Changes at home

When we bought this house in 2005, we knew that we would eventually need to replace the windows and the siding, as both were original to the house (built in 1985). Well, this was the year. We replaced the windows and got vinyl siding and shutters!!!!! (which our house desperately needed)

Before:
















And After!!!! We chose a sand colored siding, with white trim and dark brown shutters.


















And since The Home Depot did the work on the house, here is Tyler wanting to be one of the workers:

Action-packed summer

Apparently, we are just going to go non-stop this summer with our little boy. And we love every second of it. Our weekends seem to be packed with all sorts of fun activities. Just last weekend we took Tyler both days to the pool. It's only about a half mile walk to the front of our subdivision from our house, so it works out very well. The first day wasn't real exciting for him, and he didn't really seem to be as into it as we thought he would be. But by Sunday, he was trying to jump in from the side and seemed to want to be on his own out in the water. He was a much happier camper. We're looking forward to spending a lot more time there this summer. We'll probably look at formal swim lessons for Tyler next summer.

This past weekend, we went to the mall so that Tyler could have his feet sized again at Stride Rite. Believe it or not, it's already been more than 3 months since we went the first time! His feet haven't grown too much, he went from a 5 Wide to a 5.5 Wide. So we bought him a nice new pair of sandals, and ordered some new tennis shoes. Turns out that 5.5 Wide is a pretty hard size to find. We tried several stores, but to no avail. We ended up getting the sandals at the Stride Rite store and I had to order the tennis shoes online - even the Stride Rite store didn't have his size! Tyler had a ball at the mall, running through stores and riding the escalators. He did well (for the most part) by holding hands with us and not running away.

On Sunday, we took Tyler back over to the Children's Museum of Richmond. We hadn't been there since mid-March, and it was so neat to see how much more he enjoyed his time there. We met up with Darren, Jennifer, and their little girl Sophia (who is just a few weeks younger than Tyler) and had a great time. Tyler and Sophia played in the water play area both indoors and out, and Tyler had a great time running through the Under 3 section. Travis & I both agreed that the museum needs to become a regular in the rotation as far as activities are concerned. It's a free trip for us, since Genworth is a primary sponsor. And we think that Tyler will get a little more out of it each time he goes.

The next activity that we'd like to add to our summer is heading to our local library for story time. Turns out that we've got a library just a few miles down the road from us! And upon further investigation, we have a brand new library being built even closer! According to the website, they hope to open later this year.

So we have lots of activities to keep us busy this summer and we can't wait. Add in our week long vacation to Emerald Isle in less than 2 weeks, and we truly have one action-packed summer ahead!

And we just want to add - CONGRATULATIONS to Meredith & Ryan on the birth of their little boy, Evan Andrew! Evan was born on June 15, 2008! Congrats and we love you!

Video update - Stocking the fridge

Stories

If there's one thing that Tyler really loves, it's his stories. He loves books. All books. When we're all in the living room, he'll bring a book over to you, read it with you, then go and grab another one for you to read. This will go on for as long as you will let it, or until he's taken all of his books off of the shelves. He's not just interested in "his" books either. He likes Daddy's "Eat This, Not That" book, Mommy's "What to Expect the Toddler Years" (though I suspect that he tries to see what lies the book is telling about him), and any magazine or catalog that he can get his hands on. He's an equal opportunity reader.

Right before bed, Travis reads 3 or 4 stories to Tyler in the glider in his room. He lets Tyler pick out his books (with a firm nod of the head), and they settle in to read. Tyler really gets into the stories, and he's even starting to memorize them we think. He knows when the end of each of his favorites is coming, and starts to squirm so that he can go get another book (and avoid bedtime). And he does have favorites - "Peek-A-Who?", "Goodnight Moon", "Ten in the Bed", and "My Name is Elmo" (he even gets to tickle Elmo's feet in this one). Travis took Tyler to Barnes & Noble this weekend and picked up a new favorite for him - "One, Two, Three!" It's already a hit. We love that he wants to read his books so often. We hope that this love of books stays with him for life.

