What are those kids up to???

OK, I was guilted into creating a new post - FINALLY!! When I realized that it has been over 5 months since we have blogged, I thought that people might give up on caring about what goes on in our family, so here's the big update...

Christmas has come and gone, and all that is left is the fighting over the toys (just kidding - the

kids are really sweet about sharing... about 20% of the time). Kaylee and Tyler got a truck-load of toys this year, so many that I forgot to lay them all out in the morning, and had to go scrounging under the bed in the afternoon when I realized that a particular present hadn't been opened. Now, the kids are busy making up all kinds of new stories involving the new toys, and mom is busy trying to find the floor underneath all the toys.

This year, we tried something to make Christmas morning a little easier for mom and dad - we pre-opened the kids toys before we wrapped them. It seems that toy-makers these days are securing these toys as if they are securing gold. We had to use screwdrivers, scissors, knives and wire-cutters just to get some plastic toys loose from their boxes!! Incredible. But since Ray and I pre-opened some of the presents, it was a lot more do-able, and the mess of wrapping paper and packing material was not as great as the mess of new toys!!

Mom and Dad had a great Christmas too - mostly from watching the kids enjoy everything, but we got some much needed and wanted items as well. :)

Here's an overall update for the kids, since some of you haven't heard from us in a while. Kaylee is potty-trained!!!!!!!!! She is still working on the reward system, though, and is saving up her dimes to go shopping. This is very exciting to her, so mom thinks "whatever gets the job done!" Kaylee is very imaginitve in her play, and likes for Ray and I to make up stories, starring Princess Kaylee of course.

I have kind of ignored anything "princess-ey" with Kaylee, hoping to delay the pink revolution, and let her enjoy toys and activities that might be pidgeon-holed as "boys" things, but the time has come where Kaylee has decided for herself that dollies, princesses and pink are all very good things. We were stepping back and looking at her Christmas haul, and Ray noticed that a great majority of her new things are pink. Fun, fun. But Kaylee still enjoys playing in the mud, and running around with Tyler's trucks and diggers, so it's all good.

Tyler is definitely a boy, and he's definitely two!!! He has quite a temper, and can be very destructive. Sometimes the things he does make me upset, but even then, I have to fight not to laugh, or run to get the camera (which I do quite a lot). He is definitely into playing it up for attention. He will pout or cry, and if I don't run to him, he will inch his way closer to me, and keep up the act (either crying or deep sighs and "hmpphs") until either I acknowledge him and pick him up or offer comfort, or until something else gets his attention. Even then, sometimes he will try to hold onto the grudge, by turning away, but I can peek around the corner and see him trying not to smile.

Ty is definitely a mamma's boy, and I love it! I eat it up and hope that the day is far far away that he decides mom isn't cool. He is learing how to talk and is getting better every day. Kaylee is a good big sister, and tries to teach Tyler new things to say, but she gets frustrated when he doesn't get it right away.

We are plugging away as a family, and I am thankful for today, and excited to see what the future holds for all of us. I can't promise that my posts will be more frequent, but then again, if you want to know what's going on with us, pick up the phone, or send me a good old-fashioned e-mail!!! We love you all and wish you happy holidays, and a wonderful new year.

These are all pictures of Tyler's birthday - I made the cake for him, and Kaylee liked it as much as Tyler did (score for mommy!). Tyler got the "bad guy" helmet from daddy and it was an instant hit. He knows who wears those helmets in Star Wars (which he and Kaylee watch with daddy), and so he calls the helmet his "bad guy" and he gets his light saber, called a "hit" and starts acting like a bad guy. This was great fun for everyone, and we play that game together as a family on a daily basis!! In that huge helmet, Tyler looked more like a bobble head than a storm trooper though :). The last picture is of Kaylee and her creation. Tyler got these building blocks for his birthday from Grandpa W., and Kaylee plays with them more than Ty does. She made this guy all by herself, and ran to show it to me. She was so proud to pose for a picture with him! Great job, Kay!!!

Ray is a childrens' book author!

Check out the link on the right - Ray wrote a book just for Tyler, illustrations and all! He is currently working on one for Kaylee, and we'll post it here when it's done.

Back at last

We're back! Well, lots of stuff has happened since last time - nothing major, but just fun kids-growing-up stuff. Kaylee got a swingset from Uncle Joe when he and Grandpa Weisser came down to visit. Whenever I ask Kaylee who gave it to her, she always says "Uncle Joe... He's a really special guy!" It always makes me laugh to hear my own words repeated back to me in a little kid voice. They really do listen to everything I say. Now if I could only get her to DO what I say! She loves her Grandpa, and whenever she gets in trouble, or I won't let her do something she wants to do, she always says "I want my grandpa with the black shirt". (He wore a black shirt when he came to visit, so that's how she remembers him). Grandpa gets a kick out of that one.

