The New Job

I've been meaning to blog about this for several weeks....I got a job as a: Pre-K teacher!

I love the school I teach at!  I'm only teaching part-time in the afternoons, so I still get to spend most of my time at home with my favorite little boy, Kyler, and then he gets to come to the school with me. While I teach Pre-K (class of 5 year olds), Kyler gets to go to a preschool class with other kids his age. He loves it!  I'm so happy that Kyler is getting a good educational start here- what an amazing opportunity!

It's tradition in my family to take pictures on the first day of school by the front door, so here is Kyler, on his first day of preschool!

 He loves his new backpack and likes to wear it everywhere.

I feel like we just started a new phase in life....and...I'm confident it will be a good one!

A big boy bed? A big boy bed!

Our little boy is 2 years and 8 months old! He is getting awfully close to 3-wow! Not only is Kyler growing older, but he is getting bigger too. Currently, he is 27lbs (28th percentile). He reached another big milestone this month. Kyler transitioned from a toddler bed to a big boy bed! I wanted to wait to take pictures of his big boy room until he had his new big boy bed, and new bedding...but that is at the bottom of our looooong list of needs and wants. So, I just decided to go ahead and take pictures of him and his current big boy bed today, to document it- even though we're just temporarily borrowing one of my mom's beds (since they obviously aren't using it in Chile haha).

These are the 5 things he has to sleep with every night.

I was browsing through old pictures of Kyler this week and found this picture of when he was 12 months old wearing the same PJ's that he wore today!

The PJ's were a little big on him back then. I also realized that his room was blue back then (just like now), and he has the same letters hanging on his wall (we've moved several times since then).

He's been sleeping great in his big boy bed! I have proof. I took the picture below during nap time a few days ago...doesn't that slumbering boy look huge?!

A few facts about Kyler lately:

-His favorite food is pizza.

-He is scared of thunder.

-He loves to say the phrases "Oh no, it's stuck!" - "Hold on tight!"- "Yo ho let's go!" - "Aww Man!" 

-Terrorizing our dog, Bauer, is one of his favorite games to play.

-He loves "helping" me with laundry, dishes, dusting, and his favorite...vacuuming the wood floors.

-He has been potty trained for several months, and never has accidents. The other day Kyler watched me make him a PB&J sandwich. We have the easy squeezable jelly, and when I squirted the jelly onto the slice of bread it made a farting sound, and Kyler LAUGHED and pointed his little finger and said "Toots go on potty, jelly!"

 -Balloons are still his most favorite thing in the world.

-Lastly, Kyler LOVES to be tickled. Especially by Jared.

Terrified and hiding behind balloons during a thunderstorm...and tickles from daddy!

We sure do love this little boy!

Boy You so Sly

Ky has become quite the clever little guy. He knows how to get what he wants. He does this many ways, but two ways in-particular:

1) He says things so sweetly I can't help but give in. For example:

Me: "Kyler, go to your room. It's time to go to bed."
Kyler: "No thank you. Snuggle?"

*Next thing I know Kyler, Jared, and I are all snuggling under a tiny blanket in our room instead of Kyler sleeping in his own room. He knows that I love it when he says "no thank you" instead of "NO!" and that snuggling is my weakness.

2) He purposefully slurs his words, so that you have to clarify what he is saying and then he uses it against you like it's your own idea. For example:

Kyler: "aw gona pawk!"
Me: "You want to go to the park?"
Kyler: "Okay."

Kyler: "adama ice keem."
Me: "You want ice cream?"
Kyler: "Okay!"

*Next thing I know I'm pushing him on a swing when we should be grocery shopping and serving him ice cream before bed and I'm thinking: "Wait. What just happened. How did he do that?"

Another example:
Kyler: "balloon agaba en lawer shower."
Me: "You want me to put your balloon under the water like it's in the shower?"
Kyler: "Okay."

*Next thing I know I'm in the pool with my clothes on getting soaked just to give a balloon a "shower".

Thanks auntie Courtney for sending us so many cute pictures from this weekend!

I don't know how he does what he does, but this boy has me whipped!

Potty Training ...DONE

We did it! We potty trained our little boy. I am SO proud of him!

He had been showing signs of potty training readiness, so I researched a lot of different methods of potty training and customized them into my own...and it worked! Oh and he is 2 years, 5 months. Here is what we did:

Step 1. Bought all of the gear. 

We bought 2 packs of thick Gerber training pants (these are the ones pictured on the right...they come in a package with blue/stripes/and dog prints) We got these kind for the first few week of potty training. They are super absorbent and Ky never had pee running down his leg when he had an accident. The toddler boxer briefs pictured on the left are what he is starting to wear now. They are from Target and I think they are the cutest things everrrr!

