  It's amazing to Chad and I how much this little guy has changing in the last month.  He's so smart, so funny, and so lovable.  Happy 29 months Roni!

Tyke is more brave now than he's ever been.  He's almost fearless.  He loves to swing, high as you can swing him.  It makes my stomach drop to watch him go but he just giggles in delight.  He loves to jump off of everything and everything.  I hope and pray that he doesn't break any bones in all of his little adventurous maneuvers.  He seriously worries me and I'm having a hard time accepting that this is how it's going to be for the rest of my life.  Little boys, they're rough and adventurous and fearless and oh my, this going to be one crazy ride for this mamma!  

If Tyke is hungry he tells us now, literally.  It's the cutest thing!  "I hungee mom!" repeated over and over with puppy dog eyes, hands in fists, and his right foot stomping to the ground until we find him something to eat.  Tyke's appetite has stayed about the same: corn dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza (of course) and pancakes. (he absolutely refuses to eat mac and cheese anymore)  He demands milta (chocolate milk), apple chew (apple juice) and water.  If he doesn't get what he asked for he throws a mega fit until he does.  He's very stubborn like that.  Occasionally we can talk him into trying other foods but for the most part it's a fight and he wins.  Tyke shows no interest in drinking soda or other juices, just his three basic drinks.  He loves chocolate, like his mamma, and sneaks chocolate chips out of the freezer every time it's open.  He tries so hard to open it himself but luckily he can't, yet.  Tyke likes to help himself to the pantry for fruit snacks, always two at a time, and comes running to one of us to open them for him.  Occasionally, or I should say it's starting to happen more and more, once he's done eating them he asks for more.  He's starting to eat a 1 1/2 corn dogs at a sitting.  And he can down at least half a Totino's pizza by himself.  Healthy right?  I feel really guilty about it but his pediatrician assures us that this is a normal toddler appetite and that it will pass but to keep offering other foods to him as well.

A few of the new/cute things that Mr. Roni has been saying lately:

• I want milta, I want milta, I want milta mom! (he will repeat this over and over, as fast as he can, until I get him his chocolate milk!)
• Dis my Louie-pooey!
• Dis my how mom! (This is my house mom)
• Way! (When we're driving he tries to dictate which direction we should go.  If we don't go his way he sometimes throws a fit)  
• Die-sore hungee mom! Num, num, num ("Dinosaur hungry mom! num num num" as he pretends to let the dinosaur bite us.  I have no clue where this imagination came from)
• Where daddy doe mom? (asked anytime Chad steps out of the house.  Daddy's boy for sure!) 
• I hode choo mom ("I hold you mom"  He sure likes to be held and snuggle lately and I love it!)
• Way-Way doe home mom? (Waylon at home mom?)
• Bampa Teh-eee (Grandpa Terry)
• I doe wim mom! (I go swim mom)
• Lah-light (flashlight)
• Ma, Lu pissed! (he gets Luke all upset then plugs his ears and comes running to me complaining that Luke is pissed off, pretty funny)
• Dad doe meep meep! (Dad, honk the horn! Every time he's in a vehicle now he thinks we need to honk the horn.  When we oblige he giggles until he can't breathe and then demands that we do it again)
• I wuz you too! Mom/Dad/Lu (I love you too!)
• Ma! (I'm no longer mom or mommy or mamma, just "Ma!" and oh how it cracks me up!)

Tyke's latest toy obsessions include dinosaurs, Nemo and airplanes.  Dinosaurs are his favorite though.  The kid has got an imagination and can entertain himself for quite a while.  Tyke loves playing outside, especially in the garden or in his kiddie swimming pool.  He's getting fearless around water and likes to jump in from the top of his slide (roughly 2-3 feet!).  He's full of life and we sure enjoy watching him!

Tyke thinks that EVERYTHING is his lately!  "Dis my house, Dis my Lu, Dis my Bampa, Dis my car" and the list goes on!  It's pretty darn cute if you ask me!

Tyke continues to be a great big brother!  He's always so concerned for Lu and helps me and his Daddy take care of him.  Tyke always knows where one of Luke's binkies are, even if we don't.  He likes to make Lu laugh and can do so like no one else.  They have such a special bond and we sure love watching them play together!  They're such good little buddies!

