hug!

hug!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Ty at 18 Months

It is hard to believe that my little Ty Ty is a year and a half old.  Like most kids his age, he is extremely busy climbing, running, and exploring!
 
18 months

We had his 18 month check-up last week, and he is doing great!

Stats: My little hoss…Weight: 28 lbs, 13 oz (85%) ; Height: 35” (>95%)

Language: His vocabulary has grown exponentially over the past couple of months, and he learns more every day.  His new favorite words are “cheese” (he says this when he sees me taking a picture of him), “oreo” (please don’t ask me how he learned it- let’s just say he and his brother love cookies), and “choo choo” (in reference to a train).  It amazes me how much he understands.  He knows most of his body parts; his favorites are “pee pee” and “tush” (such a boy)… man, we need some estrogen in this house!  haha

Gross motor skills: He doesn’t like to do anything the “baby” way any more– he prefers the “big kid” way (this often gives mommy mini panic attacks)!  For example, instead of crawling up the gang plank on our swing set, he insisted on walking up it like MJ.  After a few days, he was doing it like a pro! 

gang plank

He is the ultimate climber – any playground, ladder, or piece of furniture is fair game.  I usually don’t think he will make it up his latest conquest, but he proves me wrong almost every time!  He is now trying to walk up and down the stairs, but I make him hold my hand (which he does begrudgingly).

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Favorite foods:  Both of my boys love fruit, but I have struggled to get them to eat veggies.  To my surprise, Ty LOVED the squash casserole my mom made for Easter (YAY!).  Since then, I have been able to sneak some warm, cooked veggies into a few of his meals.  He loves eggs, waffles, turkey, chicken, yogurt, and pretty much any snack food.  He is able to eat with a spoon and recently started using a fork. 

cookies with grandmaeating the dough

Personality: He is still my sweet, happy little boy.  Don’t get me wrong, he throws mini tantrums like any toddler when he doesn’t get his way, but these are short-lived.  Any time I raise my voice to scold him or put him in time out, he gets so upset- his little puppy dog eyes look up at me with huge tears in them, and I can’t be mad for long!

ty happy sand

Favorite toys and activities:  Ty loves music and dancing…we have so much fun in his music class every week.  His sports/gymnastics class is also a big hit (not suprisingly)!  He enjoys reading books and going to the library.  As far as toys, his favorites include the train table, balls, and anything he can push. 

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I am not a big fan of t.v. at this age, and honestly he doesn’t have the attention span to watch it any way.  However, he does love the Bubble Guppies – he will sit for the entire 20 minutes completely engaged in this adorable, educational show.  I am not going to lie, it is nice to have him still for a few minutes so I can do the dishes and quickly clean up around the house!

Sleeping: 12 hours at night (~8:00pm to 8:00am) and one nap during the day (2:00-4:00).  This is a late nap for him, but I do this so that he and MJ nap at the same time!

We are going to try to move Ty into MJ’s room in a couple of weeks since there is only 1.5 months left until baby #3 arrives.  Please pray that it goes well!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Easter and Spring Break


Happy Easter!

MJ had his spring break this week, so we were even busier than usual!  We made a trip down to our cabin in Griffin the other weekend with the Fennelley's so the kids could play while Steve and Mike hunted turkey.  Over the course of the week, we went on 6 different Easter egg hunts (school, church, neighborhood, play groups, family, etc), made trips to the zoo and Stone Mountain, had multiple play dates and birthday parties, and ended with a lovely Easter weekend up at Lake Lanier (where we were able to spend time with both of our families). 


At the cabin:
Ty, MJ, Lexi, and Chase



A big congrats to Mike who got his very first turkey this year! 


A few pics from our Easter egg hunts:




Ty liked to open the eggs as soon as he found them.  MJ, on the other hand, gathered/stock-piled as many as possible into his basket and saved them for the end. 


