Easter 2016

We survived Easter weekend 2016!  It was a few weeks earlier than usual, and of course we got snowed on, but we had a great time and we're so glad we were able to be with our families over the weekend!

We camped with the Kay crew out west of Nephi.  The Sutherland's weren't able to make it this year (the first time in 50+ years) and it was so weird without them!

We hadn't been in camp ten minutes and Luke took a nasty tumble out of the trailer, hitting ever step along the way and landing on his head on a wooden pallet at the bottom.  He was hysterical and so was I, haha.  Lucky for us a pack of fruit snacks calmed him down and we were able to see the damage.  He had a huge nasty bump on the side of his head the shape of the boards on the pallet.  Pictures don't do it justice of just how bad it was!  It was bruised and sore to the touch, it even scabbed over a little.  Poor little Lu!  It's a good thing he's so tough because he endured lots of bumps and falls over the weekend.

We got our trailer all set up and ready to go for it's 2016 maiden trip.  The boys were so excited to play in the dirt with their cousins and were quite entertained with all of the sand toys and trucks.  We had a yummy dinner of pepper steak sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches.  After dinner was done and cleaned up, Tyke insisted that he wanted to stay in the trailer.  So we got the boys ready for bed and started a movie for them.  I stayed inside with them until Luke fell asleep, while Daddy went outside to enjoy the campfire.  It didn't take long for Luke to fall asleep because it had been a long, napless day for him.  As soon as he was out I told Tyke I would be just outside if he needed anything.  I think he enjoyed his "me" time in the trailer.  I didn't stay out long before calling it quits because it was a bit too chilly for me.  We were all in bed asleep by the time Daddy came in for bed.

We woke up Saturday morning to FOUR INCHES OF SNOW!!!  It was the kind that wasn't going to melt quickly either!  Daddy made a quick trip home to grab snow gear for us all, thank goodness he did!  We had breakfast with the entire Kay clan and both boys enjoyed sausage and french toast.  Luke loved eating the fruit too.  Tyke and Aunt Lucinda had a little snowball fight.  We played and played until around noon when it was time for our little family to load up and head to the annual Bowles family Easter egg hunt.  Tyke wasn't too excited to leave his friends to go to that.  They were busy playing with play doh and he was loving it.  He quickly fell asleep on the ride to the egg hunt and when he woke up he was happy to see new friends.

We got to our egg hunt destination just in time to find that the time had been changed and we were an hour early and the only ones there.  Bummer!  Tyke was asleep and Luke was being good so Chad and I hurried to gather some fire wood and get a fire going.  It was SO muddy!  Every step we took added another inch of mud to the bottom of our boots.  It wasn't very fun to walk in but we survived and it slowly dried out so that things were perfect for the egg hunt.  Eventually the rest of the crew showed up and we enjoyed a yummy lunch of Subway sandwiches, salads and treats.  Great Grandma Jean was unable to come this year, the first time since we started this tradition, because she wasn't feeling well.  We all missed her so much and it was so strange celebrating and playing without her.  We had three groups of egg hunters this year.  It went: the young ones ages 5 and under (Tyke and Luke's group), the adults (us parents), and then the rest of the kids.  Tyke and Luke had a blast picking up eggs and treats and made a haul of it!  Callie Jo and Addi were super sweet to help Luke out with his egg hunt.  He wasn't really too interested in playing once he had his little hands full of treats but Callie and Addi made sure he got his bag loaded.  Tyke did a great job and had so much fun running around the place with his Daddy in tow.  Both boys did well for themselves!  Tyke made $10 and Luke made $6.  Way to go boys!  After they had their hunt it was our turn.  Tyke had fun helping me find treats and eggs.  Turns out there weren't many eggs for us to find because Uncle Blair forgot to put them out.  And so, instead of having to hunt for eggs with money in them we were each handed $10 and called it good.  Between the four us we made $39 and had a huge Costco shopping bag full of candy and prizes!  The boys had so much fun playing with their cousins!  And can I just say how trippy it was seeing Luke in his little overalls and John Deere hat?  It was dejavu  from when Tyke used to wear it.  I loved watching him toddle around the place and taking it all in.