15 months old!!!

Seemingly overnight, our little boy learned the power of his head movements. Shaking back and forth means no, and nodding up and down means yes. It's a wonder we made it this far in his young life without him being able to express himself in this way. Maybe he just got tired of us doing the wrong things and he decided he better start this now, before we make him do something crazy. But again, it was just an overnight change. He started nodding late last week, but it was more of a whole body nod. He couldn't just nod his head. He had to put his back into it. And we weren't 100% sure that he knew what it meant to nod. He just knew that it got a positive response from Mommy & Daddy, so he kept it up.

However, at Grandpa's house this weekend, he was asked several yes or no questions, and each question received a nod or a shake. And we realized that he "got it".

"Tyler, do you want a snack?" Tyler nods his head emphatically and reaches for his snack cup. "Tyler, do you want to go outside?" Again, nods his head emphatically as he sprints for the door. "Tyler, do you want more?" Shakes his head, and then turns away.

I love the fact that he can communicate with us in yet another way as his vocabulary grows.

Tyler also had his 15 month appointment last Friday. He weighs 24 lbs. 9 oz and is 32.5 inches tall. This puts him in the 50th percentile for weight, and about the 75th-90th percentile for height. His pediatrician was thrilled with his stats, and even more thrilled with his developmental skills. She said that he "walked beautifully" for a 15 month old (whatever that means - haha) and was pleased to see that he was indeed saying about 10 words, even though he doesn't say them often. She said to keep doing what we are doing, and gave us some skills to watch out for as he nears 18 months of age. Believe it or not, Tyler's already doing many of them and she was pleased to hear that. Some of the skills included stacking blocks (he is a pro at this), learning cause-and-effect by dropping things into buckets (done), and learning 3 - 5 new words. She also commended me on making it to the 15 month mark with breastfeeding.

Well, we almost made it at least. Tyler nursed for the very last time a week ago Friday. We had gotten down to one feeding a day, and that was the one as soon as we woke up in the morning. But sessions were getting shorter and shorter, and I was feeling ready to let go, so we did. And neither one of us has turned back since. I've been a little sad here and there when I think about it, but then I remind myself of what I was able to give my son and of the bonding that he & i have shared in these last 15 months. I was able to give him something that no one else could, and no one else could share in (as selfish as that sounds). I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. And Tyler has done well with the weaning too. We have a new morning routine now, one that includes breakfast with Daddy, then getting dressed with Mommy. Travis used to always pick out Tyler's clothes, and now it's my turn! I love it!

Wedding madness!

Whew! What a trip! After months of planning and getting excited, we headed to Columbia, SC last Wednesday night for Maggie & Stephen's wedding. We timed it so that we would leave at Tyler's bedtime, hoping that he would sleep most, if not all, of the way there. We left shortly before 7:00, and Tyler was out not far down the road. He slept until we made a stop for gas somewhere in NC, and went back to sleep until we pulled into the hotel around 12:30 am. Once we got checked in, it was a while before he went back to sleep again. He was pretty disoriented, and wasn't sure why Mommy & Daddy were sleeping in the same room as him. But we all got a pretty decent night's sleep and woke Thursday ready to go!

Thursday morning we met up with Maggie & Madison and went to the Riverbanks Zoo. Even though the forecast had an 80% chance of thunderstorms, it was a beautiful day and we had a great time. Tyler really loved seeing all the animals, and even got to feed a giraffe and pet some goats (though he poked one goat in the eye - oops). He & Madison ran around the penguin exhibit and into the aquarium, taking turns climbing up and down the stairs. We then had lunch at the mall, and I think that by the end of lunch the kids were really starting to take to each other. We went our separate ways for naps, then went to the Clarke's house to play. Tyler got to see Madison's big girl bed and had fun climbing on it with her. He also had fun playing with "Do", which is what Madison calls their dog, Joey. We also had a quickie practice run in the wedding wagon, and I mean "quickie" - as in, from the kitchen to the living room. But the kids were excited to be in the wagon regardless. (Tyler was the ring bearer and Mad was the flower girl. So with two 14 month olds, a wagon was a must for the wedding.) We had dinner with the Clarkes that night, and then it was off to bed for the little ones.