I asked my very astute 3 year old if he enjoyed seeing the Easter Bunny, and this was his quick response:
"Mommy, that was not the real Easter Bunny... that was a man in a Halloween costume dressed as the Easter bunny.  The real one only comes on Easter."
Well, then....  :)


The zoo:




Stone Mountain:






Dying Easter Eggs:





At the lake:










I can't believe how much our boys have grown- what a difference a year makes:
 Easter 2011


Easter 2012

 
Two months left until baby #3 is due - the countdown is on!  :)

Monday, April 9, 2012

We Were Swingin'

Steve and I have been toying with the idea of getting the boys a swingset for a few months now.  After such a mild winter and countless trips to the park, we decided it was time to pull the trigger.  I took the boys to the Mighty Swings showroom (they make custom-built swingsets) and watched them play for over an hour....that made it very easy to design the swingset.  They came and built it about 2 weeks ago, and the boys have been playing  non-stop ever since!!!!  :)




It has 2 forts- "Camp MJ" and "Camp Ty."  MJ's fort has a picnic table underneath, a ladder, yellow slide, captain's wheel and telescope.  Ty's fort has a sandbox underneath, a gang plank, periscope, green slide, and racing wheel.  When baby #3 arrives, I am going to name the bridge after him/her.  :)

Three swings- a baby swing, regular belt swing, and a glider.









Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Who's the Boss?

Another conversation with my 3 year old....

A couple of weeks ago, we were eating at a cute little restaurant out on the beach.  MJ ate the majority of his breakfast, and then decided to start throwing the leftover pieces of waffle on the floor (very close to other patrons).

Me: MJ, please don't throw your waffle on the ground or at other people.

MJ: But mommy, I want to throw the waffle.

Me: No, sir.  You are not allowed.

MJ: But I really want to!

Me: I said no, and I am the boss.

MJ: Mommy, you are not the boss; you're an angel

Me (smiling and trying not to laugh): Ok, bud...just don't throw it at anyone bigger than daddy :)

You have to love that kid. 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Andrew’s Wedding Weekend

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The Economos Family

We headed down to St. Pete last Thursday for Andrew and Leah’s wedding weekend.  We had a few hours to play on the beach before heading to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that evening.  MJ was the ring bearer (yes, he is officially a professional as this was his THIRD time!), so he came with Steve and I while Ty stayed back at the hotel with Ms. Lisa.  It was wonderful having Lisa there to help out with the boys while we were busy with various activities – thank you “Miss Weesa!” 

Here are a few pictures from the rehearsal:

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MJ with Maddie (Leah’s niece)- ring bearer and flower girl

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Friday morning, Steve headed out with the "big" boys for a day of paintballing.  You should see the war wounds these guys came back with- OUCH!  It looked like they had a great time.  I joined the girls at the bridal luncheon where we had massages and laid out in the sun. 

That evening, Colleen and John threw a lovely party at our hotel’s beach restaurant.  All family and friends were invited – it was wonderful to see everyone!  Ty had a great time dancing to the band with Uncle Andrew while MJ enjoyed playing in the sand and running around with Maddie.

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We had plenty of time before the wedding on Saturday to enjoy the beach and pool with the boys.  Uncle Mike bought MJ a squirt gun…I am still trying to pry that thing out of his hands! 

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The wedding was at the Sunken Gardens in St. Pete and it was absolutely beautiful.  MJ did a great job as ring bearer- he took his time walking down the aisle and held the pillow perfectly!  Steve looked as handsome as ever in his tux, and Ty was adorable in his little suit.  Andrew and Leah were beaming…

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The reception was in a ballroom at the Sunken Gardens.  MJ, Ty, and Maddie had a blast breaking it down on the dance floor before heading back to the hotel for the evening.  Steve and I stayed and enjoyed the rest of the night (yes, I was the only sober one there!).  Of note, I have been pregnant for all of our siblings’ weddings (Nick, Mike, Ann, and Andrew)…Eddie- you’d better not get married any time soon!!!!

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What an amazing weekend- congratulations, Andrew and Leah!  We couldn’t be happier for you!


Quick baby update: I had a check up earlier this week and baby #3 is doing great!  I am 28 weeks along…hard to believe we are into third trimester already!