The holidays are always so much fun, but children seem to make it all the more special. Although Devin is really too young to get what the holiday season means, it is still fun to take him places and expose him to all kinds of fun traditions. He continues to grow and change, but this month he has finally figured out crawling and now pulls up and cruises on the couch too! There is no place on the ground that is safe from this kid--great timing with the Christmas tree up! We had a lot of fun experiences, and this little boy brings so much to our lives.
Before this kid could crawl, he just wanted to stand up by the couch all the time. Now he is steady enough to be there without supervision all the time.
His "eye teeth" are coming in on the bottom (teeth #13 and 14 respectively).
Devin cannot get enough breakfast food. He loves scrambled eggs, grapefruit, and pineapple, as well as macaroni and cheese. But he is still not sure about blueberries and does not really enjoy beets.
His crawling speed has increased every day.
He continues to figure out how to pull up on his own, using the toy boxes and couch to help.
Most things are "emptied" as soon as Devin gets a hold of them.
Just like his brother, he loves to tear up pages, so magazines and books with paper pages are now hidden from his little hands.
He met Santa at Home and Company and did not seem to mind. He smiled a little bit, but showed no fear or crying.
Devin will go to most anyone, even reaching for them, but he will only stay a short time. Within seconds, he will turn around and want Mommy or Daddy.
We have fun playing "ball," rolling it back and forth to each other.
He tried a sippy cup, and after some help, he figured out how to tip it on his own. (When we would start to tip it, he would just let go, so we had to have him figure it out on his own.)
He continues to have a very healthy appetite and still surprises us with the volume he consumes on some days.
He loved to sit in "big church" at BSF and just smiled and looked around while singing.
We had a fun day outside in the Burley for a walk, and later I put a kiddie pool out to play in so his butt would not get wet. Kyler brought him all the balls he could find so we had a miniature ball pit in our front yard.
He likes to move around in the tub, even switching places with Kyler sometimes.
Duncan's water dish has become a favorite toy to empty, so we have to be quick to move it when Devin gets close!
He enjoyed going to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and looking at the all of the lights and plants.
He giggles and smiles when his brother gives him a kiss and an "ugga mugga"
While standing by the couch, he will "bounce" and shake his butt which we call "the butt dance."
He enjoyed Christmas, but he really was not interested in opening presents this year.
He likes to walk holding onto your fingertips.
He enjoyed the family visit in Illinois, but he cried and fussed the last 40 minutes on the drive home.
He giggled every time a puppet got near him in the car seat.
He learned to stand up in his crib, giving me such a great smile in the morning when I get him up.
The holidays are always fun, but kids just seem to make it even more memorable. Kyler is always so funny these days, and it is great to hear what his little mind comes up with when it comes to experiencing Christmas this year. We visited lots of family and friends, attended lots of parties, and made it out the Frederik Meijer Gardens again. With Kyler being older this year, he got to help with more decorating, baking, and other holiday activities. One of the best things has been going through the nativity story with him, talking about counting down to Jesus's birthday and seeing how thankful he is for everything he experiences. Oh, to be a child again at Christmas--it almost makes up for the lack of snow!
Kyler started out the month sick, saying, "Lovey sick too, Mommy. He has a bug."
He loves to help me "correct" behavior when Devin and the little girl I babysit throw things from their high chairs at lunch time. "No, that was a bad choice _____!" My little disciplinarian...
He started pooping in the potty! Once he figured it out, he never seemed to have an accident again.
I made a felt tree for him to decorate and redecorate until his heart was content. Each morning, he got a new decoration. He kept insisting he needed a star, but we saved that for Christmas Day!
We developed a new game called "ball shield," in which he deflects balls with a large lid (we got him a Captain American shield for Christmas because of this game).
He helped Daddy set up outdoor decorations and "swept" the driveway for us.
He had fun going to his first Calvin women's basketball game, even though he could barely sit still. He loved the popcorn (Daddy forgot his water, so he said it was too salty) and wanted to take his picture in the Cheese.
He loves watching Monsters, Inc. and started to assign us all names from the movie and remembers them all.
