Messy Lu

Luke has a new favorite food and he refuses to have help when eating it...macaroni and cheese!  He loves it and scarfs it down quickly but not before rubbing it all over his belly, in his hair, and tossing some on the floor too.  He's a messy boy but a great eater and we sure get a kick out of watching him devour his foods.  Messy Lu!

16 Months Old

Little Lu is sixteen months old today!  He's almost a year and a half now and boy does he keep us on our toes.  He's a pretty high maintenance little guy.  He wants to be held a lot but at the same time doesn't want to be touched.  He's tricky to make happy.

This cute little boy is kind of sassy for his young age.  He is always snooping or getting into trouble and when we get after him he gives us an innocent look and exclaims, "What?!"  He is starting to learn new words now and it's so funny to listen to him and hear when he chooses to use them.  He can say:

• "Wha!" (what)
• "Bah" (bye)
• "Eeeeze" (cheese for the camera, if he so chooses to smile for us)
• "Moo"

Mr. Lu has taken up karate too or so it seems.  I'm pretty sure he learned it from Tyke but he comes running after us with one arm in the air and then swings down while exclaiming, "hi-ya!"  He then giggles and runs off, turning around almost immediately to come back and karate chop us again.  It's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Luke is getting so big and solid.  Height wise he hits me at about my hips.  He's a solid little guy and is getting heavy to pack around.  He likes to be held but only if he's upright and can see what's going on in the world.  He's so long and heavy that it's awkward to hold him any other way unless sitting down.  I pretty much can't hold him like a baby anymore because he's just too big.  Not that he would let me anyway, haha.  Luke is in a toddler bed now and it's a battle every night to keep him in his bed and get him to sleep.  He loves his new found freedom and tries to get out of bed constantly until I finally win.  He's a persistent little thing!

Luke has really started to show a big interest in playing with toys now.  He and Tyke have a blast in their room getting everything out and playing.  They almost always have the door shut and entertain themselves for a good while.  It's nice for Chad and I to actually have two seconds of quiet time to ourselves.  Luke loves playing with trucks and will get down on his hands and knees and push them around while making truck sounds.  It's so stinking cute!  He also loves playing with the toy rifle and shotgun, Paw Patrol pups, and trains.

Luke is still a binky and blanket baby.  We can't go anywhere without the two or we are in real trouble.  He packs his blanket everywhere, tossed over his shoulder and dragging on the ground.  He has tripped on it a few times but refuses to leave it behind.  He reminds me of the Charlie Brown character Linus.  He has just recently started throwing his blankets over his head and walking around the house blindly.  He thinks that it's pretty cool but I get nervous that he's going to walk into something and get hurt.  He's such a goofball!

Luke's new tricks for the month include opening closet doors, mainly the pantry door, and climbing on anything and everything.  He's fearless!  He loves getting into the pantry and making messes.  Luckily we haven't had anything too major yet.  He also likes climbing things like up onto the couch and then up onto the back of it so he can get in trouble for banging the blinds against the windows.  He's always in the blinds and thinks it's so funny.  He has learned from Tyke how to jump on his bed.  He climbs up on his bed, throws the pillows and blankets on the ground, grabs onto the rail and jumps like crazy.  It's pretty cute but I worry he'll lose his balance and fall off or something.  Live and learn right?

Luke loves his food.  Every day when I get home from work he gets pretty grumpy and we have a hard time getting things right for him.  Almost every time all that it takes is opening up the pantry and letting him choose an afternoon treat.  Every single time he goes for the little fruit cups.  Luke LOVES mandarin oranges and they are his preferred fruit.  He tolerates peaches and pears but mandarin oranges get scarfed right down.  Luke continues to be a good little eater for us and eats pretty much everything we put in front of him.  I've noticed he's not a big fan of foods like mashed potatoes or cottage cheese or anything that can't be grabbed with his little fingers.  He likes to eat with his hands.  He likes to have a fork or spoon handy but pretty much to just play with it and not use it.  He LOVES meat of any kind as long as it's diced up for him and will tear apart grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese quesadillas so that they are bite size for him.  He's just a good eater and we wish his big brother would take some lessons from him.