Travis & Tyler went back to the Clarke's house on Friday to play with Stephen & Mad, while Maggie & I met up with her bridesmaids to get nails done for the wedding. After lunch and naps, we were ready to head to rehearsal and the dinner. Rehearsal went well, and even Travis got to practice his role as "wagon puller" during the ceremony in hopes of keeping the little ones quiet and happy. We figured we should keep them moving at all times (it was an outdoor ceremony) and keep the wagon filled with snacks and sippy cups. It worked. Tyler also got to see the alpacas that were at Corley Mill directly behind the gazebo where the wedding was to take place. He is such an animal lover, and just squealed with delight when he saw them. At dinner, we met up with some other friends that had made the trip - Julia, Ray, & Claire from Northern VA; Jen, Ryan, & Thomas from Jacksonville, FL; and Lori, Brian, & Evan from Richmond. We had a great time just chatting and watching the kids run around and play with each other. Tyler also got to practice his new party tick - shaking hands. Travis is really proud of this, as he learned it so quickly. You tell him to shake hands with someone, and he'll extend his hand to them. Once he's shaken one hand, the game is on. He walks around the room with hand extended to anyone that will shake. It's absolutely the cutest trick ever.

The wedding wasn't until 6:30 in the evening, so we had all day Saturday to play. Trav, Tyler & I took a morning walk around a little lake next to our hotel and got to see many ducks (and ducklings!) and turtles. Tyler really got a kick out of watching the ducks waddle around. Then those of us at the hotel met up at the pool for a cookout and some swimming. The water was pretty frigid, but once you got in, it was OK. Tyler & I swam around a bit, but later opted for hanging out on the patio. We had some lunch, and then decided it was late enough to try and get the kids to take decent naps before heading to Corley Mill for the wedding. Tyler & I needed to leave the hotel by 4:30, so I figured we would get a good 2 hour (maybe more!) nap in beforehand. Nope. Tyler was asleep for one whopping hour. I really feared what the evening would hold for us with just one 1-hour nap.

Tyler & I get to Corley Mill, and I get him dressed in his absolutely adorable tux in the bridal room. As soon as he was dressed, Maggie and everyone else just ooh-ed and aah-ed over him which I think he really liked. He looked like such a little man in his tuxedo. He and Mad played, got fussy, played some more, snacked, fussed, and so on. Once it was show time though, they both happily got in the wagon and played their parts perfectly. We were sure to load the wagon up with snacks and Travis took them on a pretty good ride during the ceremony. The ceremony went very well. Maggie looked absolutely gorgeous and Stephen was a very handsome groom. And of course, Mad & Tyler were just precious - and very well-behaved. There were a few snack-stealing moments, and a few scuffles over sippy cups, but all in all they did a great job. I can't wait to see the pictures that the photographer took. I think she got a few really great shots of them.

We all hung out at the reception for a little while, then packed it up and got the kids back to the hotel. Tyler was out like a light around 9:00. Two nights in a row of being up well past his 7:00 bedtime had taken its toll. But to our surprise, he slept very well in the hotel and overall was such a good boy. We had breakfast with our friends & Tyler played a bit with Stephen & Maggie (he ADORES Stephen and several times went running to him with arms wide open) before we headed back home. It was about a 6 hour drive and was much different driving during the day as opposed to night. Tyler was awake for much more of the trip, and therefore was much more annoyed with the fact that he was in his carseat. We tried to keep him entertained, and made a pretty good stop for lunch and let him run around. But as we neared home with about 30 miles to go, he broke down. He had had enough of the car. We got him home, and he did a complete 180! He was running around from room to room just grinning and playing. He must've missed home too.