We also bought gerber water proof pants to put on over his underwear when we went out in public for the first week of potty training. (I had a lot of places to be that week-as always). Luckily he has NEVER had an accident out in public though. Lucky right? Knock on wood.We also purchased the baby bjorn potty seat that you put directly onto the toilet. I am SO happy with it. I would definitely recommend this seat for potty training little boys. It has an integrated splash guard (no pinching or leaking) it is easy to clean and small and light weight. We also bought Kyler a potty book ('Chugga Chugga Poo Poo' haha it's a cute book) and of course we also bought potty treats and flush-able wipes. I think that's all. It sounds like a lot, but really it's nothing compared to the price of diapers!

Step 2. We explained to him what was happening.
 I told him diapers (he calls them "diaper bum bums" haha) are all gone and showed him where they used to be. He agreed that they were all gone and when I took the diaper off that he was wearing he threw it away and I said "last diaper is gone!" ...and he repeated. I put his underwear on and told him "no more diapers- you get to wear underwear and be a big boy and use the potty!"

Kyler the proceeded to say "Noooo!" and "underwear stuck!" I guess he didn't like the feeling at first, but he got used to it quickly- ESPECIALLY when I told him that if he goes pee or poop in the toilet he could have a piece of candy. That switched his attitude right around. He got really excited and wanted to try immediately. The first time I put him on the toilet nothing happened. It took several trips (every 20 min) before he finally went.

Step 3. We had to be consistent. 
The first  few days of potty training I set the timer and put him on the toilet every 30 minutes. He only got a piece of candy if he went. When we had to leave the house to run errands I put his potty seat and a change of clothes (just in case he had an accident while we were out)  in a back pack and took it everywhere we went.

Now I don't need to bring the potty seat with me, but it really helped for the first 2 weeks to make everything normal and consistent for him. Also now I only take him on the potty every 1-2 hours because I know he can hold it longer. He is also starting to tell me when he needs to go which is nice in case I forget how long its been since he last went. We still put a pull-up on him for naps and bedtime, but they are always dry when he wakes up- he holds it until I get him out of his room and take him to the bathroom which is really nice!

Day 1 of potty training was about 50/50. Half accidents, half made it in the potty. (I didn't bother putting pants on him)
Day 2 of potty training he only had two accidents.
Day 3 of potty training-one accident.

We are now on week THREE of potty training and he hasn't had an accident since the first week! We got it down! We are so proud of Kyler.

 Here is our potty trained boy- 2.5 years old!

He is so proud of himself. He seriously tells EVERYONE he is wearing underwear. It's his favorite word, and he actually pronounces it crystal clear (seems like a hard word for a 2 year old to pronounce right?). The other day he walked up to a few cute 5 year old girls on the playground and declared "I gots UNDERWEAR!" The girls giggled and ran away. I'm writing this on the blog to embarrass future Kyler :D

Also, if it wouldn't be too much trouble...could you "join this site" ...I would REALLY appreciate it! Thank you so much!

Does He Understand?

  Kyler watched Finding Nemo this week. It was the third Disney movie he has sat through from start to finish! I get excited about things like this, because it's a rare thing for him to do- he typically prefers to play.  Anyways, after Nemo's mom got eaten by the shark,  Kyler turned to me and asked "Where'd she go?" I ignored him hoping he'd forget. How in the world was I supposed to explain a topic like death to my two year old? buuuut...Kyler was persistent. He planted his toddler hands on my cheeks and bore his eyes deep into my soul and repeated his question. After I told him that she had died, he said "Oh yeah. All gone" then kept watching without a flicker of emotion. I was surprised that he assumed death meant "all gone" and wondered if he knew how long that meant, and why he didn't show any emotion. This got my Child Development nerdiness and curiosity going and I began researching children's understanding of death. From what I found, toddlers understand that "dying" means to go away, but they do not understand the concept of how long until they are about 5-6 years old. Toddlers tend to react to death however they see their caretaker reacting. They sense emotions, and can tell when someone is upset.

Even though Kyler is still really young, and hasn't ever had a pet or person he knows die. It's still good to know what I should be teaching him about death at each stage of development. It is so important to be honest with kids, and to create an atmosphere of openness where they feel like they can talk to you and ask questions! If you are interested, here are a few of the links I visited on the topic:

Young children's understanding of death

Explaining death in child's terms

How children perceive death at different stages 

Toddler Bed

A few weeks ago, when Kyler discovered how to climb out of his crib, we converted his crib into a TODDLER bed.  The transition went a lot more smoothly than I thought it would!  I didn't want to make the transition until he was two years old, but hey, he will be two in a few months, and like Jared said-He was ready.  Here is his new big boy bed:

His room looks a little bare right now, because I moved most of his toys to the (hopefully) soon to be pre-school room!  I'm in planning mode right now, and if everything works out the way it's supposed to, I will have my preschool up and running by this fall.  SUPER exciting, as it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time.

I made these little silhouette pictures for over Kyler's bed this week. The frames were $1.50 each from Ikea, and the paper was practically free. I think they turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. haha 

In addition to Kyler transitioning to a big boy bed, he has also been growing big boy teeth this week. He now has 2 1/2 molars! I can't believe how fast they are coming in.

19 months!