Luke has outgrown all of his 12 months clothing and is currently in 18 month jeans and 18 month to 24 month/2t shirts.  He's in a size 6 shoe with room to grow but he hates to wear them because they're too height.  I think his feet are too fat and his arches too high for his shoes to fit comfortably.  I need to figure something else out for him in the width department.  Luke is in a size 4 diaper still.  We used size 5's for a few days (because we had ran completely out of 4's, oops) and decided they were still a bit too big for him.  He still hates and puts up a fight for getting his diapers changed and getting dressed.  He still hates lotion and everything about getting out of the tub and ready for bed.  He loves getting his teeth brushed and that's about all.  He's a handful for sure!

We love our little Lu so much!  He's just too cute and so much fun to watch play and learn.  Happy 16 months Bubba!

Valentine Pics

I signed the boys up for a Valentine's mini shoot with a photographer from Payson.  I was so excited!  I love her work and her set up for pictures was so cute and the price was cheap(ish).  My boys looked so handsome and were in a pretty good mood until we walked into the photographers house.  Tyke immediately tensed up and hid behind my back and whined that he wanted to go home.  I told him as soon as we were done here we could do whatever he wanted.  There were other kids in the house waiting their turn for pictures and posing so good and cooperating so great.  I made the boys watch so they would have an idea of what to do.  Well, when it came time for Tyke and Luke it was a disaster.  As soon as I sat Luke down so I could wrestle Tyke he started freaking out and cried hysterically, the entire shoot.  Tyke absolutely refused to have his picture taken and was such a brat.  He kept hiding from us and was being super sassy.  The photographer tried bribing him with fruit snacks but he quickly threw them back at her (so embarrassing!).  I tried bribing him with money and the only success I had with that was him getting close enough to me that I could grab him and sit him down by his hysterical brother.  He immediately bolted and ran into the front room and hid under a table.  It was a awful!  These are the only three pictures we got.  I love them but dang it boys!  I would have loved some of them smiling or even just being good.  I can't believe how naughty Tyke acted!  I expected Luke to act like he did.  Once we left the house the boys were happy as can be and giggling and I cried.  I guess I'm going to have to dust off my nice camera and start doing pictures myself.  Little stinkers!!

Pantry Boy

This little guy has found a new trick and he thinks it's pretty awesome!  He can open and close the pantry door all by himself now!  For the most part it hasn't been a very big problem.  He's a snoop and has fun rummaging through my baking supplies.  I suppose I should place the opened flour and powdered sugar bags on a higher shelf...  Luke has made a few fun messes since learning this new trick.  He dumped out a bag of mini marshmallows the other day.  Both he and Tyke thought that was pretty cool and had fun eating them all as they picked them up.  I can't keep Luke out of the pantry so I guess it's time to rearrange things in there so he only has access to kid friendly items.  

Our Weekend

Yesterday I took the boys for a few pictures at a Valentine's mini shoot.  To say they were little stinkers would be an understatement, more on that later.  Last night we took them down to the fairgrounds for the annual SFW banquet.  We had a good time but trying to control two wild little guys for five plus hours proved to be exhausting.  We decided that next year we will be finding a babysitter for them!  Tyke tried multiple times to make his way onto the stage with the auctioneer.  He ran laps around us during a lot of the program.  Luke would have too if we would have let him.  We didn't win anything in the raffles but Tyke won a fishing pole and Luke won a bag of jerky at the kids table.

Today Tyke got all bundled up and went outside to help his Daddy shovel snow and move fire wood onto the back porch.  He loves helping his Daddy and the cold doesn't seem to phase him at all.  Luke stood at the back door and cried and wiped snot allover the windows until I finally bundled him up so he could go outside and help too.  He was happy for about two seconds and then I put him down and handed him his shovel and he freaked out!  He's such a grump!  As long as he was being held he was happy as can be.  We didn't last too long outside before going in and putting him down for a nap.  Tyke came in about an hour later to warm up.  And that was our exciting day!

Snow Day

It snowed last night so this morning Daddy and Tyke were been busy little workers outside cleaning up the driveway and sidewalks.  Tyke had so much fun playing in the snow with his Dad.  It was fun to watch them.  Tyke was proud as can be sitting in the rhino next to his Daddy as they plowed the snow off of the road around our house.  Luke was super jealous and really badly wanted to go and play too but it was just too cold so he had to stay in the house with me, which made him extra cranky.  Tyke and Daddy ventured up to Grandma Jean's house to clear her driveway and sidewalk (they try to beat Uncle Brent every time for the job) and Grandma Jean was so thankful for them.  She called me up to tell me it was the cutest thing she had ever seen: Tyke all bundled up, snow shovel in hand, helping his Dad works so hard.  She said his little face just beamed with pride!  He's a hard worker for sure and it makes us proud!