He's back on his schedule as far as sleeping is concerned, and while he has had a few fussy bouts in the middle of the night, we found the culprit to that this morning. A new tooth. Tooth #7 is coming through on the bottom. Fun stuff. But we'll be home for a few weekends, just taking it easy and working around the house. We have the beach coming up in about 7 weeks, and we consider the SC trip to be good practice for that trip. We'll be purchasing a portable DVD player for the car before then so that Tyler can watch Backyardigans.

But we had a great trip! It was so great to see everyone, and we were so honored to be a part of Maggie, Stephen, & Madison's special day. Congratulations, you guys! We love you!

The Great Outdoors

One of the greatest features of my Dad's house is the deck and backyard. He has the magnificent deck that takes up much of the back of the house, and wraps around to meet the screened-in porch on the side of the house. It's this really great composite decking that isn't wood, so there are no splinters to be had! Tyler can crawl all over it (when he actually feels like crawling over walking, which is extremely rare now), walk barefoot on it, fall down, whatever. No splinters! This is great considering at our house we'd need to pad the poor boy in bubble wrap before we could let him play on our deck. Splinter City, baby. Splinter City.

Anyway...Tyler got lots of great outdoor time this weekend in Lynchburg. He played (and played and played) on Grandpa's deck, and even took a couple of trips to Dad's massive backyard. He looked so small in this large yard, just running and playing. He had a blast. He practiced going up and down the stairs, and did really well with his footing on the grass (in his new sandals, no less). I really wish that we had a better deck, and a better yard, at home for him to play in. He doesn't complain about it, though. He's just happy to be outside. As often as possible, I try to take Tyler for walks when we get home in the afternoon. We have about an hour to ourselves before Travis comes home for the evening, so I pull out the stroller and walk up to the front of the neighborhood and back. Sometimes we stop to swing, sometimes we don't. I'm happy to get the exercise and Tyler is happy to people-watch and just sit back to enjoy the ride. It's nice right now, as there are few bugs, there's little humidity, and it's not so freakin' hot that you can't stand it. We'll have about another week or 2 of that, and that will be about it, I'm sure.

We had both of my grandmothers over at Grandpa's on Saturday for lunch. Nana Scoggin drove up from NC and bought us all lunch from Applebee's. We had a nice visit, and Tyler did what Tyler does best - entertains. He even handed out kisses, though not on demand as Nana Woody would have liked. That evening, Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw Radick came over to visit and have dinner. Maw-Maw brought a very special surprise with her, in addition to some of her own toys that Wagner & Waylon play with at her house. She had with her a tattered and torn plastic, yellow tote bag filled with blocks and such. Well, once I looked in the bag, I was overwhelmed with a sense of familiarity. The blocks in this bag used to belong to Eddie. Some of the blocks in there were taken from the old Homeplace in Union Mills, NC (where Mom and my Papa are buried), and I distinctly remember Eddie playing with them when we were younger. Angela said that Mom had given those toys to her when Wagner was smaller, and she thought that it was time for them to come back into our family. She has several of Eddie's old trucks and cars too, but will wait until Tyler is a bit older to bring those back. So Grandpa now has LOTS of great toys for Tyler to play with at his house! How special!!

This weekend is Mother's Day weekend, and we plan on spending Sunday together - just the 3 of us. Right now, it's supposed to rain, but hopefully it will hold off. Next Wednesday evening, we will pack up the car and head down to Columbia, SC for Maggie & Stephen's wedding. Tyler's tux should be here any day now, and I can't wait to get him in that thing (he'll probably disagree with me though). So we'll have a long week (and weekend!) next week, but should come back with some great stories and pictures!

Cancelled plans & sharing memories

Well, we didn't go to Lynchburg the other weekend because Tyler got a pretty nasty viral infection earlier that week. I got the call from daycare that Wednesday that he had a temperature of over 102. So I picked him up and brought him home. We stayed home the next day, and even on Friday, as he continued to have a fever of almost 103. I took him to the pediatrician, who said it was just going to have to run its course, and suggested that we stay home for the weekend. So we did. By late Saturday afternoon, Tyler was feeling much better and it showed in his attitude. Poor guy just looked so tired and you could tell he didn't feel well before then. We were sorry to miss the wedding that we were scheduled to go to, but it turns out that it rained there so maybe it all worked out for the best. I have a feeling that we would have ended up with a very wet and muddy Tyler had we been there. But we also missed out on visiting with Grandpa and Uncle Eddie, so we are headed there this weekend to see them. Here's hoping for good weather and good health!