Tyke has two new teeth!  His top two year molars came in around Memorial Day weekend.  The poor guy fevered on and off and would complain that his mouth was "ow!"  We gave him a few doses of motrin and then he was done.  Poor guy!

Tyke has moved up to size 3t for jeans.  He's still at 2t in the shorts department.  Crazy that all clothes can't be sized the same.  He's also in size 3t shirts.  He's a size 10 in the shoe department!  And he's still in a size 5 diaper.  He is starting to show and more and more signs of potty training and will tell us when he needs to go pee.  We'll give it another or month or so before getting the training done.

Almost 2 1/2 bud!  Happy 29 months to the cutest, sweetest, wildest little Tyke we know!  We love to the moon and back bud!

Oregon 2015

We just got back from a week long vacation to Bend, Oregon!  We visited my sister Heather Jo and her family.  Both boys did really well considering we were in the car for over twenty four hours total.  Talk about a long drive!

We left early Sunday morning.  Our hopes were to leave early and let the boys sleep most of the way.  We were up and loaded in the car by 4 a.m.  The boys were wide awake and didn't fall back to sleep until close to 6 a.m.  They were really good though and just played with their toys and watched out the windows.  We met up with Grandpa Terry and Grandma Cheryl in Mona and by the time we left town it was 5 a.m.  A little later start than we wanted but it worked out ok.  We pretty much drove straight through to Bend, Oregon with only a couple of stops.  We stopped in Snowville, Utah, Ontario, Oregon, and Burns, Oregon.  Chad and I took turns riding in the back with the boys to help entertain and calm them down when they would get fussy.  About thirty miles east of Burns Tyke started having a melt down.  That kid has way too much energy to be strapped in to his car seat all day.  When we hit Burns we stopped at the first little city park we found and got out and played for a good half an hour.  Tyke didn't run around like we thought he would but he sure played his heart out!  He got brave and climbed the slide and slid down all by himself quite a few times.  He wasn't very happy when it was time to go but that little bit of exercise held him over until we made it to Aunt Jo's house.  We arrived at JoJo's house around 5 p.m. Oregon time (which equals about a thirteen hour day in the car, including stops and all).  Tyke and his cousin Ellie Jo and Sophie Anne took a few minutes to warm up to each other but they had a good time teasing Grandpa, running around the yard, and jumping on the girls new trampoline!

Monday morning Luke and I were up super bright and early.  He was having a bad night (teething I think) and couldn't go back to sleep.  I didn't want to wake the rest of the house up so he and I snuck outside around 5 a.m. and watched the sunrise.  I was so tired but it was so pretty and so quiet (besides the birds chirping like crazy) and just nice to sit and snuggle with my bubba Lu.  Grandpa Terry made daily runs down to the gas station for coffee for him and Chad and apple fritters for the kids to share for breakfast.  Talk about spoiled!  For a good part of the morning Chad and Grandpa Terry were helping Uncle Alex out on the farm while us girls and the kiddos stayed at the house being lazy and getting ready for the day.  We pretty much just relaxed.  Luke had his first taste of Cheerios thanks to Aunt Jo!  He wasn't a fan and gagged and gagged over it.  He's pretty dramatic when it comes to new foods.  This was his very first "hard" food!  Up until this point he had been only milk and baby food.  Chad and Bampa came back to the house for a while and we loaded up in the cars and went into Redmond to shop at Big R (it's a lot like Cal Ranch).  We were on the hunt for a pair of cowboy boots for Tyke and Jo Jo thought they might have some good sales thanks to the Sisters Rodeo.  We found a pair of boots on sale for $53 and we snagged them!  Once we got home we realized they were girl boots, and thanks to them being on clearance we couldn't return them, bummer.  That evening the boys and I followed Daddy and Bampa and Uncle Alex over to Twin Bridges to watch Alex cut hay.  The scenery was beautiful!  So green and trees everywhere, with a river running through it all.