We left the Bowles crew around 5:30 p.m. and headed back to camp.  The Kay crew had just finished up their egg hunt and Aunt Lucinda had a surprise chest waiting for all of the kids to choose from.  Tyke and Kayson both got awesome little guns and had a blast chasing each other around with them.  Those two are wild!  A small game of softball got started and Tyke didn't hesitate at all to have a turn at the bat.  He grabbed the helmet (not sure who's it was), a bat and we set up the tee for him.  He hit the tee, not the ball, knocking the ball to the ground and we had him run the bases.  He thought it was so much fun but not fun enough to want to do it again.  We all enjoyed watching the kids and Uncle Rick and Uncle Drew play ball.  Luke just wanted to be held.  Tyke and Kayson and Swasey played in a fort that the older kids had built with the fire wood pile.  It was such a good afternoon!  We had dinner together that night, potluck and bring your own meat.  It was all so yummy and hit the spot!  We got the boys cleaned up and ready for bed and once again started a movie for them.  I planned on waiting until Luke fell asleep before sneaking out again but I fell asleep too and so did Tyke.  Chad woke me up around 10 p.m. to go outside and enjoy the nice night.  I had fallen asleep in the most awkward, uncomfortable position so it took me a few minutes to get on my feet and out the door.  We stayed out around the campfire until midnight with Dustin, Lisa and Layne.  We visited and listened to the radio.  It was perfect weather and a clear skied night.  What a perfect ending to a perfect day!

Easter morning the boys woke up wanting some chocolate milk.  They ran to help me make some and completely missed their baskets that the Easter Bunny had brought them.  They were so excited when they finally noticed them and had a blast digging through each others baskets.  They each got treats, movies, bubbles, a kite, bow and arrows, $2, a summer outfit and some little toys and new binkies for Luke.  We had breakfast and visited for about an hour before everyone cleaned up, loaded up and left for home.  We hadn't planned on going home so early in the day but we were home by 11:30 a.m. and cleaned up by noon, can't complain about that!  We had such a great weekend!  The boys were sad to come home and can't wait for their next camping adventure!  Happy Easter 2016!

Coloring Eggs

For the first time ever we finally boiled and colored Easter eggs!  I feel like such a slacker mom that this the first time Tyke & Luke have got to enjoy this activity.  We've always had good intentions and the supplies to do it but time just gets away from us.  We decided that this year we would get it done before Easter weekend and scheduled it in.  Even with scheduling it we ended up playing too late in the night and didn't get them finished or decorated like we would have liked but at least we made some progress right?  Tyke was so excited!  Luke was intrigued.  Tyke loved (not carefully) dropping the eggs into the dye while Luke enjoyed throwing them on the ground.  He smashed about three I think and Tyke cracked quite a few as well.  We let our second batch of eggs sit in the dye while we got the boys bathed and ready for bed.  They were so excited to get back out into the kitchen and see their creations.  Next year we will do better at decorating them and actually get a picture of the finished products.  

Too Many Bosses

Tyke: Mommy, you da boss, Daddy's da boss and I da boss, huh?!
Me: No, you're not the boss.
Tyke: I not the da boss?!
Me: Nope
Tyke: Just you and Daddy da boss huh?

Park Time

We dug the bikes out and hooked on the little trailer for the kiddos and rode to the city park to play.  Both boys were nervous about their ride at first but thoroughly enjoyed it!  Luke giggled nearly the entire time.  Tyke and Luke were so excited to see that the park playground was our destination.  They had a blast playing on the slides.  We didn't even really bother with the swings, just the slides.  Tyke was so brave and went down all of them, by himself, which really surprised us.  Luke loved climbing the stairways and did a really good job.  I didn't quite dare let him go down the slides by himself so I went with him and can I just say I'm too old for that!  He loved it, I got motion sick.  We played for about half an hour before loading up and heading back home.  The boys were, as always, sad to leave the park.  What a perfect afternoon!

