Kisses for Mama

Today my goal was to capture Tyler giving me a big kiss (open mouth/bad aim). I kept following him around and saying gimme a kiss, give mommy a kiss! Then I'd yell, Jeff get ready! It's moments like this that are hard to get on camera, but every once in awhile throughout the day, he'll just run up to me and give me a big one! I love it.

We've been trying to teach him I love you and I'm pretty sure he said it. Well it was more like Egugoo but I'll take it. It was one of those tender moments with a hug and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he meant. I feel so lucky to be the mom of such a sweet and wonderful little guy.

The Wonderful Life of a One Year Old...

Sometimes I'm envious of how easy he has it. Babies get to play all day, have food handed to them, and rest whenever they feel tired. Although... Tyler has decided he doesn't want his afternoon nap (I keep trying to tell him it's great) but he still loves to snuggle and cuddle- thank goodness! This is one day where he exnayed his nap but decided to rest on the back porch instead, Ok whatever...

He has started to babble all the time and every once in awhile we pick out some real words!! Today he said "No" to Jeff while they were playing with the hose (as in no daddy, I don't want you to spray me)... and "cat" when we saw one. I said, Here kitty kitty kitty cat and Tyler said, cccccccccccccat. It was pretty cool. I've realized that for the next year, the biggest battle will probably be communication. He definitely has a mind of his own, but when I can't read his mind (or understand his limited english) it gets tricky. I try to think about what it must be like to explain how I feel with "ba"s and "dat"s...maybe I don't want to be one again.

Welcome Baby Isaac

We have a new nephew!

Isaac Thomas Wolfe

6lbs, 11oz, 20.5 in

Congrats Tommy & Melonie

and Welcome Baby Isaac

We love you!

Tyler's Room Makeover

BEFORE: Boring and Messy

AFTER: Colorful and Clean!!

Wall clock: $15.00

Shelf: $12.00 (50% off)

Wooden Blocks: $6.42 (for 8)

Wood Paint: $4.00

Wood Glue: $2.00

Letters: $1.99 each (30% off)

Feeling satisfied with one room in my house: Priceless!

This Week...

Some of you have been wondering what the heck I do all day... Here is a pretty normal week full of fun memories and great pictures...




MONDAY we played outside with bubbles and a neighbor cat came to join us...


TUESDAY we realized Tyler needed another haircut...


WEDNESDAY we poured sand and salt in our new aquarium...


THURSDAY the new carseat came while we were at the library! Naptime was replaced with "sit in the seat in the box" time. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Clark-we can't wait to go for a drive :)


And I have to show you Thursday night's beautiful sky as the tornado sirens went off!


FRIDAY: I hung up two shelves in the Rubber Ducky guest bathroom... and I think that's all I have to show for the day.


SATURDAY: Jeff came home with doughnuts and found someone selling their Trampoline for... $25.00. Not joking!!! Tyler has been playing on it ever since...


SUNDAY: We enjoyed church, a long nap, snickerdoodles and spaghetti for dinner. Yum.


Well this is a pretty normal week. Tyler and I play a lot and I love working on little projects. The boys (Jeff and Adam--friend who's living with us for awhile) work hard and play hard, which we've decided is a good way to live!

Sundays are Great!

I love Sundays. This is the first day I've seen Jeff for more than 3hours. Seriously, he's been putting in 12 hour days all week. So, needless to say, I loved the 2 hours I got to spend sitting right next to him at church. And Tyler sure enjoyed it too. We got to play with bubbles and balls all day and had a family dinner before 9pm! Horray.
Church has been interesting with Tyler lately. It's great because our ward has about 7 kids that are about to or just turned 1 (Which includes a set of triplet girls that he just loves!). There are a lot of roamers and Tyler is the ring leader. Luckily he's cute and everyone's nice. Today he walked up to the front during Relief Society and sat under the table where she was teaching the lesson. He just sat there and smiled and made funny noises for a minute and then got up and walked back to me. Silly boy. What can you do? I think I turned bright red while the other mom's chuckled... I was debating what would be more distracting, me dragging him out, or letting him stay there... 5 more months til nursery! :) But until then, he sure does make church more exciting!

I thought we were gonna die!