Tuesday we went into Bend for lunch and some shopping.  We ate at Subway and I was able to have a gluten free sandwich, yum!  Tyke had a pizza and helped himself to a bag of Cheetos, man does he ever love those two food items!  After lunch we went to the outlets.  Chad and Bampa stayed in the car with the kids while we shopped.  We didn't do too much damage but I definitely got some good deals on new clothes for the boys!  After shopping we headed over to fun little park that had three different levels of playground equipment according to age.  The kids had a blast and played their little hearts out!  The had fun swinging, sliding, playing on monkey bars, climbing rock walls and rolling down the grassy hillside.  Tyke got in a small fight with a random four year old.  The kid was obnoxious and tried getting in a fight with anyone who fight back.  He pushed Tyke and Tyke pushed him back and walked away.  A few jibberish words were said and it was done.  It was pretty cute to watch and made us very proud to see how Tyke handled the situation!  That night Heather and Grandma Cheryl watched the boys for us and Chad and I went to Sister, Oregon for dinner and a movie.  We went to the Sisters Movie House, that sits just south of the FivePine Lodge (one of the many places we stayed on our honeymoon).  The movie house was fun.  We ordered dinner and our tickets and went and had a seat.  About twenty minutes into the movie our food was served and we ate while watching the show.  We went to the show "Spy".  It was funny but raunchy as well.  It was nice to have a few hours to ourselves, weird but nice.

Wednesday we decided to be adventurous and  go find Tumalo Falls.  We googled it and it was about forty minutes from the house.  Sophie packed us a picnic of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Cheetos and we were on our way.  The drive over was gorgeous, pine trees everywhere!  We drove and drove and drove until we came to a road closed sign, two miles shy of our destination.  We were super bummed about it!  We thought about hiking in to the falls but after talking to some people that were familiar with the route we decided not to.  It was hot and we weren't prepared for a six mile round trip hike with a four kids under four.  So we left and went back towards town and stopped at Shevlin Park.  We ate our sandwiches and the kids walked around the fishing pond at least a dozen times.  We hung out for a while before heading back to the house.  We stopped at a Papa Murphy's and grabbed a bunch of pizzas for dinner.

Thursday morning we were up bright and early (not that early) to go watch Alex do slack at the Sisters rodeo arena.  We got there just in time to watch him ride.  We watched a few more cowboys do their thing and then we left.  Everyone went back to the house except for our little fam.  We went back to Redmond to the Big R to see if we could find some different, BOY, boots for Tyke.  We lucked out and did.  They were on an even better sale than the first pair we had bought.  We got them for $26!  The girl boots I had bought two days before were marked down to that price too.  I was able to talk one of the employees into giving me some money back since I had missed the better sale by two days, yay!  We found a lot of other really good deals and spent a lot of money, but we saved even more!  After shopping we were hungry so we headed back towards Tumala and ate at El Caporal (Mexican food).  I had the enchiladas, Tyke had a grilled cheese sandwich, and Chad had one of the biggest burritos I've ever seen!  That night for dinner Heather and Alex treated us to some barbequed tri tip, taters and corn on the cob.  There were a few other cowboys there for dinner too (in town for the big Sisters rodeo).  We stayed up late chatting, outside under the stars.  The weather was perfect and it was a perfect ending to a good day.

Friday was pretty lazy.  Chad and Tyke (and Ellie Jo too) got haircuts, we did a little shopping in Bend, and that night we went to Sisters, Oregon to the Sisters Rodeo!  It was insane how crowded that place was!  We only stayed for half of the rodeo before calling it quits because the boys were getting tired and we were getting tired of the drunks sitting behind us that thought they were on american idol.  They were seriously so loud and obnoxious!

Saturday was Sophie Anne's first dance recital.  We went and watch her dance so cute and then snuck out before the review was over.  It was time for us to head home, sadly.  We all went to lunch at Pilot Butte Drive-In (right at the base of Pilot Butte "mountain").  I was super excited to find that they served gluten free buns, yay!  After a long lunch we said our goodbyes and left town.  We drove to Mountain Home, Idaho, where we stayed the night at the Hampton Inn.  It was kind of a waste of money but we needed the rest and it was pretty much our only option.  We checked in around midnight and checked out by 7 a.m. the next morning, ew!

Sunday we were up bright and early!  We ate a quick breakfast at the hotel and then headed home!  We made good timing and only had to stop for gas/bathroom breaks.  The kids did awesome!!  We were so glad to be home!  Thank you Aunt Jo Jo and Uncle Alex for letting us come and visit for the week, we had a blast!

The Many Faces of Lu!

 I can't get enough of this silly boy! He melts my heart for sure!

8 Months Old

Mr. Luke is 8 months old today!  He is seriously the sweetest, smiliest little guy ever!  This little man is growing like a weed and learning more and more each day.  He is so fun!