Poison Control...

Today I had the joy of calling Poison Control thanks to my little Lu.  It wasn't anything major, he just decided to eat some Desitin while I was changing his diaper!  I was quick to get him cleaned up and his mouth wiped out with a wet wipe.  He wasn't too happy with me about that.  I wasn't sure if he had swallowed any Desitin or not but I don't think he did.  I was like 90% sure he hadn't.  He had it on both of his hands, his lips, and all over in his mouth.  I read the label on the back of the tube and it said to get immediate medical attention or to call Poison Control if swallowed.  I called my mommy instead, haha.  I wasn't too nervous or freaking out or anything but I was worried that this might not be good.  She told me that I should probably make a phone call to our pediatricians office.  I hung up with her and tried to get a hold of Chad to see what his thoughts were.  He was in Mona at his moms house helping her pack and clean for her big move next weekend (she's moving to Nephi) and had left his phone while running to the junk yard.  So I called the pediatricians office for some advice and they thought that Luke would probably be okay but to go ahead and call Poison Control just in case.  I called Poison Control and went through a series of questions before finally being told that Luke would be fine.  The man at Poison Control that helped me out said if anything Luke would probably just end up with a bad case of diarrhea, which he never did but his diapers were definitely worse than usual.  This kid is going to give us a run for our money!  He's way more mischievous than Tyke ever was and he's only 15 months old!  

Well Checks

The boys had their well check visits with Dr. Fullmer today!  I thought it would be so much easier to schedule them together this time, since the timing worked out so great, but that wasn't so.  Talk about a chaotic handful these two boys were!  They were so noisy and naughty during our visit with Dr. Fullmer.  I suppose things could have been worse but seriously, Tyke kept picking on Luke making him cry, and both boys kept climbing up on the chairs and licking the windows!!!  Tyke even ripped off a good chunk of one of their vinyl pictures on the wall!  I was so embarrassed!  I felt like I concentrated more on trying to make them behave than listening to the doctor.  These boys don't usually act like this so I'm not sure what their deal was today.  Naughty boys!

Our appointment was scheduled for 4:30 this afternoon and we pretty much got called right back after getting checked in.  Daddy and Luke went into our room where they and nurse #1 worked to get Luke's stats.  He was NOT happy to be stripped down to his diaper and measured!  He didn't want anything to do with any of it.  Once he was done though he was happy as can be and ran around the room in just his diaper, pulling out all of the toys to play with.

Luke's 15 month stats:

Weight: 27 pounds 8 ounces (95%)

Height: 33 inches (95%)

Head: 18.75 inches (71%)

Tyke and I got stopped out in the hall by nurse #2 (I feel really bad that I can't remember their names? They are the nicest gals ever and we've been dealing with them for three years now and I'm clueless.  My bad!).  Tyke usually doesn't cooperate with hopping on the scale so I was worried that he would be the same way today but he did so great!  He hopped right up on the scale and left the buttons alone while he watched the numbers light up.  While standing on the scale the nurse put the little oxygen monitor on his finger.  He usually freaks out about that too but calmly watched the flashing red lights.  I was so proud of him!  After he stepped off of the scale the nurse took his blood pressure (his first time ever) and then we measured his height.  He was so cooperative with it all that it surprised me big time!  

Tyke's 3 year old stats:

Weight: 38.6 pounds (95%)

Height: 39.4 inches (90%)

Vision: 20/30 (B)

Once we were done in the hallway we met up with Daddy and Lu in our room.  Luke was perfectly content until big brother came him and then the "fun" began.  Tyke can't stand to leave Luke alone if he's content and has to bully him.  It drives me crazy!  Nurse #2 got Tyke's attention and had him sit in one of the kiddie chairs and handed him a board to hold that showed four shapes.  She told him she had a game for him to play and then went on to quiz him on the shapes.  This was to test his eye sight mostly.  She would point to a shape on her board and then have him find that same shape on his board.  He did great and it was the cutest thing ever!  After a couple of rounds of this she walked across the room and held her board up and started pointing at shapes again, this time though they were farther away and smaller.  Tyke struggled with this a little bit but I guarantee it had nothing to do with his eye sight and everything to do with his concentration and not really being ready for a quiz.  After the testing was done the nurse left us and the real fun began.  Tyke terrorized Luke and they were both so loud and Daddy and I were both so frustrated because we really tried hard to get them to quiet down and be respectful and DON'T FIGHT!!!

