Bye, Bye Binky

There are so many parenting philosophies out there, many of which include opinions on pacifiers.  When I was in the hospital after giving birth to Kyler, the nurses gave me the option of offering him a binky.   Kyler was such a sucker (ha, ha...he actually came out chomping his lips) that it was pretty much a no-brainer.  I didn't want to become his personal pacifier.  When he was 18 months, we decided to "cut him off".  Pun intended...we took his binky and punctured a hole in the end so it lost it's appeal.  Then each day I would cut off a sliver of it so that it increasingly got smaller and undesirable.  It worked; one day while I was tucking Kyler in for a nap, he took it out and threw it on the floor! Then I asked him if we should throw it away and he said yes.  But as I have mentioned in previous posts, Kyler and Blake are very different.  We are trying to cut Blake off cold turkey, and it is proving to be difficult.  Last night I went into his room and took out the pacifier that he was using as well as the extra one sitting on the dresser and made them disappear into thin air (yes, I am a magician too).  At 5:30 this morning he woke up asking for it.  We looked EVERYWHERE for them.  We even pulled the covers all the way off of the bed to make sure that it didn't get pushed down.  Surprise, surprise, we couldn't find them anywhere!  I was able to calm him down enough to where he slept for one more hour.  However, now it is nap time and we are struggling!  We have now spent 45 minutes playing the same game.  Blake gets up, we bring him back to his room and get him comfortable only for him to come out 5 minutes later.  Hopefully our perseverance will pay off.  If not, there is a plan B...cut the binky!

Kyler with a binky in his mouth and stealing one from his cousin, Madi.

Blake getting soothed in between posed photos of his newborn shoot.

How old are you, Blake?

When you ask this question of Blake, he shouts excitedly, "Free!"
About a month before his birthday we started practicing saying, "Two!"  He got really good at it and everything was, "TWO!"
"Blake, how many eyes do you you have?"
"TWO!"
"How many legs do you have?"
"TWO!"
"How many hands do you have?"
"TWO"
"Blake, how old are you?"
"TWO!"
Then just a couple of days before his birthday, we were practicing and I asked, "Blake, how old are you?"
"FREE!"
Darn it...all that practicing and he changed his mind!  That's our Blake for you!  He is very much a second child and will definitely keep us on our toes!  With all of that said, we are so very happy to have him in our lives.  If both of our children were the same, life would get pretty dull.  Blake is very unpredictable, but that is the spice of life!

Blake fits the mold of a typical two-year old boy!  He is talking up a storm, sometimes incomprehensible, but fun to watch.  (When I became a mother, I became even more intrigued with the whole teaching/learning process and am astounded by language development.)  Here are a few of his favorite things (in no particular order):
His older brother, Ky-eee (Kyler)
Elmo
Asian Rice Crackers
Sweets of ANY kind
Momma
Daddy
Ooof-eee (Lucy)
Spidey (Spiderman)
Bathtime
The color blue (just like with the number two, then three...everytime you ask him what color something is, his response is, "BLUE!"

We celebrated Blake's SECOND birthday a day later than schedule due to the unpredictability of Springtime weather in Colorado.  We still had good food, good company, and a great time!

Happy Birthday, Blake James!  We LOVE you!

Saturday, SnOw DaY!

Today we were SUPPOSED to celebrate Blake's SECOND Birthday (Yeah, I can't believe he is turning TWO either), however, a blizzard kind of got in the way.  Literally.  The major interstates were closed down due to major accidents and road condition preventing many of our party guests from coming.  So, we played in the snow instead.  One of my boys absolutely LOVES the snow...

...and one of them does not!

Can you guess which is which?  

Bloggy Blog, where have you been?

I know it has been too terribly long since I have updated this blog, but I'm BACK!

BIG Boys

We made our annual trip in to see Dr. Ripley today.  The boys are both thriving and doing exceptionally well for their age groups.  I'm a little bias, but I think that my boys are the most handsome, strongest, and most intelligent boys that I have EVER met.  I am so proud to be their mother!

