Spring 2018: Everyday Cuteness

Here's my sweet Tyler wearing daddy's shorts and making his own bowling game out of cups

For his preschool homework Tyler was asked to draw an animal that he loves and what he'd like to be when he grows up. He drew a red tiger and himself being a missionary. He said "sister wants to be a missionary too" and drew her next to him.

Someone missed her kitty while we were in Utah, and considering how well Nibbler put up with this, he missed her too. Both Nibbler and Fry have been even more tolerant of Allison and her very physical love ever since we got home. At least they have their safe spot downstairs, which Allison can't get to, no matter how hard she tries.

 Allison shaking her sillies out at storytime and smiling in her high chair

Here are some of Tyler's random projects and creations. He's branched out to more than just what can fit on a table. I gave Tyler this old Disney hat to make into a project, but he just put it on my head instead and asked for a picture.

We chaperoned and danced the night away at Mormon Prom! We reunited with Ria, our babysitter who'd moved up to Marysville, only a few miles away from Arlington where the Prom was held. This was also the same building where I sang for the Arlington Nativity Festival in December.

Oscar got to have a brothers' reunion with the two youngest brothers from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Warren, who played Simeon, was also there as a chaperone.

Here's me learning a new line dance. Oscar's got some great moves from his college dance class days, so we taught "the octopus" to a group of kids, and before we left they were teaching it to several other kids.

Here are the kids having fun in the yard and Allison trying to go through the kitty door yet again. It's just so cute when she tries to go down and then says "I'm stuck."

Here's Oscar and Allison waving bye bye to Tyler and I while we were waiting for his bus. Oscar's not usually home at that time, but he took the day off so I could work for administrative professionals day. We had some frosting that was getting old and needed to be eaten, so I told the kids that they could have some graham crackers with frosting for a treat. Oscar hadn't realized there was the old frosting in the fridge and ended up opening another can, so now we had tons of extra frosting. Doh!

In the Spring I realized that Allison was quickly growing out of all her 2T/24 Month stuff. She was always so short (18 inches at birth and remained in the lower percentiles for a long time), so I never thought she'd be too tall. Now she's definitely in the upper half.

The kids like pretending to sleep with daddy in Allison's bed.

Proud mommy moment: In this picture Tyler is eating carrots and celery dipped in a high protein homemade yogurt sauce that I stuffed full of cucumbers. He asked for it himself because he sees me eating it regularly, and because the YMCA introduced us to it at Healthy Kids' Day.

Less proud mommy moment: While we were eating healthy, Allison was eating goldfish and chocolate milk...

Allison is starting to behave better at preschool storytime. Sometimes she's still challenging, but other times she'll actually settle down and listen to the book being read. 

Cute kiddos making daddy some birthday treats while I was working the Mother's Day period. Poor Oscar couldn't even eat much of his treats now that he's committed to some serious weight loss through the app Healthy Wage, but he was sweet enough to let them make and eat the cupcakes for him.

They definitely had fun!

I got to keep a small arrangement the day before Mother's Day, which the kids are eating here. Oscar had taken them to Home Depot earlier that day.

Cute girl practicing how to bear her testimony in primary. Here on the left is Tyler's Mother's Day card to me, which he made entirely on his own (with just some spelling help from daddy). I can't believe he cut out and made his own flower! I kept it up in my room for weeks!

Tyler also made a project out of this Amazon box, which Fry then used as a bed.

We had a few warm, summery day, so the kids had fun jumping around in the wading pool and swinging from the new rope Oscar put up in the backyard.

Cute kiddos piggybacking with daddy! Allison likes taking selfies!

When he wasn't bonding with Allison over screen time, Tyler helped Oscar build a backyard swing.

In the meantime, Oscar and I laughed at my funny peeling nail polish. It looked just like some sort of sports team mascot.

For Tyler's birthday he asked and prayed daily for a new Elmo. I was lucky enough to find him an Elmo chair, an Elmo Loves You doll, and an Elmo stuffy, all for free or super cheap. He and Allison came down the stairs in their little capes excited to see his new gifts.