We discussed a lot of things with Dr. Fullmer about the boys.  We talked about Tyke and him being a picky eater and being stubborn about potty training.  We were reassured that we're on the right track and to keep doing what we're doing until things click.  We are going to stop giving Tyke whole milk and cut back to 2% now that he's three years old and obviously high on the charts for his weight (he's not overweight or anything, just solid).  We are going to go with the flow on the potty training thing and just keep reminding him and motivating him until he shows a real interest and then we will really go for it!  Also, we got the okay from Dr. Fullmer that it's okay if we end up sending Tyke to bed without dinner because he won't eat for us.  It makes us feel so bad to do so but with the doctors approval I feel a little better about it.  He said it should only take a couple/few times of doing so before Tyke realizes that we're serious and he caves.  We'll see how that one goes!  Tyke will go back for either a 4 year or 5 year old well check.

Luke will stay on whole milk and we will work with him on learning new words and staying a good eater.  He is supposed to learn 2-3 new words a month at this point.  Our poor little guy had to get two shots today (usually it's just one shot for the two vaccines but the supply across the country is low, so he had to get poked twice).  He was really upset about that but he did a pretty good job and calmed right down once I handed him a water bottle.  Luke goes back at 18 months for his next well check.

After our visit the boys got to pick out a sticker but Tyke was disappointed in the selection and he let the receptionists know so they hurried and scrambled to find him a good one in their backup stash.  He got monster truck stickers and was pretty excited about that!  

All in all it was a great visit even if it did feel exhausting and we're so glad that the boys got another clean bill of health!  Way to go boys!!!  We decided next time we will make separate appointments so that we can enjoy our visit instead of having it feel like complete chaos.  

Similarities

These pictures were taken three years apart, to the day!  The one on the right showed up in my "memories" on Facebook.  I didn't think much of it until tonight when we were traveling to Provo and I looked over to see Tyke asleep in the same position.  It's funny how much he has changed in three short years but seeing these pictures side by side made me realize he's still my baby and always will be.  My little Tyke has grown so much and is such a joy!

3rd Birthday Party!

We really hope that Tyke had a great birthday!  We sure had a good time and seeing the joy and excitement on his face made all of the planning and stressing worthwhile!  

Tyke was beyond excited for his birthday to get here.  He decided that he wanted a "Paw Patrol" party (his current obsession) and so we scrambled to put something "Paw Patrol" together.  We were planning on a ninja turtle themed party but Tykie gets what Tykie wants.  

All week long Tyke bragged about how it was going to be his "birfday" and he was going to be "fa-ree years old!"  By the time the big day rolled around he was a pro at holding up three fingers and telling everyone that he was "fa-ree!"

I took Friday off from work so I could make cake and get everything in order for the party.  Tyke was way too much help and almost a pest while I was making his cake.  He couldn't stand to be away from me while I was creating and it nearly drove me nuts.  He wanted to help and wanted to hold things and would NOT stop talking the entire time.  He was just too excited!  It was cute and obnoxious but I wouldn't have changed it one bit!

Saturday morning was the big day!  Tyke woke up to balloons and presents sitting at the end of the hallway!  He immediately ripped into his presents but wasn't too impressed to find mostly clothes.  He also got two new Paw Patrol DVD's (yay, because we are getting tired of the one we have...)  Daddy took Tyke on a donut run and let him pick out two donuts for breakfast.  He chose his favorite, apple fritters and a glazed.  He enjoyed every single bite of those donuts!!  Oh yeah, and trying to get a good picture of the three year old turned out to be impossible.  He's been taking note of his little brothers attitude towards pictures and would not sit still for nothing!  When I finally got him to stay still he rolled his eyes at me and then got grumpy and left.  Silly Tyke!

  

Going for a donut run with Daddy!

For Tyke's party we rented the Nephi Rec Center and imagination station.  We had the place from noon until 2 p.m.  We hurried and grabbed a bunch of pizzas and bread sticks from Little Caesars and then headed to the rec center to get set up.  Everything went perfectly (except it was freezing cold in there, a nice 56 degrees!).  The kids had a blast playing with all of the big blocks, building walls and obstacle courses, while the adults enjoyed visiting.  Actually most of the men got involved in the building of walls and obstacle courses too.  I think they had as much fun as the kiddos.  We played for a while, ate pizza, and then played some more.  The kids loved it and so did we!  It was super cheap to rent the rec center and worth every dime!

