Happy Birthday!!

Just a quick shout out to my sweet husband who is turning...one year older. Tyler and I wish we could do something more special for his birthday today but he's at work, working away like usual.

We are so lucky to have Ryan. He really does put himself aside and do what is best for his family. Ryan took his current job on a whim to make sure I can stay home with Tyler and he hasn't backed down one second since. Ryan's character has really come through in the past few months as he has made our dreams of buying a home come true and keeping me at home with Tyler. Things have been a little scary at times but he remains so positive (even if a little stressed or frustrated) Ryan becomes even more wonderful and attractive as his love for Tyler becomes more and more apparent.

I love how much Ryan loves his family too. He is so good to stay in touch with his parents and his Popa. I am grateful for the support that we get from Ryan's family too. We have SO much to be grateful for as we celebrate Ryan today. He really does get better with age ;)

We love you daddy! Hope you have a wonderful day.

Trunk-or-Treat!

Tonight was our ward Halloween party. It is affectionately referred to as "trunk-or-treat" because the kids get to go car to car instead of house to house.

Earlier in the day Tyler found his costume that I had sitting out and he was so excited he put it on his shoulders and started running around the house with his Batman shirt on. He has also been extra fascinated with shoes today...

We had our friends, the Blackwells, meet us at the festivities tonight. Jessica was dressed as a big Tigger and Tyler LOVED it! He seemed to think she was a big stuffed animal. He would cuddle up on her shoulder and give her a big squeeze.

We had fun seeing some great costumes...and some not so great ones. There was one kid dressed as Darth Mal (or however it's spelled) that kept scaring Tyler on purpose....punk! Tyler would fall down and cry and insist on being held. It was so sad.

After dinner, bounce-house, and carnival games we headed outside for the trunk-or-treating. Tyler mostly enjoyed the decorations but got into receiving candy part by the end of it all. We are so glad that Ryan could come join us after work to play and celebrate.

We're looking forward to tomorrow, the real thing (and daddy's birthday!!)

{we'll add pictures later. the internet is being lame}

Baby Update

Nothing too exciting but we did have another appointment yesterday. My OB out here finally got my records from my old OB and I was hoping that these records would have some answers for me. Unfortunately there was hardly anything in the records! How frustrating. So, I still don't know exactly why I was induced with Tyler but it looks like it was due to low fluid levels. I still don't know exactly why everything ended up in a C-section, because I guess people stall all the time. My Dr. was so patient and still suggests that I talk to the other Dr. in the practice because she thinks a VBAC is definitely a possibility but he is the only one that does them. I would have to have a certain Dr. and deliver at a certain hospital, but it could be a possibility.

I'm not sure if this news is exciting or scary. I am so bad at making decisions in general and I am trying to be more informed with baby #2. My next appointment will be discussing the pros and cons of VBAC and going over my hospital records, which will hopefully hold more answers!

In some fun speculation, the nurse who checked the baby's heart rate this time got a reading of 156 (the first two were 151) and said, "looks like you should start buying pink!". We'll see if she's right in about a month. Tyler's heart rate was always high too though... we'll find out before Thanksgiving :)

Blissful Sundays

Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest. I think this might be true if you're not a mom....maybe. Tyler decided to wake up stinkin' early again today which is always a promising beginning. He was starving (as usual) so we whipped up some delicious french toast for breakfast, BEFORE 6 a.m. After breakfast Tyler thought it was time to cozy up and try on mom's robe. He's adorable no matter what, isn't he?!

Our mornings on Sunday usually consist of trying to get Tyler pooped out enough to lay down for an early nap so he can get enough sleep before we have to wake him up and leave for church. Let's just say, it hasn't happened yet! Before his nap we even made the sugar cookie dough so we could decorate them for fun later.

We actually survived all 3 hours of church thanks to a lot of good people. We didn't even have to leave at all during Sacrament meeting. The third hour was a little sketchy but there were a ton of generous ladies with fun purses and food to share.

Rolling...

Cutting...

Tonight we had a blast making and decorating cookies with daddy. It's kind of part of the Halloween tradition around here. Tyler really enjoys cooking, and baking, and eating, so it was a great night.

Tasting...

Enjoying!

Park Day

Park day turned out to be a bit of a bust so Tyler and I decided to hike the peak instead. I popped Tyler in the backpack and we headed on up. He is always a good sport- but antsy to get out when he can.

Freed from the backpack and on his way toward a cliff...that's my boy.

Our attempt at a group picture. Tyler is having a blast.

Halloween Play Date

Today was a blast! We have made some friends in the ward and we've been invited to a few fun play groups. Today's lunch play group was a Halloween themed pot-luck. Tyler was so excited to wear his Bat Man outfit for the first time! (It's really just PJ's but he doesn't have to know) While we ate a quick sandwich at home he kept checking out his reflection in the oven door. Whenever someone would ask if he was Batman he'd point to the bat on his shirt.

Batman!!