He had a great time having Uncle Darrel and Aunt Lynsey babysit, but he was a little OCD about where his books are placed after story time... Poor Uncle Darrel!
He had a tough time leaving both BSF and Coffee Break, crying and throwing meltdowns at both places. I guess the upside is that he likes learning about God, right?
He loved walking around the neighborhood with me to "deliver letters" to our neighbors.
After I ran, I gave him a big hug and told him that I probably stink. This made Kyler laugh, and he said, "Mommy, you smell like poopies." Thanks, kiddo. :-)
Kyler helped to make the dough, cut out shapes, and decorate cookies this year!
During church, there was a moment of silence. After a while, Kyler said, "What happened?"
He tried tacos and banket and seemed to like both--especially the banket.
He has started to spell words on his own without seeing them, such as "dog" and his name.
Has become OBSESSED with PAW Patrol on television and assigned us all new names to go with the characters.
We went to visit friends and meet their new baby. When their dog got a little excited and knocked Kyler over, he got put outside. So Kyler went up to the slider where the dog was waiting and told him, "You made a bad choice, so now you have to have a timeout."
We went to his first dentist visit, and he did SO WELL! The only thing that bothered him were the sunglasses for the bright light. The dentist could not believe it was his first time.
He had a great Daddy date to the mall for shopping and lunch with lots of mini corn dogs.
He had a great time visiting Meijer Gardens for the Christmas trees, trains, and the outdoor tree house. He even got to meet some reindeer!
After a bad choice, Kyler said, "Mommy, I make you happy. I give you a big hug."
"I pee in the tub!" He was really excited about this revelation.
He had a fun time visiting Santa and could not wait to meet him. As soon as we were inside, he ran straight over to him and said, "Hi, Santa!" He never wanted to leave, had no fear, and barely stopped talking to him. Poor Santa.
When asked what his favorite Christmas songs were, he would say, "'This Christmas,' 'Feliz Navidad,' and the 'Rum-pa-pum-pum song'."
He was very thankful for his gifts, but also very eager. He was soon distracted by loving to help clean up the used wrapping paper."
He had some great phrases for when he would open a gift, including, "That's perfect!" and "How neat!"
We enjoyed "tickle juice" (sparkling grape juice) for Christmas Day dinner.
We had so much fun visiting friends and playing with their daughters and dogs.
He loved seeing all the windmills in the Illinois countryside.
He enjoyed story time at the library with Grammy, made a craft, and enjoyed a Candy Land adventure.
We had "puppet shows" in the car, and he loved to have them dance to "Shake It Off"
When Devin was crying in the car and I kept telling him that there was nothing I could do, Kyler quipped, "Mommy, maybe a hug would make him feel better."
Hanging out with Daddy on a sleigh ride at the Gardens
For Devin, this was a month of trying many new things and working on moving around. Daddy left for Germany, and we celebrated Kyler's third birthday. But in Devin's world, this was the month of giving up morning naps, trying lots of new foods, getting closer and closer to crawling, and starting to cruise around the couch. His right eye was still pretty crusty and does not seem to tear up very well, so the doctor prescribed drops to clear things up, and we have an appointment with an ophthalmologist in the new year. When he has any kind of cold, Devin's eyes just look so much worse and start to crust his eyelashes together. Poor kiddo--hopefully it will clear up soon! Here are a few highlights from our little busy boy:
Devin loved lots of new foods, including kiwis, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, chicken, persimmons, and more whole milk in his bottles. He can't seem to get enough of roasted cauliflower!
He loves to sit on my lap and watch Ryan mowing the lawn.
He has been getting up on his hands and knees to rock, but without any forward movements.
He is almost always sitting up in his crib when I get him in the mornings.
He has started to wave at us, but does not always want to do it when we ask him to.
He fell asleep in the car, but with his goopy eye, it kept his eye open during the nap!
He loves to reach up for me to pick him up from his crib.
He has begun to clap with us, but again, only when he wants to.
He loves to stand up by the couch, but often needs a steady hand next to him.