Luke has definitely found his voice!  He loves to squeal and chirp to get our attention.  He tattles on big brother if Tyke is bothering him.  He will squeal the most high pitched squeal you've ever heard until Tyke gets in trouble, then he stops and grins.  He's a little stinker!  If we chirp at him he smiles and chirps right back.  We go back and forth at least a dozen times before he stops.  He's just too much fun!  Luke and Tyke like to squeal really loud like they're in a competition.  Poor Tyke gets in trouble every time but Luke never does because it's still cute when he does it.  Tyke's squeal is a lot louder and harder on the ears.

Luke loves watching his big brother.  We have a feeling that these two are going to be trouble when they both get a little older.  They play pretty well together.  Tyke is so good to hand Luke any toys he may want and blankets too.  Luke is all smiles when Tyke is around until Tyke gets too much into his space, then he gets mad and squeals.  If that doesn't work then it's tears and poor Tyke gets in trouble.  Tyke can get Luke to smile and giggle like no one else can.  All it takes is Tyke laughing a fake laugh and then the giggles come from both of them.  They definitely feed off of each other.  They are good little buddies and we love it!

Lou loves to sit up and he is getting better at it every day!  We have to place him in sitting position.  He really dislikes laying down and wants to be up and watching everything.  His balance has gotten really good but he still tips over here and there, usually with a hard crash that brings tears.  I don't know if they are from frustration or hurt or both but it definitely ticks him off.  Luke is getting good at rolling over to where ever it is he wants to go.  He scoots on his belly a little.  There aren't any solid signs of crawling for him yet.  He has pushed up onto his hands and toes a time or two so it's coming, just not yet.  When lying on his back, Luke will lift up his head and legs, as if trying to sit up, and hold the position for a good thirty seconds.  The kid should have some abs from that little trick!  Luke likes it when we hold his hands and walk him around.  He's really starting to catch onto moving one foot in front of the other.  It's just amazing to watch him and to see how many new things he is learning all at once.

We started giving Luke sippy cups of water or apple-prune juice.  He likes them but he has a hard time with them.  He gets so excited when he sees his cup and he grabs at it so fast that it goes flying!  He grabs and grabs at it trying to catch on so he can have a drink.  Once he finally does get a hold of it he just uses it for a chew toy.  We have to actually hold it up for him so he can drink.  He usually chews for a few seconds before catching on that if he sucks he can drink.  He makes big messes with his sippies!

Luke has a new funny little trick/sound that he does a lot lately.  He snorts quietly and scrunches his nose up whenever he is happy, anxious, excited, or silly.  It's so cute and funny and he's only blown a boogie once while doing it.  It pretty much sounds like he's trying to blow his nose really fast when he does this.  I love the two little wrinkles in his nose that he gets when he does it.  He's simply adorable!

Other new tricks are that he can now push himself in reverse in the walker (5-10-15).  It startles him at first but then it's all good.  He has started to stand up in it and lean forward, if he could just figure out how to push off he would easily be able to move forward too!

Luke is a bit spoiled.  He loves to be held and almost always wants to be held.  He's a grumpy-gus if he gets put down while we tend to other things.  He will whimper, whine and then flat out scream his head off: tears, snot and all, until we pick him back up.  As soon as our hand touch him he turns it all off and smiles.  He's a little stinker!

Luke is getting more and more ticklish.  He's especially ticklish under his chin and on the chest area.  His arm pits are ticklish too but he's not too sure what to think of it.  And, random, the palm of his left hand is ticklish.  Silly boy!

Luke loves his baby foods!  We can't shovel them in fast enough!  He will eat pretty much everything we give him.  The only food he has ever really turned down, and I can't say that I blame him, is green peas.  Luke is a bossy little eater.  He gets very impatient with us because we aren't fast enough.  He is eating Stage 2 baby foods.  Sometimes he eats two containers of food!  We've tried giving him the yogurt melts, split in half of course, and he gags on them so hard.  He isn't used to the solid texture at all.  Luke is still nursing!  We've officially made it eight months now.  Here and there he has had to have a formula bottle.  More out of convenience for us than anything but also because I have fed him already and he's still hungry and we're not home so it's our only choice.