With about 45 minutes left of the party we gathered everyone around to sing happy birthday to Tyke and watch him blow out his candles.  He loved being the center of attention and blew his candles out so good!  I was very impressed with him and proud of him!  Tyke requested an ear for his piece of cake.  While the kids enjoyed their cake the guys hurried and picked up the blocks.  Once we got the cake mess cleaned up it was time for birthday presents!  Tyke was adorable opening his presents.  He was genuinely excited with each one and after each gift he went to the giver and gave them a big hug and told them thank you.  He's the sweetest!

Tyke and Luke played so hard that they fell right to sleep on the drive home.  It was an exhausting but fun party.  We can't wait to rent the rec center again for another fun party!  We had so much fun and we really appreciate all of our family coming to Tyke's party.  He is so loved and we really appreciate it! 

Tyke's loot:

Mom & Dad: Paw Patrol shirts and DVD's, camo shirts, "Chase" beanie, cookies and Max tow truck

Luke: Paw Patrol Ryder with ATV

Grandma Cheryl & Grandpa Terry: Paw Patrol Rocky with truck, dinosaur t-shirt

Nana: Ninja turtle pajamas, monster truck set, clothes

Grandma Clayson: Blaze monster truck

Grandma Jean: _____________

Uncle Trent & Aunt Rachelle: Connect 4 game and Paw Patrol puzzle

Uncle Alex, Aunt Jo, Uncle David & Aunt Tiffy: box of brownies and $15

Uncle Seth & Aunt Steph: camouflage remote control pickup truck from Bass Pro Shop!

Kayslee & Mac: Paw Patrol coloring books

Uncle Chris & Aunt Danielle: metal truck with trailer and tractor

Kabree & Hadley: cards

Happy Birthday Tykie Roni!!  We love you so much and still can't believe you are three years old!  We have thoroughly enjoyed watching you learn and grow and can't wait to see what this next year brings for you!  We love you buddy!!!

(Our house is officially overrun with toys!  We already had too many and then with Christmas and this birthday we have them everywhere!  Time to do a little spring cleaning kids!)

3 Years Old!

Our baby is three years old today!!!  Tyke is three years old and so excited for this birthday to finally be here.  He has been talking about it for weeks now and has really practiced hard to hold up three fingers when asked how old he is.  He is getting better at doing that every day.  He's so smart and so much fun to watch learn and grow.  We just love him so much!

Tyke is such a busy body and hardly ever stops.  Watching him and Luke play is exhausting sometimes, especially because they get pretty rough at times.  They love each other and have so much fun getting into trouble.  Tyke is such a good brother, even with all of the tormenting, and always makes sure that Luke is well taken care of.  They have had so much fun lately playing with the "Little Tike's" pickup truck.  Luke doesn't really like to be pushed around in it but he sure loves climbing on board while Tyke is cruising around.  It makes me hold my breath big time, just waiting for a big crash but Tyke takes caution, mostly, to not go too fast or too crazy so that Luke stays safely put.  These brothers are something else to watch.

Tyke is OBSESSED with all things "Paw Patrol."  It's pretty much all he talks about.  He has requested a Paw Patrol birthday party and cake and that's just what he's getting and he's so excited!  He loves the show and he and Luke get so excited when it comes on.  Tyke owns a couple of pairs of Paw Patrol pj's and t-shirts.  If he wears his pj's he refuses to get dressed in the mornings and informs me: "Mom, I just wear dis all day today, otay?!"  He puts up a good fight and usually wins.  I choose to pick my battles, especially in the mornings when we are rushed to get out the door.  He loves his patrol toys, books and clothes.  It's so fun watching him play with his patrol toys and the little imagination he has with them.  I love it!

Tyke loves to sing and sings a lot around the house.  It's so funny to listen to him.  He has the tunes of the songs down great but the words are sometimes made up.  He sings: the Paw Patrol theme song almost perfectly, PJ Masks theme song, tunes from The Lion Guard, TMNT theme song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, You Are My Sunshine, and he has started singing the Annie song: "Da sun tome out tee-morrow."  He loves singing and likes to sing with me (I'm no singer but I do like to sing to my babies, even if only Tyke appreciates it and enjoys it....Luke despises it big time, haha).