This past Sunday was the 2 year anniversary of my Mom's passing. My Dad and Nana Scoggin (with others) spent the day in Union Mills, NC where Mom is buried. Travis, Tyler, & I made that trip last year when Tyler was just about 8 weeks old. But we knew that we wouldn't be able to make that trip every year. So we celebrated Mom's life at home. We have a picture of Mom in his room on his dresser, and before bed that night we pulled it down and showed it to him. He gave his Oma a big, wet, sloppy kiss right on the glass which immediately prompted me to cry. But before he went to bed that night, I made sure that I told him a few stories about Mom. We're determined that he will know who she is, just as if she were always here with him.

Overnight changes

Seems that every time that we turn around, Tyler has learned a new "trick". It's absolutely amazing. His latest tricks came over the weekend. We were just hanging out in the living room as we always do on Sunday mornings, when Tyler walked behind his play kitchen and climbed up into his rocking chair and sat down. He just looked at us with this big smile on his face, and you could tell that he was really proud of himself. We just cheered and cheered for him, which made his smile even brighter. He then showed us that he can also sit properly in his little armchair, and even made an attempt at climbing up on the couch with us, but I don't think we're quite there yet. It is funny to watch him hike his leg up though in an effort to sit with us.

We also pulled out his old John Deere ATV this weekend. He hasn't really shown much interest in riding toys (even though he has about 2,986 of them), except to just push them around. Well, this weekend he went up to the John Deere and immediately hiked his leg over the seat to sit down. It took a couple of (frustrating) tries, but he finally got it, and once again he just beamed! I thought that he would have a tough time with the dismount, but a few more tries and he had that down pat too! He tried all of this again when he saw his little trike outside while Travis & I tried to get some yardwork done. Success!!! Now, to just get him moving while he's sitting on his toys. I have a feeling it won't be long now!

To back up a few weekends, we did head back to Lynchburg for my Granddaddy Woody's funeral at the beginning of the month. Though it was a time of mourning, we got to spend some very special time with some family that we rarely see. My aunt Kay flew in from Singapore and brought with her my cousin Anne from NY. And my other cousins Gray & David drove up from Atlanta. It was so exciting to see them all, as this was the first time that they had met Tyler! Nana Scoggin and my Uncle Nathan also made the trip, so we had a nice time visiting with them too.

Granddad Snead (Trav's dad) has been a bit under the weather lately, so we've been trying to visit with them across town some so that Tyler can brighten the day! We were there on Saturday, and Tyler had a great time pulling out all of Gramme's tupperware, just like he does at home. Silly boy.

We're headed back to Lynchburg this weekend for a wedding, and then I think that we're actually home for a few weeks!! Our next big trip after that will be our big trek down to Columbia, SC for Maggie & Stephen's wedding, where Tyler will be the ring bearer with his good buddy, Madison Michael. We can't wait!!!

I'll leave you this week with a video of another one of Tyler's new tricks. At first, I thought that he was going to blow me a kiss, since I had just done so to him. Nope. But this is still just as cute.

Busy Easter weekend

Last week, Travis & I had the day off for Good Friday. So we decided to make the most of our long weekend, and do some new activities with Tyler. We took him to the Children’s Museum of Richmond on Friday. Travis’ company has a substantial relationship with the museum, so as an employee, he (and his family) get in for free! It’s a wonderful perk, and one that we plan on taking advantage of often. Tyler had a great time. He played in some “fossil brushing” boxes, and really enjoyed watching the other kids play. He also got to pick apples off of the apple tree (which are red balls that shoot out of the holes in the trees), and sit on dinosaurs, and build with all sorts of blocks. We also took him over to the 3 and Under area, where he had a blast running all over the place and playing. They had some oversized Legos for building, lots of books and puzzles, and a kitchen stocked with all sorts of fun stuff. Tyler also got a kick out of watching the other kids play, and liked to go up to mothers that were holding their teeny, tiny babies to see what they were up to. He behaved so well, we were so proud of him. We will definitely be making return trips to the museum. After the museum, we went out to eat and we saw firsthand that Tyler was ready for a nap.