Luke is growing big and strong and tall!  He looks so big to us for an eight month old.  He's currently wearing 9-12 month clothes and they are starting to look a little tight on him.  Some of the t-shirts are starting to look like belly shirts on our chubby bubby.  We still haven't really put him in shoes yet so I don't know what his shoe size would be.  He's still in size three diapers, but like I said before, once we run out of them we will be moving on to size fours.  Luke has no teeth and there are no signs that he has any coming in any time soon.

We love this sweet boy so much!  He's a big sweetheart!  It's hard to believe that in just four short months this kiddo will be one!  He has been such a blessing to our family and we are so thankful for him!  Love you Lukey-Duke!

Front Door Problems

Seriously our little Tyke is getting too big and too handy to handle.  On Sunday, after baby Jaxston's blessing, we went home for a while until it was time to go to Jaxston's dinner/a birthday party for Trayson.  I was sitting on the couch feeding Luke, Chad was out in the garage working on the truck, and Tyke was in his room playing.  The doorbell rang and I knew it was one of the young men collecting fast offerings (because of the Payson temple dedication next weekend and stake conference the next, this weekend was our fast Sunday).  I was busy with Luke and couldn't get to the door so I decided to just ignore it.  It's not like we had fasted anyway and it's always hit and miss if we're  home and they collect from us anyway.  Well Tyke comes running full speed down the hall, yelling, "Mom, door! I do!"  I quietly yelled at him to leave it alone but we all know that he doesn't listen too well.  He can't hear me when I'm yelling at him let alone if I whisper.  I could hear him wiggling the door handle trying to open the door up, thus giving it away that someone was home.  I hurried to put Luke down and get my clothes re-situated (nursing can be a pain sometimes) so I could go and answer the door.  Things got quiet and I figured Tyke had given up and so had the young man, so I sat quietly on the couch with Luke for a few more minutes.  Chad came walking in just then and asked if we had missed them?  I told him yes but that Tyke had tried to open the door and couldn't so they knew we were home.  Chad walked around the corner and there stood the young man at the door, door wide open, and Tyke outside picking up grass and throwing it at him!!!  I could've died!  We gave him our fast offering and he went on his way.  I swear he had to have stood there a good five minutes getting picked on by our Tyke before we even knew it.  What a little bully!  We had no clue Tyke could open the door!  He can't open any others.  Little stinker!  A few minutes after this happened and we had had our laugh, we lost Tyke.  Care to guess where he was? Front door wide open and he had run out again!  We're going to have to find some extra locks to put on this door!  Roni is trouble!!!

I Want Cheetos!!!

Last Saturday, after moving cows, we ventured up north to do some grocery shopping.  While in the checkout line at Walmart, Tyke spotted a display of Cheetos.  He loves Cheetos!  He quietly pointed it out to Chad and I and said, "I want Cheetos."  I told him no and he kept repeating himself.  I kept telling him no.  He got a little louder each time until he finally squealed, "I WANT CHEETOS!!!"  I laughed and told him no and to be quiet.  He frowned at me and growled lowly, "I.want.Cheetos!"  I once again told him no.  He looked up at me, smiled a bratty smile, and squealed at the top of his lungs, "I WANT CHEETOS MOM!!!!!!"  I quickly put my hand over his mouth and grabbed him a bag of Cheetos and told him to shush!  He giggled, Chad laughed, the couple behind us in line were really laughing and I was bright red.  Tyke took the Cheetos from me and then quickly handed them back and very seriously said, "no Cheetos mom." and he refused to take them.  So we didn't buy any.  Little stinker!

New Obsession

Tyke has a new toy obsession, dinosaurs!  He has always shown an interest in them but we've never bought him any.  While we were camping over Memorial weekend Chad found a toy dinosaur in the tall grass just east of camp.  Tyke was excited and packed that thing around with him everywhere.  Even at home it was a favorite toy.  Saturday we went grocery shopping and found a bin of $1 dinosaurs at Walmart.  We let him pick out three, for being so good.  He has packed them around ever since, even tucking them into bed him and napping with him.  They're always "hungee mom!" (hungry) and trying to eat us and saying "num num num num"  It's pretty darn cute!  Tyke still loves his airplanes and his Nemo fish but for now dinosaurs rule! (We are going to need to get him a bigger backpack to pack around all of these loved toys!)  It's amazing how many toys this kid can fit into two hands!