Trouble!

This kid right here, Mr. Luke, is quite the handful and keeps us busy, busy, busy!  He is into everything!  He climbs everything!  He snoops around everything!  He's just so full of life and sass.  We love watching him play and explore.  He keeps getting more and more fun and his little personality is getting big, silly, sweet and fun!  This past weekend he has made us laugh so much.  He enjoyed pizza for dinner.  I'm wondering if he rubbed it allover himself before eating it because I'm not sure how he made such a mess?  He got caught climbing around in the pantry, getting his own treats.  He can take care of himself, or so he thinks.  He climbed the couches and stood in the windows constantly too.  We're not sure what he was climbing on in the front room on Saturday but we heard a huge crash and hurt screams and cries.  He bonked his poor little eye on the window sill and got himself his first shiner.  It didn't bruise as bad as we expected but it's definitely swollen and pink and purple.  He just might take after his mamma a little bit in the klutz department.  We love our Bubba Lu so much and the joy that he brings to our little family!  Every day is an adventure with him, that's for sure!  

Sunday Morning...

We sure love these little boys!  They are the best of friends and always playing together, fighting with each other and getting into mischief.  We wouldn't have it any other way!  We love our little monkeys!

Mona Park Fun

I think it might be correct to say we have played at the local parks more this year than we ever have and spring is just getting started!  The boys love it and can't get enough of this fun stuff.  We enjoy it too because it completely exhausts them both.  Here's to many more visits with our boys!

Toilet Fun

To say that we've had too much fun with toilets this week would be an understatement.  We have been slowly (very slowly) working with Tyke on potty training.  He gets it and knows what he's doing and what needs to be done but he refuses to use the potty.  He hates his potty chair and insists on using the toilet, which is fine with us.  The thing is he gets panicky and upset if we push too hard.  We have to play his game and use bribery.  If he asks for chocolate milk or a treat we insist that he goes and uses the potty while we get things made.  It works every time and he happily goes and takes care of himself.  He does pretty good at not making messes and cleans up after himself if he does.  And so, we'll continue to work with him and hope that one day it just clicks and he will be a big boy!  As for Luke, well, he's always been obsessed with the bathrooms and is drawn to them like a moth to a light.  He never misses a chance to go in a bathroom and play.  He mostly just snoops around but this past week he has started playing in the toilet, ick!  We have to remind Tyke to always close the door tightly behind him or else the Lu will get himself in trouble.  And on a side note, Tyke locked and closed the door the other day to keep Luke out.  It kept all of us out too.  We were unable to break in to the bathroom without completely removing the door knob.  Oh boy!

On Monday Luke helped himself to the toilet after Tyke had been in there.  He had a kitchen cup with him and proceeded to dip it in the toilet and scoop out the water onto the floor.  He did quite a bit before I asked Tyke if he had shut the door and he ran to check.  He caught Luke in the act and yelled to me that Luke was making a big mess and had spilled water all over his potty chair (his potty training chair doubles as a step stool and that's what he uses to get on the toilet).  I ran in to find Luke with a big smile on his face, proud as can be, and water every where!  He was soaked and so was the bathroom.  I kicked them both out and hurried to get things cleaned up.  Little stinker!!

On Tuesday Tyke helped his daddy, minus his daddy, repair the toilet in the master bathroom.  It has been having troubles for the past few days with not being able to shut off.  Tyke and his Daddy had gone to the hardware store to get the parts needed(?) and when they got back home Tyke went right to work.  Chad wasn't planning on fixing the toilet just yet.  Tyke ripped open the box and started dipping the part in the tank of water.  Not near as gross as Luke playing in the toilet but still not a clean thing to be playing with.  Needless to say the part was the wrong part needed and we're now stuck with it because it's been "used".

