Escape Artist

It finally happened last night. About 15 minutes after putting Tyler down for "Night Night Time", we heard this loud thud come from the direction of his room. Steve knew immediately what happened and so we raced to his room to see if he was alright.

Tyler managed to climb out of him crib! When we found him he was crying and laying on the floor. He seemed to be fine. We think he was mostly in shock. After checking him over, we put him back to bed and there wasn't another sound the whole night. Hopefully this scared him a little not to try it again. At least, we are keeping our fingers crossed that this is the case.

Daddy's Road

Look at Steve's sweater. See that stripe that runs across it? Well that's not just a stripe, it's actually a road, in Tyler's eyes, that is. The other day while Steve was sitting at the laptop working on some things, Tyler sat behind him and started driving his car along the "road".

So the next time, you wear a sweater that has a stripe, just remember, it's not just a stripe. It serves a purpose! And a word of caution, if you are seen wearing the sweater while in Tyler's company, he may just have to drive down "your road".

Allison, hope you have an absolutely awesome day today! And Happy Birthday, my friend :)

Stuck in the Middle

A few weeks ago, we went to a birthday party for another little boy who was turning 2 years old. When we got in their house and we were taking our jackets off, the little boy climbed into a cabinet on one of the selves. Tyler thought it was pretty funny and the next thing we knew he was doing the same at home, except it wasn't a cabinet it was his changing table. As soon as he would climb in, he would yell for us to come get him, as if he was stuck in there. I guess it's true what they say, "kids really do learn from other kids", whether it is something good or not. LOL
Update: As I was vacuuming just now, I went into his room and here he was sitting on the very TOP of the changing table!!!

Breakfast in Bed

Our weekends usually start when we hear Tyler calling out for us from his crib. Some mornings come easier than others. There are times when you just wish you had 5 more minutes; Sunday was one of those days. After we got Tyler out and situated with his sippy cup and his Cars movie, we decided to go back to bed just relax for another few minutes before having to get up for the day. However, it wasn't long before we heard a pair of little legs running down the hallway and into our room. Tyler was determined to get us out of bed. He grabbed my hand and started pulling and so I decided I better get up. Steve was soon to follow. As we were getting breakfast made and getting ready for the day, I noticed Tyler disappeared. I eventually found him; he was in our room all cozy in our bed with a box of Kashi crackers and a cute little smile. Hmm...I wonder if he wanted us up so that he could have our bed all to himself?

Cache 'em Up Sunday

This afternoon we joined our friends, Richey, Barbie, Glen and Beka for some caching fun. Richey and Barbie brought along their two dogs, Bailey and Rosie. Bailey has been caching with us several times, but this was the first time we met Rosie. Rosie a miniature dachshund and is the newest addition to their family.

Tyler was so happy that Beka was with us. When we told him that Beka was coming this morning, he said her name for the first time while he looked out of the window for her. Throughout the day, he said her name repeatedly. Tyler also made another milestone in saying Richey's name. This was a huge development because for the longest time he wouldn't say "Richey", he would only glance at him or say "Barbie" or "Hi" instead. He did say "Richey" during our Christmas dinner, but it was only because Richey was offering Tyler some ice cream.

Yesterday Tyler received a birthday gift from our caching friends, Katherine and Rodney. It was a backpack. Tyler immediately fell in love with it playing with all the gadgets it came with inside and today he got to test it on the trails. He had so much fun with it. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH KATHERINE AND RODNEY for the backpack!!!!

Colour My World

When we were in FL, Angie and I bought our sons their very first colouring book. Angie and Garret would draw and colour on a piece of paper like Tyler and I. So far, Tyler colours a little of the page. He seems to be more interested in the crayon itself, peeling the paper off and chewing on it. Though we are having fun using the crayons as a learning tool to teach him his colours. He seems to know the colours, orange and blue, and sometimes purple.

Hideaway for Two

This morning while Tyler and I were playing in his room, Sophia came running in and went underneath Tyler's crib. She probably thought she was save under there from Tyler. Little did she know that Tyler has the same capability and so he was right behind her and saying "Fofie! Fofie!". Once underneath the crib, they both kind of laid there for a bit before Tyler decided to go over and "pet" her. Soon after, she took off again, probably to look for another hiding spot.