Although the play group was HUGE and crowded, Tyler really enjoyed himself. As a matter of fact, Tyler is the one who decided when to leave! He kept walking to the front door and looking for me. When we got home we were only down stairs long enough to take off his shoes then he took me over to the stairs asking for "books". We always read books before his naps. While I chatted with daddy on the phone Tyler got his pacifier and blanket together and took himself over to the rocking chair where we read. What a big boy Tyler is becoming.

Getting better at saying "Cheese!"

After waking up from his afternoon nap Tyler got to play out back. He has really been enjoying the chalk that we got to play with. He will just scribble around, collect rocks in his bucket, find nails (still) and try to dig up the extremely hard ground. Note his handsome shorts. He is tall enough to fit into 18 mos. size clothes but his little waist is usually a problem and his shorts will fall off still. He has had these particular shorts since June sometime but they would always fall off. I finally got out a needle and thread and brought in the waist a little so now he can enjoy wearing more than just one pair of shorts.

Playing in the backyard with rocks and chalk. Fun! Fun!

Daddy came home, we headed out for a dinner (lazy mom night) and then we enjoyed bath night for the little guy. He has been laughing all day and bath time was no exception. We always like to have fun as a family when we can so we let Tyler stay up a little later than usual just to play with daddy.

Giving daddy kisses!

Playing peek-a-boo over the couch. This is one of Tyler's new favorite things to do while I'm washing dishes, cooking, or just on the other side of the counter. I love the giggle that comes along with it.

Tomorrow should be another fun day with a "sports day" for the ward at the big park. We'll probably stop by at least and see how long Tyler can last!

Spooky Stuff!

As promised, here are the pictures of our spooky Halloween house.

(please disregard the girl on the phone)

Tyler enjoyed staring at the lights when we headed out for our walk. Orange icicles accented by black lights in the garage lights. Perfection!

Happy Monday

To some, that phrase may not exist, but in our family Monday is a great day because it is Dad's day off!

For our fun family time today we played all morning, put Tyler down for a 3 1/2 hour nap (holy cow) and then headed out to try a new Fuddruckers that is close by.

Gettin' the stink eye for interrupting his yummy cheese lunch.

Lunch was fun. A little more expensive than Ryan or I remembered, but still fun. We learned that Tyler REALLY likes cheese. He wouldn't take bites of his hamburger at first but he ate his grapes, apple pieces, and dad's fries dipped in cheese. Well, maybe he was just using the fries as a utensil to shovel more cheese into his mouth. Everyone around us got a kick out of Tyler, as usual. Tyler sure is growing up.

Back at it! Shoveling the cheese in with his fork.

After lunch we walked around a few shops in the area since we don't make it out that way often. We enjoyed walking around a Target Greatland. The Halloween stuff made Tyler's day. It cracks us up that he will laugh at the most creepy decorations while some big kids are begging their parents to get out of the isle.

It almost makes it feel like California...almost.

We stopped by a Mervyn's that was closing and totally scored! Ryan has always loved anything tropical and while we were walking around the store and something caught his eye- the perfect bedding for Tyler's room. We got the entire set; quilt, sham, sheet set, extra sheet set, and two decorative pillows for around $80. Now, if only Tyler actually slept in a big boy bed. Maybe we will save this bedding for his 2nd birthday since he is already spoiled rotten for Christmas.

Sorry it's dark- but does it really get any more perfect?!

We also just finished putting up hooks and lights for the first time on the new place. We'll show you some spooky fun a little later.

The Great Pumpkin

Charlie Brown, eat your heart out!

Halloween is kinda our thing. We got daddy home at a reasonable hour tonight so we ate dinner quick and headed out to buy "the pumpkin" which turned out to be 2 pumpkins. Tyler has already learned to LOVE everything halloween, including pumpkins. He was quite the helper in picking out the winners.Little guy definitely enjoyed the outing and took some cute pictures.
He tried as best as he could to help move the pumpkins- but it was just a little too heavy for him.

16 Months Old

Again, I forgot to post on the day...but our little guy is indeed 16 months old now.

We celebrated last Monday by going out to lunch somewhere new. There are very few restaurants around where we live so we headed to Chili's to give it a shot. Tyler loved sitting in a booster seat at the table with his dad instead of in a high chair. If only the service could have been a little quicker he might have actually made it through lunch without a minor melt-down.

It is always fun to spend time together as a family, no matter where it is. Tyler is definitely growing up and here are some of his new favorites:

-playing on the computer. He is OBSESSED with the laptop and especially the Hotwheels website.
- cooking, still. I try to let him do more of it now. He usually gets his own set of ingredients to "mix" and he even knows what to do with a hot pad!
- hiding in the toy box and behind the wall unit
- starting to resist...maybe he throws a little tantrum every now and then (yikes!)
- eating more foods by himself like a big boy. I try to not worry so much about keeping him clean so he can learn to use a spoon and fork with even the most tricky foods.
- still my little helper. He loves to vacuum and wipe off things
- quite the social butterfly. He has the greatest smile for even the most offensive looking stranger. I love it when I see someone smile that normally wouldn't
- he loves reading more and more- thank goodness!

Tyler really is such a sweet kid. We love that he is ours and love his willingness to love everyone around him.