Tyke has been practicing his letters, shapes and numbers on the iPad and we have really seen an improvement with this.  He likes to count and knows his numbers but doesn't do too well yet with getting them in order.  When he sees more than one item lined up he exclaims, "Mom! I tount deese! One, Two, Ta-ree (three), One!"  So pretty much he has 1-3 figured out and after that it's just a guessing game.  We're working on that though.  Tyke can identify every letter in the alphabet and sounds them out.  For example when we ask what the letter K says he replies, "K, kah, kah, kangaroo!"  Since using the app Tyke's speech has improved as well.  He can now say his S's and he knows it and likes it so he puts extra emphasis on it.  It's so fun to listen to him talk now.  He's getting easier and easier to understand and he keep trying new words everyday.  He's one smart cookie!

A few of Tyke's favorite phrases lately:

• "I tan't, I busy!"
• "Louie my brudder, Louie my fwend!"
• "Hold on jus two minute otay?!"
• "Mom, Louie my brudda!"
• "Oh, I tee da moon!"
• "Daddy my buddy!"
• "Bampa Terry no eat my eat pie!" (meat pie)
• "Aah-tuz!" (because)

The list goes on and on but I can only remember these phrases for now.  Tyke is a bit of a clown and usually makes sure to make us laugh with all that he says.

Tyke is becoming quite the problem solver.  He knows how to get what he wants with little to no help.  He's so smart and figures things out pretty quickly.  He always celebrates when he accomplishes what he sets his mind to!  He can help himself to pretty much anything in the pantry and on cupboards, he turns the TV on all by himself, he can get his own drink of water now and does it with minimal spilling (from the refrigerator water dispenser).  The step stool in the kitchen is like a third leg for him and he moves it around with him with ease to do what he wants to be doing.  He likes playing at the sink in the water and wasting the hand soap.  He's just fun to watch and we're amazed everyday at all that he knows and does.

Tyke has been Daddy's best helper this winter!  He has really enjoyed playing out in the snow with his Daddy and helping to clear the snow.  Chad clears the snow and Tyke digs into a big snow pile and throws it back onto the driveway.  It's so funny to watch!  He loves his snow shovel and digs and digs.  He hates it when I make him come in the house because he's frozen.  The cold doesn't really seem to phase him.  I'm so happy that our little Tyke is growing up to be such a hard worker like his Daddy!

Tyke continues to be a picky eater and sometimes I swear he's getting worse.  After what seems like two years of fighting with him over the matter we have finally started really getting stern with him.  I'm sure we could be more so, but pretty much he needs to eat what we put in front of him or else he eats not at all.  It makes me feel super guilty and bad but I don't know what else to do?!  All he ever wants to eat is pizza, corn dogs, and french fries.  I finally told him I won't be buying those things anymore and that broke his heart!  But it also got his attention and he slowly starting to try new things.  He really, really, really likes mashed potatoes now and will eat them with no problem.  We'll continue to work with him on all of the other foods.  My picky little Tyke, you stress me out in the eating department bud!

Mr. Tyke continues to grow and grow (which I'm not sure how, he's the pickiest eater I've ever met!).  He's getting solid and I'm really starting to have a hard time picking him up now which breaks my heart!  I love picking him up for hugs and kisses or to just hold him while we we're shopping but it's getting harder.  My baby boy is growing and it's bittersweet.  Tyke is in size 4t jeans.  I thought for sure they would fit too big around the waist but we needed this size so that he could have the right length.  This kid is tall!  Anyway, 4t jeans fit him pretty much perfect in every way and I am really surprised by that!  He wears anywhere from a 3t to a 5t shirt now but is mostly in the 4t range.  3t's are starting to get a little small and that makes him upset when he wants to wear his favorite shirts but they don't fit so I won't let him.  We butt heads quite a bit since we're both so stubborn.  Tyke is in a size 10 shoe.  He's been wearing size 10.5 boots.  I finally had his feet measured and was told two different answers: size 9 and size 10.  I bought him some new gym shoes, size 10's and they fit perfectly with just the right amount of room to grow!

We love this little guy so much and can't believe that he is three years old today!  He's our sweet little Roni and we love him so much!  Happy Birthday Tyke!!

15 Months Old

Luke is 15 months old today and oh my is he ever a little character!  His little personality keeps getting more and more fun.  He still has his grumpy moments, a lot, but for the most part he is getting to be a much happier kiddo.

