Summer Update

Tyler is now fifteen months old and had his check up with the doctor on Wednesday. He is 24 lbs, 6 oz. and is 31 inches tall, so he gained 2 lbs and grew 1 inch in the last three months. He is walking when he wants to walk, but crawls to get most places fast. He jabbers all day long and points to whatever he is "talking" about, so it is easy to carry on a "conversation".

Alex is officially potty trained and is doing a really good job of going by himself. I am so proud and relieved that he accomplished this before September when he is scheduled to start preschool! I am possibly more excited than Alex about starting preschool. He just doesn't know what to expect at this point. Once he starts going, I'm sure he will LOVE it and want to go everyday (instead of just the two days a week that he is scheduled).

John and I just got back from a weekend (adults only) trip to St. Pete Beach, Florida. We had a relaxing weekend of lounging on the beach and sight seeing. We are taking the boys to the Outer Banks to play in the ocean later this year.

Tyler is walking!

He took his first steps while at Vacation Bible School last week (July 13). John and I didn't get to see it, but the next morning he took one step by himself towards John. Over the next few days we kept working with him, but he didn't have the confidence to take more than one step alone. On Monday of this week we recorded this video. He is now taking 5-6 steps by himself before losing his balance. It won't be too much longer before he is off and running. Alex is so excited! He wants to play tag and hide and go seek with his brother so bad.

John Deere

This is Tyler's first time on the John Deere! He seemed to really enjoy the ride.

First Camping "Trip"

Alex, Daddy, Charlie (monkey) and Ally (alligator) are camping out in the back yard tonight! We bought his first sleeping bag the other day and he has been so excited to do this. There are a lot of neighborhood fireworks tonight, so I'm really not sure how long they will last. Alex says he is going to sleep outside ALL NIGHT. We'll see...

UPDATE! He lasted about an hour! They both came inside to sleep around 10:30 pm. Better luck next time.

June Pictures

Tyler chillin at the hotel in Geneva-on-the-Lake.

Alex and Gina liked the bunk beds at the hotel! Very cool!

Gina and Alex being pushed by (great) Uncle Earl on the swing.

I'm surprised you can actually see them through all the midgets (bugs)!

Tyler, reading at fourteen months!

Alex and Gina watching the Sardis parade!

Tyler and Scooby

My little boys are growing up!

I took this video while hiding on the back deck. Alex didn't know that I was even outside, let alone recording him. He had been outside "mowing" all afternoon. Here is a short clip of how focused he is on his job!

More birthday pictures...

Tyler's Birthday Party!

We celebrated Tyler's first birthday on Saturday, May 2 with the family! Aunt Jessica made his cake with white and blue icing. As you can see, Tyler really liked it! At the very beginning of the video, we had a scare because Tyler reached out and touched the candle. Luckily he didn't get burned. He opened his gifts (with the help of big brother) and then played with his cousins. It was a really good day! I can't believe my little baby is already a year old.

At his one-year check up he weighed 22 pounds and is 30" tall (Alex was 24 pounds and 32" on his first birthday)! He can wave bye-bye and says momma and dadda. He finally started crawling on his hands and knees about a week ago. He pulls himself up by furniture and takes a few steps holding onto things. He doesn't have the confidence yet to walk from say the table to the couch. But I'm sure given a little more time, he'll be running after Alex!

The boys play really well together right now. They will go in the toy room and play for thirty minutes by themselves. Tyler really likes to explore and watch his big brother play. He loves to eat whatever we are all eating (no baby food at all). We are so happy and watching the boys grow up is such a blessing. I am so fortunate to be a mom!

Tri-Village Baby Dedication Ceremony

Alex is right in the middle wearing a blue/green shirt. He gets distracted by the speaker right in front of him, but he did better than I expected!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Mexican Riviera

A few weeks ago the Hayes family headed down to Mexico for a little vacation! This was Tyler's first time on an airplane (Alex's fourth)! If you've traveled by air in the last few years, you know how difficult it can be for even the experienced traveler. Well, try it with two young children...

