Devin -- April 2017

April is so much fun, especially now that the weather is getting better and summer is just around the corner. We also had the first time that both boys had spring break! It was a lot of fun to just get to hang out with kiddos and have time for Devin at home, but it is also great to see how much he has grown as well. We had a bit of a rough patch with sickness at the end of the month, but it is also a wonderful time to be outside and took full advantage of it too. Here are some of this months highlights.

• Loved going out to get the mail with me, even in his footie pjs
• Working on pulling up his own pants
• Devin loves donuts, just not the actual donut part (frosting only)
• For some reason Devin is terrified of the library doors and often has to be carried through them
• While on a walk, Kyler pushed him on his tricycle. When Kyler asked if he wanted to be pushed more Dev said "yeah, yeah"
• We put up a tent in the basement and he loved to just put lots of toys in it
• He brings me his PECTS cards for Apple all the time (picture card used for communication)
• He also bring me his PECTS card for outside, even if it is raining!
• When it was time to go back to school, Devin was SO excited to see one of his favorite aids, Miss Nicole
• Devin sat on the potty and had a few drops in! YEAH!
• When reading the Very Hungry Caterpillar he likes to do motions for Sun, Look and Big =)
• He will often use the board to communicate "I go home" at the end of the day
• Netflix has the Very Hungry Caterpillar and it soon became his favorite video to watch. 
• We went to the ECC to play and brought pizza. It was so cute to see you light up because you know this place and you loved looking into the windows too
• For Easter, we went to Grandpa and Grandma's house, and of course he loves to sit by the counter because that is where he gets treats
• Was given a wonderful Easter Bunny Cookie from Steenstra's Bakery from Aunt Lynsey and treated it a lot like he does donuts...frosting only
• Kyler was very thoughtful and found Color Crew one of Devin's favorite shows on his tablet 
• Poor kiddo had such a bad stomachache that he threw up every 15 minutes in the middle of the night
• We went to Frederick Meijer Gardens with Grandma and Devin loved to look around, but was a bit overwhelmed so wanted me to hold him the whole time
• When Kyler started to read to Devin, he soon became his favorite reading buddy and brings him books all the time saying "Kkkkk" to have him read to him
• At the end of the month had a terrible fever and had to be picked up from school. The temperature stayed for a couple of days. 
• Even with the fever he wanted to cuddle so he had his foot on my arm or leg to still have some contact
• As soon as he started to feel better Devin joined me for the Calvin 5K run! He loved riding in the Burley and fussed whenever I started to walk. What a great coach.
• When I was done running and it was time to go into the gym, he did not want to get out and every time I took him out of the Burley he would climb back into it. Silly kiddo! 
• Devin surprised us by loving the egg and cheese flatbread from Subway, so now we get to pick up food that does not just come with fries. Yeah! 

loving his bike and glasses...

...super cool dude!

Having fun showing us the playground at his school

He likes these bouncy toys

Going down the slide!

Where are my teachers? 

Watching his favorite shows

Boy time on the couch...with boots

Oh the fun in tub time

Best Buddy Brothers!

Someone is not feeling well

All smiles with his bubble mower

Exploring the playground at HCS after we drop off Kyler

Improvised headrest

This sweet and silly boy!

I must watch my brother! 

So strong!

Not sure what to do with this ice cream cone!

Taking mommy on in games

Kyler -- April 2014

We have really enjoyed the nicer weather that spring has brought us, which means much more time having fun outdoors and more play dates. Kyler has been speaking more and more, often with a lot of wonderful phrases. Here are a few highlights from the month.

• We took part in the Calvin nursing lab again this week. Kyler said, "No listen to heart," in the car, but then he was super helpful with the students. When we drove home he "pretended" to sleep in the car.
• He loves to wash all his small cars (Hot Wheels/Matchbox) in the sink to give them a bath.
• We had a flashlight party in the bathroom, and he enjoyed exploring in the tub.
• Some of his favorite phrases this month: "making music" when he makes noise anywhere, "swish" and "off the rim" when playing basketball, "that's cool" or "one more store" when we go shopping, "rescue them" when we saved worms on the driveway after a rain storm, and "making art" anytime he draws.
• Kyler has kept telling me that, "Mommy need haircut. Hair too long."
• Our cable went out while he was watching his favorite television show, so he checked every television with me and said, "I fix," while getting out his play tools. He "hammered" the side of our old television to fix it.
• With the nice weather, we took everyone out to the park, and Kyler loved the freedom to walk on the trails instead of riding in the stroller. He even looked at bugs and everything else with his magnifying glass.
• We had a great play date with our friends the triplets, even though sharing is still hard. Everyone loved to jump on the bed. 
• We had a great time out at the zoo, where we fed the ducks and geese. Kyler did not seem to understand that chasing the geese can be a big problem. Thankfully, they went into the water rather than after him!
• We had a great Easter. Kyler colored eggs for the first time, consumed massive quantities of jelly beans, and LOVED doing an Easter egg hunt.
• Kyler has been enjoying making a lot of messes, including dumping out a full box of baby rice cereal and a whole bag of pretzels. "I try them, Mommy."
• We had a great time at the Calvin 5k, where Kyler did his first kids race and LOVED IT! He wanted to do it again and again.
• He has a really great memory and can almost read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to us from memory.
• He had a great time with Grammy and Papa visiting and babysitting while Mommy and Daddy went to a wedding. 
• We visited our friends Levi and Brady for a play date, and Kyler was very excited about their dog Bentley.
• He wants to watch "Holy, holy song" all the time on Praise Baby.