And then Wednesday came...  Luke can now open the doors at Grandma Cheryl's house.  She says she has to lock the bathroom door even if no one is in there because Luke can get in.  Well she had just gotten home from taken me to lunch and was in the process of unloading kids.  Luke went first and while Grandma Cheryl was distracted he broke into the bathroom, got into the drawer containing Grandpa Terry's toothbrush, grabbed and got busy scrubbing the inside of the toilet with it!!!  Where did this kid come from?!  Lucky for Grandpa Terry Luke was caught in the act and the toothbrush got thrown away.  We now owe him a new one courtesy of the Lu.

I'm afraid our fun has just begun with all of this.

Blinds

Luke is obsessed with the blinds in our house.  He's always playing with them, banging them against the windows and pulling on the strings if they're within reach.  He's kind of a little trouble maker!  Well he especially loves playing with the blinds on the french doors.  We try to always have them up and the strings well out of reach.  He has watched us and apparently learned how to work the blinds.  He can now officially pull them up, about half way, by himself.  This kid is going to keep us on our toes for sure!

17 Months Old

The Lu is 17 months old now and is growing like a weed!  This kid is getting so tall and solid, just like his brother.

Luke has been loving the warm spring weather we've been having.  He loves his new found freedom of playing outside.  He gets so angry with us when it's time to go in the house or get in the car for a ride.  He just wants to play.  When he's outside he's the happiest and it makes for a good day.  His whole attitude changes for the day if he gets some outside play time in.  It's been nice, for all of us, to have less temper tantrums (there are still plenty but he's definitely more mellow after being outside).

Luke has got such a fun, goofy little personality.  If he makes someone laugh he picks up on it quickly and continues to do what he was doing to be funny.  He LOVES spinning around in circles and it makes for some good entertainment.  He will spin, not very gracefully, about four times before stopping and watching the ground still spin.  Then he looks up at us and giggles and if we laugh he spins some more.  Sometimes we have to make ourselves stop laughing so that he will stop spinning.  There's no forcing him to stop because he's one very determined, stubborn little man.  If the laughs stop so does he.  He's a great entertainer, when he wants to be.

One thing about Luke, he's his own little person and he lets us know that!  There is no forcing him to do something.  No convincing him or reasoning.  He's stubborn and determined and we're learning to just go with the flow!

Luke hasn't learned any new words this past month, which kind of bugs me since we were told by our pediatrician that he should be learning 2-3 words per month.  He communicates fairly well.  He's starting to point at things that he wants or needs.  He will point and grunt, all while holding a binky in between his teeth, and usually gets what he wants.  He waves hi and bye and will say both but not on command.  I can never get him to say something when I want him to.  He screams "Daaaaddddd!" a lot!  He occasionally says mom, mum, or ma.  Sometimes we think he says Tyke but we're not really sure.  He definitely understands the words Tyke and brother because when we ask him "where's Tyke?" or "where's brother?" he will look at Tyke and point at him and smile.  He understands us well and can follow simple commands.  I will tell him to go to the bathtub after meals and he runs right to the tub and tries to climb in.  I will tell him to take an item to his daddy and he will.  Sometimes he needs more convincing than others but he does a good job.  He's getting to be a good little helper.

Luke is all boy and is a rough kid!  He likes to hit, pull hair, occasionally bite, wrestle, push and scream.  If he spots anyone lying on the floor it's game on and he immediately runs over to them and starts a wrestling match.  He likes to play rough and thinks it's great!  He likes to pick on his big brother, which for now is mostly okay because we consider it payback for all of the times Tyke picked on him.  He especially likes to bother Tyke when he's napping on the couch.  Luke will poke him and push him (he gets in trouble for these times) until Tyke screams in his sleep and starts swatting at him.  We try to stop him but he keeps going back for more.  I guess he sees it as an easy target when Tyke can't hit or push back.  These boys are going to give us a run for our money!