"Mommy, you missed a spot over there!"

Secret Revealed!

Well, if you haven't guessed that we were redoing our bedroom by now...surprise, we did a bedroom makeover! For awhile now, we've been discussing the need to paint our bedroom walls to get rid of the bland cream colour it once was. We wanted a colour to compliment our bedspread and so we picked the colour named"sonata". It's like a mauve colour. We've had the colour picked out for almost a year now, and last night Steve came home with the paint and all the gear. We moved out all the furniture last night and Steve got started with the ceiling and removed the ugly ceiling and replaced it with a cool lamp.
This morning we woke up early and continued our work. Steve painted around the doors and windows while I painted with the roller. Once we were finished with the sonata, we started with the white trim around the door and baseboards. Steve did the trim and I painted the doors and closet.

Then it was time to do last minute touch ups and install new light plates and the dimmer for our new lamp. It was so much fun painting!!! I'm really excited to get started on the rest of the house. Steve usually does these "secret projects" by himself while Tyler and I were away, now I know how much fun he has. The bedroom turned out awesome!!! We just need to find new curtains to match our new colour and bedspread.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY to Cousin Garret!!! Hope you have a fun day today!!!

Secret Project

Steve and I are working on a secret project together, which we will reveal probably within the next couple of days, if not tomorrow. Tonight, however, we thought it would be fun to camp out in the living room. Tyler took full advantage of the mattress by playing with his trucks.

Due to the holiday tomorrow, Steve has the day off. We will probably finish off the project and then we will post some photos for you to see. Stay tuned...

Cars Fanatic

"Beep Beep On, Beep Beep On", we hear this at least a couple times a day from Tyler. It means he wants us to put on the 'Cars' movie for him to watch. Grandma gave him the 'Cars' movie for Christmas and ever since we got back from FL, we have been constantly watching this movie. Tyler and I actually read the book first because he got it from Santa for Christmas, however Tyler has never had a full length favourite movie before, so this is definitely his first. He has favourite parts of the movie, like the part when they show the train, he always says "Choo Choo, Mommy". He also doesn't like the part when the hay maker is chasing Lightning and Mater in the field.

We've always heard of other parents talking about how their kids watch certain movies over and over again, so now I guess it's our turn. Steve and I have watched this movie so often, that we have literately memorized lines from it. We don't mind though, Tyler is "happier than a tornado in a trailer park" when he watches 'Cars'.

It's a Marshmallow World

IT'S SNOWING!!!! Steve said when he checked the forecast this morning before he left for work that other places were due for the white stuff, but we remained clear. It's been snowing now for more than an hour and the ground is completely covered. The snowflakes are huge so it is covering everything quickly.
Tyler and I watched for a bit from indoors, but it looked like too much fun to not go out and enjoy the snow for just a bit. We walked around the house and stopped for a few minutes in the back. It is so cute to hear and see Tyler say the word "snow" because he wrinkles up his little nose when he does. The snow is coming down fast, but yet it looks so peaceful. I could have stayed out for longer, but Tyler is getting over a cold so it was back in the warm house we went.

Steve said that DC is expected to get 3 inches today. I hope it continues snowing just enough so that tomorrow we can go out and make a snowman or at least enough to get some pretty photos.

Anchors Away

Steve usually produces his show, Daily News Update, but yesterday his people that normally anchor the show were out, so here's him anchoring. Click here to see Steve. Also if you pick up this month's All Hands magazine, you will see a couple of Steve's photos he took while deployed in Iraq.

Kiss Me

WEEEEEEEE!

Since I can't take a photo for today's posting (our camera is in the car, which is with Steve at work and the card reader for the other camera is not working) and since I was just going through the photos we took on our Florida vacation, I decided to post this cute photo today. It was taken the day we met Robyn and Leila at the park. This was Tyler's very first time going down the slide by himself and going back up on the jungle gym by himself. He sure did have a lot of fun that day! We will have to go to the park here once the weather is warmer so he can have more fun on the slide.