This kid is brave!  A little too brave for me to handle.  He climbs onto the couches and crawls all over them.  He likes to try and climb up on top of the backs of them and plays with the blinds or light switches.  I'm waiting for the day he tumbles good off of them.  He doesn't care.  We pull him down multiple times and he takes that as a challenge and climbs up even faster the next time, like a race.  Luke loves playing with the "Little Tikes" pick-up truck.  He and Tyke have a hard time sharing that toy.  Neither one of them has shown much interest in it until just recently.  Luke liked to play with it but refused to get inside and "drive."  He would get so upset with me when I put him.  Now though, he loves it and the boys fight over it.  Luke is fun to watch.  He likes to take control of the truck from Tyke.  He will literally climb into the bed of the truck while Tyke is driving around, stand up and hold on while smiling and waving at us.  After a couple of minutes he will either climb up on top of the truck (BIG NO NO Lu!) or dive through the back window and push and squirm to knock Tyke out of the truck and take over.  It's pretty comical to watch.  These two wrestle a lot inside that truck!

Luke has a new talent: whistling.  That's right, our 15 month old child can whistle and it freaks me out a little bit.  He doesn't do it very often but he really can whistle!  It's a soft whistle and sounds like he's lightly blowing through a coaches whistle.  It's crazy!

Luke also has taken up running, he is getting fast at it too!  His balance is getting better with practice.  Sometimes though he runs so fast that we have to catch him and stop him before he slams into the walls.  He thinks it's funny, I don't.  For some reason this silly boy likes banging his head on the walls from time to time and will keep doing so until he hits too hard and it hurts.  He's silly.

Luke is really starting to enjoy playing with his toys.  I suppose he always has but he seems much more interested in them now and more understanding of what they are and how they work.  He loves his tools, especially the battery powered ones.  I'm surprised the batteries haven't run dead on them.  He likes his toy phone now and will hold it up to his ear and cock his head to the side and say "hi!"  It's just fun to watch this little man learn and grow and discover all of these new things in life.

Other new news in Lu's little life is he has gotten so big we've made a few changes for him.  We turned his crib into a toddle bed (tear) and I'm still trying to decide if that was a good idea or not.  Luke was getting to be too big for the crib.  Our options were to either lower the mattress one last time or convert it to the bed.  He loves Tyke's bed so much, and sleeps so good in it, that we decided we would lose the rail and let him have his bed.  Well of course he loves this new found freedom and will NOT stay in his bed.  The crib was nice.  I could give him his bottle and blanket and lay him down and leave.  Now, I can give him his bottle and blanket and have to sit by his bedside and practically hold him down so that he'll get the same idea.  It's exhausting and sometimes feels like a waste of time, not to mention Tyke gets jealous because he wants me to lay by him while he falls asleep, but at the same time I enjoy these moments.  I just wish he would go to bed a little easier than he is.  It's about an hour long battle, we're both super stubborn.  Luke's other new change is we finally let him sit forward facing in his car seat.  We were going to wait a while longer but he's definitely big enough and so much happier with this change.  I still debate on having him forward facing or not but I'm not sure he would let us change him back now.  He loves being able to see everything and is always exclaiming, "WOW!" at all that he can see.

Luke is getting more and more vocal.  He loves to chirp his high pitched chirp.  Sometimes I think he enjoys seeing how loud he can be.  I'm surprised he doesn't break glass with his chirps, they are that high pitched.  He babbles a lot more lately and it's fun to listen to him talk.  He has found three new words: get, what, wow, and hi.  Get and what are used when he's being extra sassy and he puts a lot of emphasis on the "t" sounds.  He says "hi" while holding a phone or remote up to his ear like he's talking on the phone.  That's another new little trick of his and it's so cute.  He's just fun to watch and listen to.  Our little Bubba Lu is a character!

Bubba Lu loves his bath time!  He comes running as fast as he can whenever he hears the water running, whether it's for him or not.  He gets so anxious to hop in that he gets mad at me when I stop him to take his clothes and diaper off first.  He loves to play with his bath toys (water bugs and foam letters) and he makes the biggest messes splashing the water.  He thinks it's hilarious!  He hates when it's time for soap and he puts up a pretty good fight but Mommy and Daddy always win.  Luke hates when it's time to get out of the tub.  He's a little fish like his brother and would stay in the water forever if he could.  He doesn't care if the water is cold or not.  After his bath he loves to have his teeth brushed.  He gets so excited when I pull out his toothbrush and toothpaste and immediately opens his mouth with a big wide grin and says, "Ahhh!"  I think it probably feels pretty good on his swollen, sore gums.  It's seriously adorable!