CONGRATULATIONS!

This post goes out to my Brother-in-law, Taylor. He found out today that he passed the bar. That's right, I've got a lawyer in the family people, so don't mess with me ;)

We are so proud of Taylor for all that he has done for the family. I know that it hasn't been easy on the family but I believe this qualifies as a life changing experience. It was so fun to hear the excitement in their voices and see the excitement on their faces. The lovely couple got to go out to dinner to celebrate and I got to let stinky spend some fun time with his cousins.

So glad that everything went your way...we didn't expect anything less. All our love to the Waite family!!

Today in pictures

Tyler-in-the-box

Strategically placing the toys so he fits just right.

Just a quick snack before dinner.

Trick-or-Treat!

(He really only says treat...he's so smart already)

A little Halloween fun at the Crooks' house. Tyler loves looking at all of it!

Family Dinner

We got to host family dinner last night with the Waites and Blackwells. I thought I'd get creative and make some different pizzas. Our usual are cheese, pepperoni, and BBQ chicken. This time I made a margarita (or whatever it's called with just tomatoes and basil), BBQ chicken, pepperoni, pepperoni & pineapple, and pepperoni & green pepper. It was fun to prepare all the ingredients, get help from chef Tyler, and do something special and different for the people we love.

I had every intention of taking pictures of them all because they actually looked pretty good this time...but I forgot until it was too late. In fact, we don't have any pictures from the night with all the kids, the men watching the football game, and the ladies hanging out in the kitchen (sounds pretty stereotypical huh?)

We had so much fun having a full house. It has been awhile. Thanks for all the love and yummy side dishes, and killer desserts!! You guys are great.

Big Shoes to Fill

Saturday morning we were doing some housework. Tyler likes to help me get the vacuum ready, but lately, after that he will run somewhere else to disappear from the noise. I was cleaning up in the kitchen and realized how quiet he had been. I walked around the corner to find him doing this...

We had put daddy's shoes on the stairs to take up to our room. Tyler knows he's got some big shoes to fill someday and he thought he'd start practicing now ;) It was such a cute thing. Tyler usually will take Ryan his shoes in the morning when he is getting ready for work. I can't find the right words- but it was a really sweet moment to see Tyler trying so hard to get those shoes to stay on his feet and focus as he tried to lift the heavy shoes and take steps. He must have tried for five minutes before he realized they were just too big.

What a sweet boy...no, sweet boys, I have in my life. We miss daddy a lot (if you can't tell) but he works so hard outside of the home so that I can stay in the home with Tyler and do my best to raise him well.

flying home & fun with dad

We enjoyed our last day in Sacramento. We even made it to Round Table, it's tradition. Tyler even got a balloon animal this time!

Getting to the airport went without a hitch this time. Popa got dropped off at the same time as us so we enjoyed a little waiting time together. Tyler always wins over his fellow passengers...at least before the flight. We knew it would be a full flight so I was a little nervous- but he turned out to be just great. He was just making eyes at the ladies behind us and looking out the window.

It was so nice to get home to dad and spend a quick night with my parents. We went straight from the airport to Heather & Taylor's for dinner. The Blackwells and my parents were there too. Tyler enjoyed playing with kids and we enjoyed catching up with friends and family.

Our Monday was spent with my parents for the morning and then just loving being back with Ryan. One of Tyler's favorite things to do with his daddy is look at fun websites online. His favorite is probably HotWheels. Ryan let Tyler sit by himself with the laptop and check out the cool videos. It was so cute! Tyler was staring so intensely at the screen and bopping along with the music.

We loved our time with Granny, Grandpa and Popa, Grandma & Grandpa too...but we're glad to be home with daddy.

california part 2

The pictures explain it all but here's a little commentary to go along with them.

Our second day here with the grandparents and great-grandpa was spent walking around the Galleria Mall. We originally went to let Tyler go on a carousel for the second time but it was closed due to construction. We still had a blast just walking around, enjoying some delicious Rubios for lunch, and playing on the toys at the mall.

After the mall adventure we headed over to Wal Mart and snuck in a quick photo session to get the Tiger some pictures taken. He won over the ladies (as usual) and took some cute photos. After naps we got to play at the park. Tyler has loved being outside since the weather is so nice here.

We have all had fun watching Tyler be a big goof for his granny. He is loving playing in this tent that she got him. Even more than the tent, Tyler loves granny's back yard. They have a little stream that runs through it and he always ends up soaked. The other night he even helped water the plants.

Today we had a great breakfast at Mimi's Cafe with the Popa and spent a lazy day around the house and walking through some stores. Tyler had his first experience in a book store and he went nuts. He is a book lover and seeing that many books in one place was almost too much to handle.

Tyler has also learned what whipped cream is. He can even make the sound of spraying canned whipped cream. We have a funny video of him but I'll post it later. He sure knows how to work his Granny- thank goodness we're foregoing dessert tonight!!

We sure have had fun so far and we'll try to get in one more update before we leave.

And in case you didn't know... WE MISS YOU DADDY!!