At Home

We are now home safe and sound. This morning, Tyler noticed the Pepsi Train box as soon as he walked in the living room this morning. He immediately wanted it opened and so he went to Daddy to ask him to open it. The train is really for 8 year olds and up, so we had to sneak in the train inside the house when he went to bed last night. Unfortunately we forgot to put it away though. Daddy is so kind hearted though and put the train together for Tyler to watch it go around the track. The Pepsi Train used to be Steve's brother, Brian's, that Steve once gave to him when he was little.

Birthday #2 for Cousin Teddy!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Activate Cruise Control

Last night, we ended up stopping in Roanoke Rapids, NC overnight. After grabbing some breakfast at Chick-fil-A, we are now back on the road. Our ETA is 1 p.m. So far the weather looks like we may hit some rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast as well.

Before we left FL, Steve got the printers to make us a couple of stickers to look like actual Travel Bugs. For those who are not cachers, a Travel Bug is a dog tag with an assigned number that you log in. Steve got the stickers done big enough to fit on the car, so that while we are on the road, cachers can log in that they saw us. We are hoping that we will be noticed sometime during this trip or at least soon, but Steve drives to fast for anyone to get the number that they need to log in..LOL

We Love You, Grandma & Papa

It was a sad goodbye this morning as we departed from Grandma's house. Before we left, we got some cute photos of Tyler and Grandma while Tyler played with the cool light-up ice cubes from Disney that Grandma gave him.
Grandma, we had a wonderful visit with you and Papa and we already miss you so much. Thank you so much for everything. We hope it won't be too long before we see each other again and until then, we look forward till that time.

Grapefruit, Anyone?

There was a ton of grapefruit picked yesterday from Grandma's trees in her backyard. Steve got the ladder out and the clippers and picked until almost all of the grapefruit was gone from two of her four trees. I picked the grapefruit from off the ground and bagged them, while Tyler sort of helped. Grandma grilled us hot dogs and we had a nice lunch outside enjoying the beautiful sun and 82 degree weather. Then it was back to work. In total, we got about 20 big bags of grapefruit and there were still a ton left on the ground. We are taking back 7 bags back with us to Maryland, so if you would like some, just let us know. Unfortunately, Grandma's orange tree didn't produce very many this year.

Our Visit to Disney & Epcot

Yesterday we went visit "the mouse". Since Grandma works for Mickey, we were lucky enough to get in for free. When we first arrived in the parking lot and stopped the car the first words out of Tyler's mouth was "yeah, Mickey!". It's interesting because Tyler knows Mickey and says his name whenever he sees him somewhere, but we never taught him about Mickey, so we are clueless where or how he knows about him.
It was the perfect day to be at Disney. The weather was just right and there weren't any long lines to wait in. We met and got Pinocchio's autograph too!

The first ride we went on was Pirates of the Caribbean. Tyler had a blast! Then it was Mommy's favourite ride, It's a Small World. Tyler's just starred in amazement. Next it was the Carousel, when we first put Tyler on the horse he wanted "out", but as soon as the ride started, he had so much fun!
As promised, we visited Mickey's house. Mickey wasn't home though, but it was still fun to go through and see all of his things. The train was nearby and of course, Tyler had to go for a ride on the "choo choo". We rode back over to the front entrance and soon ate lunch while we watched the Family Day Parade.
Then we took the monorail over to Epcot. We soon met Figment where he posed for a photo and gave Tyler his stamp in his autograph book. Afterwards we "walked around the world" looking through the different pavilions. It was fun going through the countries we visited in real life and exploring new ones. Tyler fell asleep through most of them though. Finally it was back to Disney for more rides, food, and spectacular fireworks. Tyler had so much fun that it made our time at Disney even better. We already can't wait until our next visit when he will appreciate the experience even more so.

See Sea World!!!

Today we went to Sea World with Janell and Wyatt. This was my first time going to Sea World and of course, it was Tyler's as well. Steve had been there before, but it had been awhile. In the car on the way to the park, Janell mentioned there were horses and a donkey as well. As soon as Tyler heard the word "donkey" he became so excited and repeated the word. When we first entered the park, there were baby dolphins. Steve showed Tyler the dolphins swimming in the pool and Tyler said "dolphin! dolphin!", which was funny because he had never said that word before.
Being in the military sometimes has it's advantages and this is one of them; Sea World offers free admission for military members and their dependents.