Luke is a solid, big boy.  He looks like a two year old to me.  He's wearing mostly 18-24 month old clothing.  His jeans are anywhere from 12-18 month to 18 month.  His shirts are 18 month to 24 month/2t.  He's in a size 5 shoe but I'm not entirely sure how they're fitting him (if they're way too big or just right) because he hardly ever keeps them on.  I really need to take the boys and get their feet sized... (Update 1-9-16: we had his foot measured and the poor guy is a size 6-7!  No wonder he hates his shoes, they're too small, my bad.)  Luke is in size 4 diapers but I think once we run out, which will probably be a few more weeks, we will move him up to size 5's, we'll see.  Louie has four new teeth to report!  His molars that have been giving him so much pain and discomfort (and still do) have all ripped through.  They looks so swollen and tender and I feel just bad for him.  Motrin and chew toys have been our friend this past month!  These new teeth still have a ways to go before they are fully in but with them his teeth count is up to twelve now!

We love this kiddo so much!  He's a joy to watch even when he's a grumpy bum.  He makes us laugh and he's such a sweetheart with his snuggles and kisses.  We wouldn't want things any other way! (Well, maybe we could tone down the tantrums but other than that....)  We love you Lu!  Happy 15 Months bud!

And just for the record, it's absolute torture for poor Luke to have his picture taken.  He is beyond wild and doesn't have time or the patience to sit still for two seconds.  It's a battle and I'm always surprised that we get any good pictures out of him.  He hates his bear and refuses to sit next to it.  These are a few shots of him throwing a fit and then throwing the bear at me.  Talk about exhausting!!

"New" Bed

Luke's crib got changed into a toddler bed today courtesy of Daddy and Tyke!  Luke is loving his new found freedom, a little too much.  It was quite the struggle to get him to stay on his bed tonight when it was bedtime.  He finally gave in and went to sleep but man it was much easier when this thing was a crib and I could put him down for bed and he would fall asleep.  Now he just wants off, or to jump on it, or whatever.  Silly boy!  Here's hoping it's not like this every night.... And that Luke sleeps better thinking he has a big boy bed like his brother!

Long Family Sledding Party

We had so much fun sleigh riding today out west of town!  Luke was content to just be held and spoiled by cousin Darian.  Tyke was content to walk around with his snow shovel and throw snow around.  He got super upset every time we tried to get him on a sled.  We finally did a couple of times but it just wasn't very fun for him.  He had fun pulling the sleds around and teasing Uncle Cody.  Luke finally got his turn to go sledding when Daddy talked me into riding in the sled behind the rhino with Luke.  Luke LOVED IT!!!  He giggled and smiled and talked excitedly the entire time!  It was adorable.  We had so much fun and the weather was great!  We didn't freeze to badly but by the time it was time to leave poor Tyke had a red face, a runny nose, and his snow pants were soaking wet.  We all headed back to our place to watch movies and eat some yummy chili, ham & beans, hotdogs, and snacks (Thanks Nana!).  It was just a good, fun day had by all!!

Happy New Year!!

We had a very low key new years eve this year.  We didn't go to any parties or throw any parties like in years past.  We just stayed home, got the fireplace going good (man was it hot in our house and it felt sooo good!), smoked some yummy foods on the Traeger, watched movies and just enjoyed being home.  

Poor Luke had super red cheeks and threw up once so we used that as an excuse to not go out and visiting (as if we really needed one).  We had jalapeno poppers, spice bbq wings, and Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner along with chips and dip.  After dinner we just played and napped.  Chad and Luke fell asleep first and were out by 9 p.m.  Party poopers!!  Tyke and I stayed up and watched our new movie from Santa, "The Croods".  Tyke loved it!!  I kept telling Tyke was happy new year and he kept getting annoyed with me and replying, "Don't talk mom."  (He has something against the holidays I guess because talking about the new year and Christmas gets him annoyed and upset haha)  We made it to about 11:30 p.m. before we crashed on the living room floor.  It was fun spending some one on one time with the Roni-man, watching movies and snuggling.  We had our blankets and his sleeping and lots of pillows scattered allover the floor and that's where we slept until just before 1 a.m. when Daddy and Luke came out for Luke's midnight snack.  That kid can SCREAM when he's hungry and he wakes the entire house when he does!  All in all, I'd say it was a great night.  We're sad we missed the ball drop and ringing in the new year but we had fun.  Happy 2016!!  We can't wait to see what it has in store for all of us!