 We held his birthday party at Silver Lake park. Allison was just adorable on the playground and in the lake. Grayson, his primary buddy, tagged along while his mom was running her kids around to their extra curricular activities. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I was just so busy trying to keep track of the kids and doing all the prep work.

Here are Tyler's cakes. Allison destroyed the Elmo cake, but at least the Lilo and Stitch one stayed intact. He'd recently started watching Lilo and Stitch the series, so I found some figurines on Amazon and ordered a blue and white cake to represent the ocean.

Here's Tyler opening presents, like Zoobs, Mickey bowling, and train tracks.

My little girl had taken a dip in the lake and was super shivery while eating her cake in the shaded pavilion. After the food and festivities were over, Tyler and Allison played with Samantha in the lake and wore themselves out. It was so adorable I can't believe I didn't take any pictures!

She was much happier once I changed her outfit, though I really had to fight to prevent her from going back in the lake in her new clothes. She's such a water baby!

The kids zonked out big time that evening. 

Allison loves her new swing and getting mommy and daddy cuddles in the morning!

In other news, I successfully made peanut sauce for the first time ever.

The first thing the kids said upon waking me up one morning.

Tyler: how do you spell semi-circle and advertisement?
Allison: I like dinosaurs.

The kids got right to work playing with all the new fun toys. They also had fun with all the extra balloons.

That weekened they got to go to a friend's birthday party and enjoyed hitting a pinata.

 They'd also rented a bounce house.

All patriotic for Memorial Day! Allison looks so cute in this dress!

Here's Oscar doing child push ups

child pull ups,

and "Ty"cep dips!

He thought he was done, but then he finished up with child lunges and double child lunges

And then, of course, he had to do his stretches

 Swinging!

Some pics from when we saw a "double rainbow all the way across the sky."

Allison singing her cute songs and running around before and after my Refit class.

In these two pictures Allison requested and ate cereal with milk. She's never done that before or since this occured. Usually she wants her cereal dry with a cup of chocolate milk.

Toward the end of May Tyler came down with impetigo, an infection that causes sores to break out. At first I though he'd just picked some scabs, as is super common for him, but I took him to the doctor and got him on antibiotics when I noticed they were spreading into places I didn't think he could have picked at. 2 days after he got on antibiotics, I came down with strep throat. Apparently impetigo and strep throat both come from the Streptocaucus A bacteria. Who knew I could catch strep throat from my son's sores!

Ty's cute primary spotlight, the gingerbread man he kept putting in the freezer, and making a potty out of zoobs and pretending to poop in it. These pics on the side were his taking accidental selfies while trying to figure out my phone.

Silly Tyler quotes 

"I don't like ponies! I only like boy unicorns." - Tyler

"I'm getting hungry for medicine!"

Sweet Allison wearing mama's shoes and Tyler's shoes. One time she found the sunblock and called it "sun rash cream."

Exercising with the kiddos!

Sweet little reader!

Allison sleeping on kitty. She took her blanket up there and said "I'm sleeping on the changing table with kitty" before I started videoing. I tried getting her to say it again for the video, but it didn't quite work. Oh well. Her little voice and mannerisms are still adorable.

Kiddos playing with Fry, their robot, and Kinetic sand. It's nice that Allison is old enough to do this now, but it still requires a LOT of supervision.

I like this new habit Allison's taken up of reading herself to sleep. Since it's still pretty light in her room at bedtime, she'll go sit on a princess chair Oscar picked up at Goodwill and read until she's too tired before hopping back in bed. I LOVE it!

You may have noticed Tyler's head scab while scanning this blog. I have absolutely no idea how he got it. As you can see from the first picture, it was barely noticeable until he wouldn't stop picking at it. Here's how it evolved until it finally started healing in the far right picture. He still has the starshaped scar. Hopefully it fades someday.