Tanner turns two

I have this blonde haired, blue eyed little guy. Someone once used this phrase to describe him and I think it fits perfectly: his halo holds up his horns…He has had 3 ER trips to date, and I am pretty sure that is just the tip of the iceberg. He also has the best laugh ever.
Okay, I can live with the cliches- I can’t believe my baby is two! Have the last two years really gone by that fast?? Sadly, yes and no. I am happy to say that with the big new number, Tanner has finally started using more words. Any parent of a toddler knows that the hardest part about parenting them is the lack of communication, therefore the lack of understanding of wants and desires. He is still not putting more than 2-word combinations together, but he is definitely using many more words than he was even a month ago.

We had his party a week early since Chris and his family were in town. This was the first birthday for either boy where all of their first cousins were there, in addition to all of the second cousins that live locally. It was just great to see all of the children playing (for the most part) harmoniously. In addition, it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon (not too hot and no rain), which is always a blessing in Houston.

We attempted to let Tanner unwrap presents on his terms, but he honestly was not interested in the presents AT ALL. All he cared about was the balloons, chasing the balloons, grabbing the balloons, and holding onto the balloons. We did finally pry him away from them for a few minutes when it came time for cake, but that was only because I promised him everyone was going to sing to him. He got the biggest grin on his face when we all sang (great picture Marianne!).
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From there, we let all the kiddos swim, which for the toddler set meant playing in an inflatable pool in the backyard and for the older ones going down to the community pool. I think all in all everyone had a good time

A real day at the beach

We kick started our summer with a very full Memorial Day weekend. When we have a long holiday weekend, I always worry that the boys will get bored or that I will go stir crazy. This weekend, neither of those things happened. On Saturday we had a birthday party to go to for one of the boys’ cousins (actually, second cousin). We all had a great time. They had one of those rent able bounce houses that the kids all have a ball in (the kind of things moms love because the little ones wear themselves out). Tyson was into it from the get go, but it took Tanner an hour or so to warm up to it. Of course, by the time we were ready to leave, both boys threw great big, loud tantrums, because they wanted to stay. Those are the times that being a parent can make you feel like a real ogre.

On Monday, Brian, my parents, the boys, and I all trekked down to Galveston for some sun and surf. We got off to a rough start because the first beach we went to had seaweed as far as the eye could see. We then drove down to the other end of the island and after much searching, we found a place to park. We actually spent almost an hour just driving and looking for a place to settle. Tyson stopped asking if we were there yet and just said we weren’t really going to the beach. Poor little guy...

Once we parked and unloaded all the chairs, table (yes, TABLE- my parents prepare for anything at the beach), towels, coolers, beach toys, 3 different types of sunscreen, and finally people, we got to relax. Tyson took to the water instantly. After 3 years of going to the beach, this is the first year it hasn’t taken him a while to acclimate. Tanner took a while longer to figure out if he liked it. Kind of like with the bounce house, once he decided he liked it, we couldn’t keep him out of it. He played in the sand some, played in the water some and did a lot of dog chasing. All of this was done in true Tanner fashion- with a ball in his hand.
Tyson got very bold with Brian and my dad. He kept wanting to go out deeper and deeper, much to my chagrin (yes, I am a true scardy cat when it comes to the water). He also had a ball playing on the wave board.




Depsite the dedication to the sunscreen, we all came away from the day at the beach with something of a sunburn. I got mine in some very bizarre place (under my arm?!?), Tyson’s was on his nose and Tanner’s was on his neck. This was yet another testament to how very different Tyson and Tanner are. Later, Tyson’s sunburn on the nose went on to peel and turn to more freckles. Tanner’s little neck sunburn just made his neck more tan.

Like I said, it was a good weekend. Also, it was nice seeing the flags flying high everywhere. It just goes to show, people remember what Memorial Day is all about. A lot of people have given their lives to protect the freedoms we all enjoy. Thank you to all of them.

Then came a real birthday (but on the wrong day)

We had Tyson’s “real” party at a place called Jumpin’ Wild. The name pretty much sums it up. It was a good experience overall. It was a little pricey, but worth it. Other than the 6 hours it took to do the Spiderman cake, there was very little effort required on my part. More on that later… The staff corralled the kiddos at the right time for pizza, cake, and presents, served everything and did the clean up. This was Tyson’s first birthday experience where we invited his friends (as opposed to my friends with children his age). Three of his school friends came and I know that made him feel so special. He got to play air hockey for the first time and I know he loved the physical gratification of smacking that puck around. It kind of makes me wonder if I am depriving him by not letting him throw more of his toys…

So yes, the cake took me a while to make. Six hours of blood, sweat and a few tears went into Spidey and his webs. This is the 3rd cake I have decorated this way and every time I have the debate with myself about whether it is really worth it. I spend about 30% more $$ on them than a store-bought cake and they are so time consuming. The thing is, my mom made them for me and my brother when we were young and I and always promised myself that I would do the same when I had children. I know I will do Tanner’s cake this year and by the time next year’s birthdays roll around I know I will have forgotten this little debate until I am halfway through with Tyson’s cake.

After all is said and done, my sweet boy is 4. This child who can light up any room and constantly amazes me with his insight, is moving farther and farther away from little boy and entirely too close to big boy. I can handle it, but I can't help but be a little sad.

A pretend birthday for Tyson

Tyson’s 4th birthday fell on a Monday this year, so we (his parents and grandparents) decided to do cake and presents the day prior. We described it to him as his pretend birthday party as his “real” party with his extended family and school friends would be the following weekend at a local bounce-house type of place. At his pretend party he received a new bike and a guitar. Seeing how fast he rode his new bike made me feel guilty about how small his old one was in comparison. We all just assumed he was not able to ride fast due to a lack of athleticism or something, but with the new bike, he was zipping around everywhere. I guess that is what I get for under-estimating him. He was so excited by the guitar, that he just had to “do a show”, so we all gathered around for his little performance. Let me just say, that boy is such a ham. I don’t think he will be trying out for any musical talent shows any time soon, but I was most impressed at his ability to adlib (jungle animals, anyone??).

Entering the blogging world

I have always been a silent voyeur of others’ blogs (I promise it is not as creepy as it sounds). I love keeping up with people I do not always get to see or talk to. I never really thought I had enough to say to justify having one of my own, but I have come to the conclusion that I can talk about Tyson and Tanner nonstop if given the opportunity. The boys have a lot of people in their lives that do not always get to see much of them (some live across the country and some just live across town).

Easter was a big weekend for us. It included Easter Egg Hunts, egg coloring, visiting family (from League City to Spring and back to Deer Park, wheww!). Tyson is at an age where he really enjoyed all of the festivities and Tanner enjoyed doing whatever his brother was doing. Since they really only eat candy or sweets on special occasions, they both went a little crazy with their goodies. Unfortunately, Tyson learned first hand that a sugar free chocolate bunny will give you an upset stomach as much as a fully loaded one will.



Some may have noticed the “newly single” part of my profile. Brian and I finally decided to accept what was probably pretty obvious to most who know us: two opposites do not always make a perfect whole. I wish there was a way to guarantee Tyson and Tanner won’t be permenantly scarred by it, but since I know that is not the case, we are doing the best we can for them. They are very lucky in that they have a lot of loving family around them to help soften the blow during the transition.

I hope everyone enjoys the blog and feel free to comment away!