Luke still loves his bath time and it is the happiest part of his day.  He loves to splash and play with his bath toys.  He bathes with his big brother and they love to pick on each other.  Tyke tries to hog up most of the bath tub and Luke in return dumps cups of water on Tyke's head, which he hates but the rest of us thinks it's funny.  I love the relationship and bond that Luke and Tyke have with each other!

Luke loves his minky blankets more now than ever before.  He drags them everywhere and I feel like I'm constantly throwing them in the washer to keep them clean and not stinky.  He likes to find the corners on his blankets now and chew on them.  It's pretty darn cute to watch him do so.

Luke has been venturing out in the food department and he is still our little champion eater!  He still likes everything we have fed him minus mashed potatoes eggo waffles.  He is obsessed with mandarin oranges and has to have a cup of them every afternoon for a late afternoon snack.  We introduced him to Vienna sausages and he LOVES them!  He will eat any kind of meat put in front of him with out being picky.  He likes his milk warmed up.  He hates waiting for it to be warmed up but he still refuses to drink it cold.  He's not a big fan of having it flavored with chocolate.  He likes apple juice but is unsure of orange juice.  He loves pop but we try not to let him drink it.  I think his infatuation with pop is getting to drink out of a straw.  He likes straws a lot!  Give the kid a straw and he will be content until it gets taken away.  I'm pretty sure he's tired of grilled cheese sandwiches.  We make them a lot because it's about the only thing his big brother will eat.  Give the Lu some meat and cheese and he will be happy as can be!  We love that he loves food and is such a good, "adventurous" eater.  We wish his brother would take a lesson or two from him.

Luke had been cutting back on using his binky but the last week or so he has started using it almost 24/7.  While I don't like that and would love to be rid of the binky, it is definitely a lifesaver when he is in one of his moods and we can't calm him down.  He definitely finds comfort in his binky and blanket.  He has been sleeping better at night and wakes up early in the night, like around 1 am for milk, if he wakes up at all.  He sleeps through the night at least twice a week now which has been so nice!  He usually will wake up and come running into our room and then gets mad for some milk.  His screams in the middle of the night are so loud they wake us all up and probably the neighbors too.  The boy has got a set of lungs and knows how to use them!  I don't know how his throat doesn't get sore the way he screams!  Luke is down to 1-2 bottles a day.  One at bedtime and one during the night if needed.  Other than that he uses a sippy cup now.  He's not completely sold on that idea but we're trying to win this fight.  Occasionally we give in and give him a bottle in the afternoon for nap time just because he gets so grumpy and we know it's a quick easy fix (if we're lucky).  Luke does well with a sippy cup.  He usually prefers to steal Tyke's and use it rather than his own.  He's not a big fan of chocolate milk but will drink it.  He drinks most anything that he can get his hands on.  He likes to help me with my diet coke's which I don't like because I don't want him liking pop and I don't want to share.  He gets mad though and it's just not worth the fight.

Luke continues to LOVE food!  (I wish we could say the same for his brother.  I wish Tyke would take a lesson or two on eating from Luke.)  Luke has been introduced to a few new things this past month and has loved them all.  We started giving him chopped up vienna sausages with his mandarin oranges and I think it's safe to say that they are his new favorite treat!  Luke loves any kind of meat and will usually quickly eat it first before eating what else is on his plate.  Luke also had his first taste of salsa the other night.  We had dinner at the local Mexican restaurant and he stuck his finger in the salsa.  I told him he wouldn't like it because it was extra hot that night (plus salsa is a pretty extreme food for young ones anyway).  Well he sucked his finger clean and didn't pull a disgusted face or anything before diving back in.  Soon I was dipping chips, lightly, into the salsa and giving them to him and he really enjoyed it!  I was so surprised!  I tried my hardest to not let him have too much because I was worried about him getting a belly ache.  He really enjoyed his "meal" at the restaurant and it was the best that he's ever eaten when in public!  He had half of a quesadilla, hands full of my rice (he takes care of himself and helped himself to my plate), chips and salsa, and quite a few bites of my chicken enchiladas.  He loved it all!  He's such a great little eater!  He enjoys pretty much anything he can physically grab onto, so things like mashed potatoes are on the dislike list.