Seriously, last night we woke up to the craziest storm! I thought the wind was going to blow through the windows. The lightning reminded me of War of the Worlds because it was completely constant flashes of light. Every once in awhile the thunder would crackle so hard the house shook. Our power went out and we headed to the living room to be close to Tyler's room. The rain was so loud we decided it was hailing. Then I remembered American Idol... and the little red writing along the bottom: Tornado Warning (with a list of counties) and Tornado Watch (with a list of counties). We were happy our county wasn't listed, but I'm thinking maybe by 4 am the TORNADO is headed our way! I also remember another notice: Golf ball size hail in 2 counties, seek shelter immediately... I'm ready to grab the baby and jump in the bathtub with a mattress. (I've been told that's just what you do.) So as all these thoughts are going through my head, I'm wishing I bought that weather radio my mom told me to get. I'm thinking of all the ways we could find out how serious this storm is... Turn on the news. Oh wait, power's out. Check the internet. Nope, powers out. Ok, so at least I could warm up some mashed potatoes from dinner cuz I'm feeling a little hungry. Wait, no, I can't. Am I allowed to flush the toilet? I really don't know. So about a half hour later, the storm dies down and we head back to bed. As I'm falling asleep, I mentally add an item to my shopping list. A weather radio. And maybe some items to add to my non-existent 72 hour kit. What a night!

So, Ken & Judy woke up early to get milk and doughnuts and both our grocery stores by us are closed with no power. They saw 10 trees uprooted, many fences knocked over and a trampoline tipped over on top of the garbage cans! WOW.

Try to find the fence in the above picture. Blown clear to the sidewalk.

Grandparents

Tyler has really enjoyed having Grandpa and Grandma to play with! Jeff and I have had a blast going to dinner, playing Ticket to Ride, watching movies, visiting, and just having them here! Thanks for visiting, we'll miss you!

Secret Stash

So, as I was cooking dinner tonight I noticed Tyler with his head in the cupboards. He plays with the pots and pans and tupperware bowls pretty often so I didn't think anything of it at first. Then I heard little crunching noises and got a little nervous. I walked over and saw a handful of star puffs in a pot- I don't know how they got there, but all I can think of is that he decided to store some for later in his favorite spot! Silly silly boy. Oh speaking of cupboards, and the fact that Tyler loves getting into them, I need a good suggestion on safety locks. I got the safety 1st brand at Target but my do-anything handyman couldn't even get them to work so I took them back. Any suggestions on good safety locks for very hard wood cabinets?

My new favorite store

Most people know that I hate grocery shopping. I always forget at least one thing on my list and I can't believe how much money goes into buying food. All this makes me miss Wolfe's Market. And especially the super cute owner Tom Wolfe (my daddy) and the accountant/office lady Shauna Wolfe (my mom) and the deli counter help girl Katie Wolfe (my sister). You get the point. But today I found a store that helps me cope. It's called Tom Thumb and not only did I get a perscription for $4.00, but Tyler came home with 2 stickers and a rubber froggie! Sorry Super Target, but Tom Thumb just became my new place for groceries- unless I'm in Claremont that is.

Happy Birthday Jeffers!

Jeff and his dad both had birthdays this weekend! We've had tons of fun playing with his parents!

So while I taught a few art classes on Saturday, Jeff and his family were celebrating at the park. They said they had a blast and brought me lots of great pictures to prove it! Tyler has been running around like the energizer bunny lately... crack baby!! just kidding. I just don't know how my child could be so hyper... uh ok I've heard stories of my own childhood so nevermind.

The boys played frisbee and then they took a walk by the cool white tents. Tyler found a chair that was just his size and decided to have a seat!

Van Gogh: Maybe Not So Crazy

This week I am just getting over a terrible ear infection and ruptured ear drum. Oh the pain. I've actually considered cutting off my ear numerous times this week... Tonight I am brushing up on Van Gogh to teach my Young Artists class about his work. From Wikipedia: "Van Gogh cut off the lobe of his left ear during some sort of seizure on 24 December 1888. Mental problems afflicted him, particularly in the last few years of his life… There has been much debate over the years as to the source of Van Gogh's mental illness and its effect on his work. Over 150 psychiatrists have attempted to label his illness, and some 30 different diagnoses have been suggested."

Let me add a diagnosis to the list... maybe his ear hurt!

They Make Me Smile

Just Like His Dad

I opened the garage to take the trash out today and heard some clanking in the garage, I found Tyler with a tool in each hand, hitting Jeff's car. Tyler LOVES that car. He will just sit there and watch Jeff working on it (with his tools) even when its not on. And then when he turns it on it is like Christmas! Tyler turns his head every time the car makes a turn so he can always have his eyes on it. So, when Jeff got home from work today, I showed him the pictures and he said, "Well, I better fire it up for him!" They were so cute sitting in the garage driving it together.

Two Little Cuties

Tyler and his cousin Lily