Look at that happy boy running in the middle!

He loved the run, but he really needs to learn to stay in his lane

A family of runners?

"Here, Mommy!" ...Not sure what it is!

Reading his devotions on his own.

Meeting the panda at the Hudsonville Expo

Coloring eggs

"This one is blue!"

He loved them, but would not eat them!

Doing a little "shopping" at home

Looking cute!

Spending time with his brother

Playing with his Loops 'n' Swoops

Playing with flashcards under Devin's jumperoo

Feeding geese with Mommy at the zoo

He tried to throw the bread really far!

Lots of fishies!

Hanging with the penguins

Posing for a picture at the zoo

Kyler and Devin with Grammy and Papa

Cleaning cars...

At the kitchen sink...

...washing more cars!

Mommy and her little guys!

Devin -- Week 28 (4/23/14-4/29/14)

It has been such a busy and fun-filled week. Devin has become really good at rolling onto his tummy, but has struggled with the return trip. He seems to think that it is best to practice such skills during the middle of the night, resulting in less sleep for all of us since he screams and cries to be rolled back over. Thankfully, he does not mind being on his tummy and actually seems to enjoy sleeping in such a position. Another big milestone this week was that Devin started to eat his cereal this week. He did not seem to be all that excited about it (we started with oatmeal), but after a few more bites, he was all smiles and kept opening his little mouth. After a few days, we introduced rice cereal as well with about the same reaction.

We also had some fun events this week, including a visit from Papa and Grammy. They came early on a Friday so that we could all go and visit the butterflies. Devin was pretty crabby at the end of the trip, but when Ryan and I went to a wedding later that night, he was really good for his babysitting grandparents. In the morning, we all went to the Calvin 5k race, where he just hung out in the stroller and enjoyed watching all the fun going on. We also had a play date, but he really just wanted to cuddle for most of the time.

Still loves his jumpepoo

Had a great visit with Grammy and Papa

Chilling out during tummy time

My little boy--how silly are you!

Someone clearly loves his cereal

I love my boys!

Kyler -- May 2013

May can probably be best described as a month of "going." He always seemed to be going somewhere or doing something lately, which thankfully was fun to keep up with. While outside, he keeps us on our toes with all the toys he puts into the road. (Thankfully, Kyler has learned that he is not to go into the road himself, but I am not ever willing to chance it.) We enjoyed going to the park with cousins KayLynn and Mekinley, but the "K's" seem to have little fear of heights and would climb to the top of the tallest slides! Kyler started going down the slides without his Mommy there to go with him or catch him at the bottom. What a daredevil! We had a great play date with my friend Jen and her three boys. Kyler was not the best guest, as he only wanted to sort or play with their toys and became jealous whenever anyone else sat in his Mommy's lap. Sorry, kiddo, but that is how it goes!

Many of our fun times outside were spent doing landscaping. Kyler loves to help in anyway that he can, but especially if it means he can get dirty. With the weather getting warmer, we started to enjoy a little water time in the new kiddie pool on our back patio. When it rains outside, Kyler does not seem to mind a bit and protests whenever he has to go inside. One rather chilly Saturday, Kyler was part of his first Fifth Third River Bank Run competition. We again had lots of visitors in town to participate with us, and Kyler was able to ride around in his stroller during the 5k walk. He had a great time looking around, though at times it seemed to take a village to keep him from getting lost in the crowds. But it was a lot of fun to see him enjoying himself.

Kyler continues to learn quickly, surprising us each day. He started to identify letters of the alphabet from a set of foam tub letters, and he will often bring us letters when we ask for them. His favorite letter by far is "W," which he has a special "dikka-daw" noise for. Often, when the letter is upside down (an "M"), he will turn it over to make it a "W." He loves to run around the house when we say "Go!" and will say it back in return. When we are out in the stores, he will continue to point out letters, especially "O," and smile or clap. His climbing has continued to develop, and now the inside of the tub has become a place of exploration.

Hanging out in the pantry, his favorite little spot before...

...the tub became the new place to play

Up close and cute!

Someone likes his hat!

Trying to fill Daddy's shoes

Who doesn't like to ride in the wheelbarrow?

All the mulch is gone now, leaving nothing to play in!

Before the start of the 5k walk

Kyler doing some exploring on his own!

This kid loves to run around

Sitting with Grandma and waiting for Daddy

Just enjoying some snacks