Our little guy isn't so little anymore and is getting to be so tall and solid.  If he stands next to me he hits me at about the waist which I feel like is tall for a 17 month old.  He is currently wearing 18-24 month/2t shirts, 12-18 month jeans, and 18 month jammies which are pretty much too small for him now and need to be retired.  He is still in a size 4 diaper but as soon as we run, in the next day or two, we are going to be moving him into size 5's.  He wears a size 6 shoe that fits great length wise but seems to be a little too tight in the width/height wise.  He has chubby little feet with a high arch.  Luke still only has twelve teeth: top and bottom front 8 and 4 molars.  As grumpy and miserable as he is sometimes I would swear that he's teething but I can't find any signs of new teeth coming in yet.  He loves having his teeth brushed, mostly just so he can bite the toothbrush but he does cooperate well with getting the job done.  The little stinker bites me every time I try to look in his mouth and I must say he has got one good, strong bite!  It surprises me that he doesn't draw blood, just tears haha.

We love our little big guy so much!  He's been so much fun to watch learn and grow this past month.  It just keeps getting better and we really hope that with that he starts sleeping better and being less grumpy.  I know I make it sound like he's just a miserable little grump.  He's really not but it sure feels like he's more grumpy than happy at times.  He's a playful, tough, strong, determined little man and we love him and his sweet, stubborn self so much!  Happy 17 months Little Lu!

Lu was NOT happy to have his monthly photoshoot today!  This kid is getting harder and harder to get a quick shot of.  He hates to sit still and just wants to hold the camera.  Silly Lu!

Spring Weather

FINALLY we have been receiving some nice, spring weather!  We took a little walk tonight over to the local park and enjoyed playing on the playground.  Of course Luke had to have his blanket dragging behind him and Tyke stayed quite a ways ahead of us the entire walk (run for him).  That kid does not listen and tried to dart out into the roads more than once.  I'm not sure how Chad and I are going to keep up with him in the future, we barely can now.  Time to get his backpack leash out again... 

Tyke loved it and tried out everything.  Luke hated the swings but liked sitting on the spinning toys.  He didn't really play, just hung out.  Tyke enjoyed throwing the wood chips and getting in trouble for it.  Luke tried bullying a little boy just bigger than himself and got slapped in the forehead by him.  It didn't really phase him at all and the other little boy got in trouble with his mom.  After playing for a while we went and walked some more before heading home.  It was such a perfect evening and we sure enjoyed it!  Hurray for spring!

Boys!

So last night I hurried to bath Luke after dinner.  We had company and he wanted to play with them but he was covered in a thick layer of tater tot casserole (it's like a ritual for him to smear food all over himself before devouring it).  Luke usually gets excited for bath time but he was super upset with me for whisking him away from our company to clean him up.  I planned on a quick rinse off but good enough that I wouldn't have to dunk him again.  I ran the bath water and discovered it was too hot, after I had already taken off Luke's diaper.  So while I was trying to get the temperature right, Luke tried escaping the bathroom, naked.  Instead of escaping he ended up accidentally shutting the door, trapping himself inside.  Score for me!  He was throwing a mega fit and wanted out but couldn't now.  He turned towards me in his fit of rage and started peeing all over the floor!  I didn't notice any of this, I had my back turned to the door.  I turned around to grab him and put him in the tub and found him peeing, all over his hand!  He was waving his hand back and forth in the his stream of pee, trying to catch it but instead was splashing it all over the cupboards and floor!  All I could do was laugh at him.  I put him in the tub, cleaned up his mess, and then cleaned him up quickly and got back to our company.  Gotta love little boys!