Big Boy Bed!!!

We took the side rail off of Tyler's crib yesterday and he spend his first night in his Toddler Day Bed. He did very well, slept all night and was still in his bed when I went in to get him this morning! I am so proud of him, not to mention that I worried about him falling out all night long. He also took his nap today and did fine. I'm not sure he understands that he can get down on his own, but that might be a good thing. He is growing up so fast and it is fun to see all the changes, but also a little sad that he is growing up so fast. Hopefully he will continue to have successful naps and nights in this new (but old) big boy bed!!!

Arizona Children's Museum

Today we visited the Children's Museum in Downtown Phoenix. Tyler had a fabulous time playing and exploring all the wonderful exhibits. One of his favorite exhibits were the race cars. Daddy showed him once how to put the race cars in the box and then release the lever to start them off, and that was all it took. He did the rest on his own, over and over and over and....... Needless to say, we spent a lot of time there. He also enjoyed the room with all the balls and mazes. We could have spent the whole day there. We will definitely be going back to explore the things we didn't have time for today.

Visit to the Gilbert Fire Station

Today Tyler and I visited the Gilbert Fire Department with our mom's group. We got a tour of the facilities and saw how the firefighters eat, sleep and spend their free time. We even saw how they slide down the pole or the slide when it is time to go to a fire. The best part though were the big fire trucks. Tyler got to climb up in the trucks and even practice a little driving. That was his favorite part, in fact, he didn't want to leave the truck. We also watched the fireman put on all his gear and take photos with the kids. Tyler didn't have his photo taken because he didn't want to get that close to the guy in his gear. After the tour we headed over to a nearby mall for a little play time and some lunch. A very busy morning which lead to a long nap.

Jump and Shout Play Center

Today we visited the Jump and Shout Playcenter with the East Valley Hip Mamas group. Tyler had a blast climbing, jumping and sliding. This is an awesome new playcenter in the Mesa Riverview Plaza. Tyler played so hard that he took a 3 hour nap later that afternoon. Tyler's favorite part of the playcenter was the racing game in the lobby- go figure...

Visit from Gramma & RaRa

Tyler's Gramma and Great-Gramma (aka RaRa) came for a visit over the weekend. We had a fun filled and busy weekend. Tyler enjoyed playing on a new slide from Gramma. It made for hours and hours of sliding fun. Tyler also had his first try at making some cookies. We made cut out cookies with sprinkles. All was going well until we were out of cookies to sprinkle! Tyler just didn't understand why we had to put the sprinkles away. Although is was a quick visit, we had a wonderful time, and it will have to last us until our next visit in December.

While they were here, we took the opportunity to take a photo of all 4 generations.

20 months and growing

Tyler is now 20 months old and growing like weed. He is turning into such a handsome little man. He is a big help around the house. Some of his favorite jobs include unloading the dishwasher, doing the laundry, vacuuming, mopping and cleaning up after the dog. Yes, he is a little strange, but we find it very helpful. His vocabulary now includes car, truck, dog, door, bird, up, down, juice, and his favorite- all done!!

He and his cousin Colton are also becoming quite good friends!!

18 Months Old

Tyler is now 18 months old and we can't believe all the changes. He looks like such a big boy now. He had his first haircut on Aug. 19th. He looks so grown up now. We just enjoyed a visit with Gramma & PaPa who braved the heat to spend a week in Phoenix with us in July!! It was a busy week and there was lots to do.

We've now entered the phase of toddlerhood which brings it's own challenges. Just as Tyler has grown and learned new things, he has also developed an independent personality. He likes to do things on his own and is very insistant on things being picked up and put away. He does not hesitate to let daddy and me know when shoes need to be picked up or trash thrown away. We'll see if this behavior continues when it is time for him to clean his room..... We enjoy seeing him learn new things everyday. Some favorite words lately include: NO, all done, shoes, eyes, nose, something that resembles Sorin and of course repeating things you say when you don't expect it.