Kaylee is taking after her dad in that she likes to make up songs. The other day I was giving her a bath, and she asked if we could sing the "Una song". I, having never hear it, said "you start", so she proceeded to sing "una una song song song" to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star, and she sang it all the way through like that. I assumed that it was a silly song Ray had taught her, but when I told him about it, he said he had never heard of it either.

Tyler continues to amaze me with his happy-go-lucky nature. When something goes wrong, he lets me know, but there are only a few things that set him off, and otherwise, he is just happy to be around. He's growing like a weed - some of the clothes he wears also fit Kaylee. He loves to read books, and be in charge of turning pages. He loves animals, and likes to go to the zoo. He likes so many animals, I can't tell which one is his favorite.

He likes to talk on the phone, and is getting the idea that he has to say something, and not just stand there and smile. When he's done "talking" he always says "love you, bye", and it's so cute!
We recently took our kids to the pool to swim, and Tyler must have thought he was a dolphin. We hadn't bought any flotation devices for them, so each of us took a kid, and played with them. We had to trade off with Tyler because he was wrestling like crazy for us to just let go of him, He would grab my hand and push it away, and then try to swim, while I held on tight with the other hand. He just had a blast, and was completely tuckered out and exhausted by the time we left.

We just had to wipe our computer clean and start over, so I don't have any pictures to show you right now, but next time - I promise!

2nd Blog Ever! Ok, I'll stop counting them next time. Well, it looks like once a month is about right. Not much has happened in the last month, except the kids have grown, gotten cuter, and presented us with new parenting challenges! Kaylee is now trying to give up naps, or at least stagger them with Tyler so mom has at least one kid up all day long! I miss my nap breaks! She is very smart though, and is always learning new things - she likes to memorize her books now so she can "read" them to me, and she does a pretty good job of it too. She has finally started to show interest in potty training and has had one successful attempt so far, so we are holding our breath for the big day when we only have one kid in diapers.

Tyler is wanting to talk so bad. He communicates very well though, whether with his limited words, or other ways to let us know what he wants. He says "yeah" and "no" a lot, and knows where all the stuff he wants is, so he can show us what he's grunting about. He loves wearing shoes, and sometimes cries when I have to take them off. He is still a very good napper, and is starting to be able to hold his own (defend himself) with his sister. One of these days we are going to let him have at her, just to make up for all the pushes, tackles, head hits, and toy stealing, once he gets a little bigger!

That's it for now, see you next month!

First Blog ever!

Well folks, we have finally arrived in the electronic age! We are going to try this blog to keep all our family and friends updated as to what's "up" with us. The kids are asleep (or getting to sleep), and Ray and I are doing all the things the kids don't allow us to do during the day, so here I am at the computer.

Kaylee is 3 1/2 months away from being 3 years old. She is very smart and very curious. Her favorite things to do are 1. Play outside, 2. Help mom cook and bake, 3. Do crafts - coloring, painting, playdoh, 4. Wrestle on the floor with mom, dad, and Tyler. She is doing pre-school one day a week with a friend of hers from church, and she really likes to learn new things. She loves books and has a quick memory. I read her a really simple book once, and then gave it to her - she turned the pages and said exactly what was written on the page! I try to encourage her learning any way I can because it's so fun at this age to learn new things. Kaylee loves her brother, but is taking some time to learn how to be nice to him. She is very sweet and considerate of feelings - she always asks "are you ok?" if I sneeze, cough, or just sigh really loud.

Tyler is 16 months old, and is in the very cute new toddler stage. He has just learned how to walk, so he is still a little wobbly. He gets very excited when he sees his mom or day, and he claps his hands and walks over to us. He laughs very easily, and only cries when he is really hurt, or really tired. His favorite things are 1. Playing outside (he cries when we have to go back inside) - especially swinging on the swings, 2. Eating apples, crackers, hot dogs and yogurt - one of his first words was "apple", 3. Wrestling on the floor with mom, dad and Kaylee, 4. Bathtime! Tyler is saying several words, although not very clearly. and he loves putting his shoes on. He catches on really quick to how things are done, and knows to sit down and hold up his foot to get his shoes on. He feels like a big boy when he wears his shoes. One of our favorite things that Tyler says is "me". When we say "Who wants an apple/cracker/juice/etc." he chimes in with an enthusiastic "me!!"

Well, that's it for now, but I'v included a couple of pictures too so you can see how the kids are growing. Kaylee has Ray's curly hair, and Tyler's is straight so far, but it is still fairly short.