Mr. Blake James is so curious, loving, stubborn, and so darn cute (with those blue eyes and bleach-blond hair)!  He is saying a few words which include: "Da-da, ba (ball), ouf-ouf (dog)".  He knows many signs such as: more, please, thank-you, dog, water, and milk.  Even though he can't communicate everything, he takes in a TON and comprehends very well.  He is walking, running, dancing, and climbing ALL of the time. In terms of his growth, he falls into the 38th percentile for weight and 62nd for height.  Blake LOVES his older brother and imitates him frequently. He is a joy (most of the time)!

Kyler Allan is so inquisitive, caring, mild-mannered and smart.  He is constantly asking what certain words mean and how things work.  He recognizes many letters and numbers only confusing a few (b,d,p and 6,9).  He is working on his letter names and number sense.  Writing is a struggle for him.  Kyler is starting to really get into sports; he has taken a particular interest in the Summer Olympics. In terms of his growth, he falls into the 88th percentile for weight and 97th for height. The feelings that Blake has for him are very mutual; Kyler is a phenomenal older brother.  We are thankful for Kyler!

I am very thankful for the summertime because it is a time in which I can reconnect with my family and really get to know these amazing young men that I am fortunate enough to call mine!  I wouldn't have it any other way!

Kylertown

On our way home from New York, we stumbled across KYLERTOWN, PA!  So fun!

Rebel Ridge

WOW!  We just got back from our THREE-WEEK long vacation!  It was GREAT, however there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed!  This was the first summer in seven years that Josh and I didn't commit to anything, so we decided to spend some quality family time together.  Quality family time is what we got since we decided to DRIVE across the country!   All the way from Colorado to New York.

For Kyler's sake, at every state line we would announce the name of the state we had just entered, then review what state we were just in and what state we live in.  When we crossed the border into New York we did the same, and Kyler's response was:  "Where's the Statue of Liberty?"  So cute!

We were headed into Jefferson, NY.  My parents have a self-sufficient cabin on 25 acres of land just north of the Catskill Mountains.

We...

...played in the tree house!

...took four-wheeler rides!

..."marshed mallows" and enjoyed s'mores!

...drove the skidster!

Showered outside!

...devoured ice cream from Mac-a-doodles!

...took more rides on the four-wheeler!

...did LOTS of yard work (including-but not limited to: collected kindling -shown here, posted posted signs, moved rock, filled wood racks, stocked the bird feeders, moved the cinder block stove, multched the garden, used my wood shop skills to craft a sign, and much more)!

...conquered fears on the ropes course at Howe Caverns!

...zip-lined at Howe Caverns.

...learned about stalagmites and stalactites.

...shot guns.

...visited the Farmer's Museum.

...milked a cow!

...watched money grow on trees!

...went fishing.

...napped in hammocks!

...partook in drinking adult beverages (take note of the "Redneck wine glass)!

...LOVED spending quality time together!

We also saw TONS of wildlife including:  bats, frogs, salamanders, porcupines, wild turkeys, woodchucks, deer, bunnies, and lots of chipmunks!

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on "The Hill"!  We can't wait to go back next summer!

Fantastic Four!

I just can't believe that Kyler is FOUR already.  He is such a BOY - no longer a baby.  Kyler is such a pleasure to be around.  He has such a caring, conservative, and inquisitive personality.  He astounds me each and every day with the MANY things he can do.  Not to mention, he is pretty darn handsome and has a smile that can melt your heart!  It is hard to believe that four years ago he was just a little baby.  He now stands a whopping 44 inches and weighs 42 pounds.  I'm pretty sure he is already larger than some of the kindergarteners that attend my school. 

I asked Kyler to share with me the ten things that he likes the most (in no particular order since four-year-olds don't really get the concept of ranking things):

1.  Super Heros

2.  Legos

3.  Strawberries

4.  His brother, Blake (they ARE besties)

5.  Carrots

6.  The color red

7.  His sandbox

8.  Daddy & Mommy (equally)

9.  Cheese & crackers

10.  Playing on the tablet

And when he grows up, Kyler wants to be a fire-fighting cowboy that rides a motorcycle!  I'd be ok with that!

Happy FOURTH Birthday, Kyler!  We are so very thankful to have you in our lives!