We had decided that on Saturday, we would head to Maymont for their Easter festivities. (Maymont is a park in Richmond, and some may remember that Travis proposed to me in the Japanese Gardens there.) Apparently, about 30,000 other people in the city had the same idea, so it was pretty packed. Btu they had lots of things set up for kids, and most of it was for older kids, but there were some things that Tyler could do. We met up with our friends Lori & Evan, and took the boys in the petting zoo where they met face-to-face with a sheep, and got to pet some baby goats and see baby bunnies and chicks. Tyler was enthralled with the animals and loved walking through the exhibit. We also took the boys to have their pictures taken with a live bunny. Tyler did very well with the bunny and wasn’t rough with it at all. I think he was a little sad when the bunny went away. We then put the boys in their strollers and just took a nice walk around the park and looked at all of the other animals. Travis made sure that we stopped by the white tail deer exhibit to show Tyler what his target would be in about 10+ years. (Travis says it will be sooner than that. I disagree.) It was a beautiful day, but it’s a good thing we brought the sunscreen! We still have a few exhibit tickets leftover, and we can use them at any of the park’s Barn Days during the spring. We’ll be heading back for those.

Sunday was Easter, and the Easter Bunny visited Tyler and dropped off some eggs filled with his favorite snacks! He was very excited to see the eggs, then even more excited to shake them, and even MORE excited to have one burst open and find that snack came out of it!!!! He also got some special Easter gifts from Gramme and Granddad Snead, and from Maw-MAw & Paw-Paw Radick in Lynchburg.

So thankfully, the warmer weather is on its way. Tyler loves to be outside, and we love to take him outside. It’s going to be a fun spring and summer, I do believe!



One sad note to pass along tonight: My grandfather, Wyatt Edward Woody, passed away this evening. He shared his birthday with my mother, as both were born on October 22. He was born in 1919 and was married to my Nana Woody for over 50 years. He leaves behind his wife, Mildred (my Nana), 2 children (my Aunt Kay and her husband Mike, & my Dad), 5 grandchildren (Gray, David, & Anne, Eddie & myself), and 1 great-grandchild (Tyler). I am so glad that he got to meet Tyler and I am so thankful that I got to see how happy his great-grandchild made him. Granddaddy had Alzheimer's, and while he didn't always know who Tyler was, he knew that Tyler could make him smile. I'll never forget sharing Certs candies with Granddaddy at his bar in his basement, or the way that he loved on our old dog, Dudley. He was a wonderful man, and may he rest in peace in a better place. We love you and miss you already, Granddady.

New shoes & the Easter Bunny

We had a pretty big field trip today. We headed to Regency Mall to go to Stride Rite to get Tyler his very first pair of "real" walking shoes! He has soft-soled shoes, but now that he's really toddling around, we felt that he needed something more substantial. And who better to fit him for the shoes than Stride Rite? So we used a bit of his birthday money and bought a very cute pair. I was pretty bummed, as I forgot my camera for the historic event, but have no fear - Stride Rite will take your baby's picture and frame it for you!!!! Tyler seems to like his new shoes, though it is a bit more difficult for him to get around. The shoes, though good for his feet, are heavier and built differently from the shoes he's been used to. But we know that he'll adjust and be running along even faster soon!!!

After we bought the shoes, we headed to see the Easter Bunny. Tyler did very well, and was quite intrigued by the Rabbit. We got a pretty good picture from the encounter. Looking forward to Easter this Sunday!