This little boy turned 19 months old today!

We love him so much!  The newest thing about this little guy, is his vocabulary exploded this last month. I stopped counting the number of words he can say, because he learns several new words everyday. Yay! Proud mom and dad in this house :)  

Last week, Kyler woke up from his nap and was talking to himself in his crib. I cracked open the door to listen to him, but as soon as he saw me, he laid down and pretended to sleep. LOL He has been doing this fake snoring thing lately, it cracks me up.

He is so curious about life, and it is fun watching things "click" for him.We have been doing a lot of swimming lately. I got Kyler's old blowup pool out, and he has loved that.  He kept looking at the flowers and saying "FLOWUH!!" Then he would rip it off its' stem and throw it in the pool. He did this about 500393299 times. Such a boy.

We are getting a lawnmower today, and getting rid of the weeds, so this was the last time he got to play that game.

We also went to my parent's big neighborhood pool this week too. It has a splash park for little kids... it was quite the adventure for Ky.

We are looking forward to celebrating Father's Day tomorrow! 

Today You Are....

Today I would like to share with you, friends and family, what I posted on Kyler's blog today. (the blog that Jared and I write letters to him on. We'll let Kyler read it...I dunno when he graduates or gets married or something haha)  Anyways, because most of you are so far away... Here is what he is like lately:

Dear Kyler,

Today you are 15 months! You are magic, growing up before my eyes.

Today you weigh 23 lbs. You are a tiny little dough boy.

Today you are full of giggles, especially when you see your daddy. You love to be tickled!

Today you have crazy hair. It is thick and coarse as can be.

Today you are a mama's boy. If anyone picks you up, you kindly reach back for your mama, and I love it.

Today you are walking like a pro. You like to kick balls around like you are playing soccer.

Today you love fruit and eggs the most, and graciously throw Bauer anything else.

 Today you ride in the car with several 13 year old girls a few times a week. You like to flirt with them, and occasionally cry when they get too loud. (I hope this still isn't the case 13 years from now)

Today you are learning many new words, and are trying to copy everything we say. It is as cute as can be!

Today you have a crazy smile with only two bottom teeth.

Today you are a binky-lovin' boy!

Today you have one chunky thigh roll on each leg, and I can't eat them enough.

Today you make everyone smile...in the store and everywhere we go.

Today, Kyler, you are the highlight of my day.

Love, Mom

Kyler's FIRST birthday!!

Today was Kyler's FIRST birthday!!!  We cannot believe a whole year has already gone by. He has brought us SO much joy, laughter, and love into our lives. We were just looking at his newborn pictures and its crazy seeing how much he has changed, since then. 

We kept his birthday simple. We picked out a present, and then celebrated with just us and a cupcake :)
s

Happy Birthday Kyler!

Baby Hands Constantly Moving

Kyler is 9 months old today! Has he really been ours for 9 whole months?

Just a few facts about this little boy lately:

-He LOVES to make messes. He will take all of his toys out of the box and spread them around the room, and then he won't even play with them. He likes to play with things that aren't really toys, like my phone.
-ANYTHING he gets ahold of goes instantly into his mouth. This kid loves to eat! I guess that one is pretty apparent... lol  but he surprisingly still doesn't have any teeth!

-His new favorite word is Dada (doesn't know what it means yet) but still loves to say it!
-When Kyler is really excited, his hands will wiggle non stop! It's really cute. Jared did the same thing with his hands when he was a baby too.

NO bugs!

Last night, Kyler had green beans and strawberries for dinner

.....mmmmmmmmmm......

  Food always tastes better when it's messy!

Last weekend we went camping! 

I did have Kyler all bundled up asleep next to me at the beginning of the camp out, but then he kept waking up because it was too cold! Long story short... he ended up sleeping next to me in MY sleeping bag, which meant I couldn't sleep because:

                                  A. I was too paranoid that I would roll over in my sleep and crush him

                            B. He likes to sleep with his arms stretched out, and he took up all of the room >:(

BUT besides the fact that it was freezing, camping was fun!

Jared built a fire, and it was fab.  We played games, ate good food, talked to old friends, met new friends, went swimming in the hot springs, and stayed up late talking by the campfire. BUT the best part was... I didn't see a single bug! Now that's my kind of camping! :p

My Little Monster

After a long absence... I finally took a picture today!  Nothing like a freshly bathed baby :)

Kyler-4 months

Tickled and Giggled

While Jared got Ky to laugh first, Schramma got some pretty cute giggles out of him today!  She was trying to get him to smile at her, and then out of nowhere he let out the cutest laugh! Looks like we have a very ticklish boy on our hands.

This week

 Kyler had his first bath this week!

 He pretty much cried through the whole thing.

 Who knew it was so hard to bath a newborn?

 Schramma and Schrampa came to visit!

So did Ben and Meredith, and Kyler's cuzies Charley and Gabby!

We also took TONS of pictures of our sweet little boy. Here he is styling the hat, booties and blanket that granny knit for him.