Flying from Columbus to Los Angeles is an all day event (especially when you go through Chicago and miss your connection). We arrived at our hotel in San Pedro around 9 pm local time (midnight when you take into account the three hour time difference). Needless to say, the kids were tired, cranky and falling asleep in the hotel lobby.

The next morning was a beautiful California day. Clear blue sky and bright warm sun. It was a welcome change from the grey skies of Ohio. We took a walk around the marina after breakfast and then headed over to the cruise port. We checked in and had a little wait until the ship was ready for passengers. The ship had been late getting into port that morning, so they were a little behind. Soon our butler, Putu, escorted us to our suite.

The Norwegian Star is a beautiful ship. We had a nice room with a balcony. It is strange to comment on the bathroom, but I could live in there! The shower was glass and had all these jets and different shower heads pointing in all different directions. There was a window so you could look out at sea while you washed your hair. There was also a deep tub with a huge window looking out to sea (or which ever port you happened to be in at the time). They said it was one-way glass, but I pulled the blinds just to be safe. Our room also had this neat coffee/tea/cappuccino maker that came in handy each morning.

Anyway, we had lunch and then walked around the ship a little before heading back to our room to unpack. It took us one full day at sea to reach our first port, Cabo San Lucas, where we boarded another boat for the afternoon. The Eco Cat is a huge catamaran that took us out to do some snorkeling and whale watching. Alex had a ball dancing with this beautiful woman in a leopard print bikini. He is three not thirty-three, right? Wherever he goes, Alex always gets the ladies. Little did we know, this was just a warm up for tomorrow's performance.

The next day we stopped in Mazatlan. We decided to take an excursion to Stone Island and have a beach day. After a relaxing day on the beach, we returned to the cruise port. Before getting back on the ship, I decided to have a quick 10-minute massage from one of the locals. Meanwhile, Alex decided to have a dance-off with some 20-year old guy. They were playing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and he was up there dancing in front of everyone. I missed it all! I could hear the music and the people clapping, I just didn't realize there were cheering for my son!

On the last day we stopped in Puerto Vallarta and did the Pirate Ship excursion. Alex was so excited about this after getting a pirate ship from the Binky Fairy a few months ago (see previous post on this blog). This was a really fun day!

Some Recent Pictures

Tyler's first taste of Mac & Cheese

Howdy there, partner!

He looks so grown up in this picture! Where did my little boy go?


Tyler is just starting to stand while holding onto things.
He isn't crazy about grass, which is why he is standing and not sitting down!

He just started sitting on things a day ago. He rocks and hops up and down while laughing.

Tyler's Update

Tyler just cut his third tooth yesterday! It is his first upper (front left) though. I don't think the other is that far behind. Just like Alex, he will probably have his two upper and two lower front teeth for his first birthday. I had both the boys to the doctor last week (ear infections) so I know that Tyler currently weighs 21 pounds. He is wearing size 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers. His eyes have turned brown with a small blue speck in his left eye. His hair has lightened up since birth and is now a light brown. As you can see, his hair is wispy and won't lay down. He has the nickname "spike" because of the hair! Alex loves to make his brother laugh and sings to him when he is crying. So far, they are getting along pretty good.

The Binky Fairy

Just before Alex's third birthday, we told him that the binky fairy would be coming to take his pacifier because other babies in the world needed it. We told him that she would bring him a really fun toy to play with instead of having a binky. He seemed okay with this concept. So the night came to gather up all the binkies in the house. We strung them on a blue ribbon and tied it up in a tree in the front yard. He said good-bye to the binkies and then asked if he could keep one for his mouth. Can't blame him for asking, right?

A few hours later he looked out the front window and saw something in the tree! It was a lot bigger than the pacifier ribbon. They put on their shoes and coat and ran out to see what the Binky Fairy had left. It was a really cool pirate ship (just like the one he had found online and asked Mom for)!

Later that evening when it was time for bed, he had some tears over not having his binky. The next day he cried a few minutes before his nap over not having his binky. But ever since that day, when you ask about his binky or the Binky Fairy, he just laughs.

Next task...potty training! Is there a Potty Fairy? What might he bring/leave? It might be obvious, but I'll try anything at this point!

Alex is Three!