Tyler-Fest 2008 - The Mechanicsville Stop

We had Part 2 of Tyler's birthday celebrations last weekend at our house. We had a ton of rain the night before right up until an hour or so before the party was to start. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the sun came out. However, the rain was replaced with a strong wind with strong gusts. But it was a warm day, and there were lots of people in our house, so the wind was nice with the windows open.

I once again started out the day by bringing balloons into the house. This made Tyler's day. He was so excited to see his balloons again! He just toddled around the house with one (or more) of them in his hands at all times. Almost a week later, we still have several of the mylar balloons floating around, and he's still as excited about them. Travis and I, on the other hand, are thinking of creative ways to make the balloons disappear. It was adorable the first day, but now it's a little frustrating to have to constantly work around balloons and strings and what not.

Our first guests to show up were Travis' Uncle Wallace & Aunt Brenda. They also brought Tyler a balloon. Then Matt & Laura showed up (meatballs in tow - yum!), followed by a couple of out-of-towners - Julia & Claire from Arlington! (We had been to Claire's 1st birthday party at the beginning of February with our friends the Clarkes from SC.) Also in attendance: Gramme & Granddad Snead, Aunt Jenn & Uncle Brian, Great-Grandma Smith and her friend Julia, my Uncle Nathan, Aunt Donna, & their girls Jessi & Becky, the Griffiths (with their boys CJ & Gage), the Welshes (with little Abby, who is 6 months old & was in Tyler's infant room at daycare - I work with her dad), the Kreckmans (whose son, Evan, turned 1 just 6 days before Tyler), "Uncle" David (who works with Trav), and neighbors the Brants, the Grahams, & the Ailstocks. Talk about a full house, especially with that many little ones running around!

We all enjoyed some food and visited for a while, and the Birthday Boy walked around and impressed everyone with his skills. He was a very gracious host (that is, once he woke up from his nap AFTER most everyone had gotten there, but at least we knew he was well-rested). After a while, we got ready for Cake Part 2. This one was made by Williams Bakery, a local bakery near our house that's pretty famous around here for donuts, cake, whatever. VERY tasty stuff. The cake was a full sheet cake with 3 cupcakes on top - Elmo, Big Bird, & Cookie Monster. I was so excited when I picked it up, they did such a wonderful job. So this time, instead of Tyler getting his own cake, he got to have the Big Bird cupcake to do with as he pleased. And just like the weekend before, he wasn't really interested. He barely touched it or anything, and wouldn't even let us put icing on his lips to taste. He wanted nothing to do with it. Gave him some ricecakes and the kid went to town on those - again. Guess I should be happy for now that he chooses the healthier snack.

We then retreated to the living room to watch a wonderful video of Tyler's first year. My friend, Lori, made one of these for her son's birthday and I absolutely loved it. So she volunteered to make one for us. I am so thankful to her for taking the time to do this. It turned out beautifully. THANK YOU, LORI! Watch the video here.

Next up: presents! And lots and lots of them. Again, our little man was quite spoiled. Lots of clothes and LOTS of toys. New trucks, cars, Little People, ride-on toys (complete with sippy cup holders - haha!), beach toys, you name it. He racked up. And he's having a great time pulling each and every new toy out to play with it. We've got so much going on in the living room now that we finally pulled out the plastic bins that my Uncle Nathan's family gave us at my baby shower last year. Until now, the bins were being used to hold some of our things in the office. But not anymore. Now we have blocks, and balls, and Little People, and stuffed animals, and whatever else in there. Tyler likes to pull all of the bins off of the shelves, and sometimes wear them as hats, but in time we hope that he'll learn their true purpose.

After the party, we headed out to dinner with Julia & Claire. Tyler & Claire did pretty well, but you could tell that the lack of an afternoon nap was starting to catch up with them. So we ate pretty quickly, and Julia & Claire hit the road. And we took our Birthday Boy back home to catch some Z's. Yet another successful party, though, and we are so thankful for everyone that came to celebrate with us!!!

And now begins the Road to Two.