Tyler really enjoyed the underwater glass exhibits the most. Another funny moment was when we saw the walruses. Tyler actually called them fat. It was hilarious hearing him yell the words "fat! fat!". It was totally unexpected and again, I'm not sure where he came up with that.

There were so many awesome things to see at Sea World. Another one of our favourites was the seals. They were very entertaining. Steve wanted to take one home.

The Shamu Show, of course, was spectacular! We were lucky enough to grab a seat. The place was packed. Those trainers have the best jobs!

My absolute favourite was petting the sting rays! I LOVED them!!!! I want a sting ray now!!!! The experience was incredible!!!! They felt slimy, yet smooth, but also a little prickly like sand. .

Overall, we had a fantastic time at Sea World. It was wonderful just spending a day with Janell and Wyatt. I hope we can do this again next time we're home. Sea World really surpass my expectations. It is definitely on my list of favourite parks! Thank you Janell and Wyatt for coming out with us today. We hope to see you soon!

A Day in the Park

It is always nice meeting up with our friends when we are back home in Orlando. Yesterday we met our friend, Robyn and her cutie patudy, Leila in a nearby park. While Tyler ans Leila had a blast playing on the jungle gym, the adults had a good chance to play catch up. After about an hour or so, Chellee and her girls came by to join in the fun. We soon had a nice picnic abd then the kids went back to having fun. This was Tyler's first time on the jungle gym and going down on the slide all by himself. It was absolutely wonderful seeing Robyn and Leila again! Robyn is one of those friends who you know you will remain friends forever :)

Downtown Orlando

Yesterday we decided to go for a drive to seek some different sights and to just get out for a bit. Our drive took us to downtown Orlando where we first grabbed some lunch at a pizza shop. Steve thought it was the same pizza shop he once went before where the Backstreet Boys used to eat, but that since had been closed and a different pizza shop was there. Tyler met a 2 1/2 yr old Spanish boy there and the two had a lot of fun. His mom said he didn't know English, but it didn't seem to matter.
Then Steve took us to go see the Orange Blossom Special! The Orange Blossom Special is the train that used to run through Florida and those of you who may be Johnny Cash fans, might know of the song. Of course, Tyler being a huge fan of trains, just loved seeing the train. It was really neat seeing the train up close. It was huge!

While there, the Amtrak train went by so we got two trains for the price of one! Walking downtown was really nice. Steve took us into some buildings on one of the main streets and a mall that is now closed and is being turned into a fitness centre. We didn't stay long because it was cold out and Tyler has a bit of a cold, so from here we went to check out the outlet stores. Steve bought some much needed running shoes and then it was back to Grandma's house for the night.

This Little Piggy

Due to the overnight freeze, Grandma took her Guinea Pig, Piggy, inside. Grandma had fun showing Tyler Piggy. It was funny because as Grandma brought out the box that had Piggy in it, Tyler laid on the floor all ready to catch a glimpse of his new friend. Then Grandma took him out of his temporary lodging for the night and put Piggy on the floor for Tyler to see. For a brief moment, Tyler could touch Piggy and as he did, he made cute tickling noises.
It wasn't long, however, that Piggy soon made his escape underneath the dinning room table. Tyler followed Piggy by climbing underneath the table and through the chairs. Piggy and Tyler made a complete circle around the table before Grandma and I, finally cornered Piggy and got him back in his home for the night. Unfortunately, Bunny, Piggy's companion, made an escape during the day and so he had to stay out overnight. Hopefully Bunny will return soon.

Steve's brother, Mark turns 32 today!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK!!! Hope you have a wonderful day.

Ringing in the New Year with Christmas

New Year's eve, we all got together for our Christmas celebration at Steve's mom's house. After we ate dinner it was time to open the gifts. However before the gifts were exchanged, we captured some adorable photos of the kids on their bikes that Grandma and Papa gave all of them. They are really nice bikes complete with neat bells they can ring and I can't wait for Tyler to get out in our backyard back home and start riding around.

Everyone had a great time and it was really nice seeing everyone again! There was one incident where Tyler got some glass in his eye from an ornament. We thought at first, we would need to take him to the Emergency Room, but after we washed his eye, he seemed to be doing OK.

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's! All the best in 2008!