Devin has become a complete chatter box, often saying lots of noises. Once he even said "Da-da-da" when Daddy wasn't around.
He has no interest in pacifiers, loveys, or blankets. With the colder weather, we are trying to put a blanket over him, which he never seems to snuggle with -- he just kicks it to the end of the crib.
Since he has been sitting up so much better, we now put both boys in the tub together, resulting in lots of giggles and splashes.
He did not enjoy his second flu shot at all!
Since giving up his AM naps, he has trading in some nursing times to enjoy more snacks.
He loves a game of peek-a-boo.
He has actually started to watch Super Why! with his brother and gets a little excited when it is on.
He is very interested in the Christmas tree right now and reaches out to touch it.
He has four teeth coming in slowly, which can make him a bit fussy.
I know all parents love their kids and think that they are super funny and smart, but I have to say that this kid keeps us laughing and on our toes almost every single day. His imagination has just taken off, and it is so much fun to see what he thinks up next. He is often treating toys as his "friends." Whether lovey is telling him things or he has a new friend like a ball, we always seem to have extra playmates now. Probably the biggest things that happened this month were Ryan spending a week in Germany for a conference and Kyler turning three years old! It was a busy month, but it was so much fun to spend it with such a great kid. Here are some highlights:
After Halloween, he loves to line up his candy, putting them in categories and spelling out their names.
He had a great time riding side by side with Devin in the cart at Costco.
He almost spelled the word "ball" on his own, simply by sounding it out.
We made a paper chain to count down the days until Daddy came home from his trip, and every morning he loved to count the days we had left.
I was sad about something, and when he saw me with tears in my eyes, he said, "Want to talk, Mommy?"
He pooped on the potty!
We lost lovey at nap time, so we prayed for lovey, and then I was able to find him!
He helped to measure and hammer when we put pictures up at the house.
He was super excited to go and pick up Daddy from the "plane station."
He threw up on the couch, but soon felt better and did not want to stay in bed or eat only crackers.
He loved to shovel the driveway and hated to go inside, so we went over and shoveled Grandma and Grandpa's driveway too!
He had fun going to Culver's with family and hanging out with his "friend" (and first cousin, once removed) Kathryn, but he could never remember her name.
He had a great time at his birthday party and did really well thanking everyone.
He had a fun snowy day with Daddy playing on the sled, trying to build a snowman, and coming inside to enjoy hot chocolate and board games.
On his third birthday, Daddy got an unexpected snow day, so we had a fun family day with letter-shaped pancakes, fun outside in the snow, and presents that arrived just in time because of the weather.
We have "I love you" wars, in which we keep saying it back and forth until someone gives up.
He spilled milk at the table and became upset asking me, "Are you mad, Mommy? It was an accident," while he was crying. Poor kiddo.
He saw people kissing on a television commercial and said, "There is Mommy and Daddy."
When asked who his best friend is, he said, "Mommy!"
He had fun watching birds in the backyard with his binoculars.
At his three-year appointment, he was 33.5 lbs and 38 inches tall. As the pediatrician listened to his heart, checked his ears, etc., Kyler wanted the doctor to check his lovey the whole appointment too. It was so sweet to see the doctor do it with him!
At BSF, he often comes home to tell me about the "ten 'mandments" and that, "God lives in a tabernacle, Mommy."
He sat well for his haircut, but did not want to wear the kids cape. He wanted the "black coat" and afterwards told the lady that his hair was "no longer in my eyes now."
At Thanksgiving, he was having fun dancing with KayLynn, Mekinley, and Josie, who were pretending to be princesses, so he told me "I a prince!"
He had a great time helping Daddy and me put up the Christmas decorations on the tree.
When he wants to get out of his room, he will stand at the door and yell "Honey!" for one of us.
He spelled "Michigan" out with puzzle letters, but since he only had one "I," he said he pretended that an "O" was the other one.
Getting ready for bed
Showing off his cool Ampelmann shirt that Daddy got in Germany
Doing some marshmallow art (he did not eat them all!)
Having fun in the first big snowstorm
Playing on his swingset
This kid loves to jump a lot and really high!
"Mike Wazowski doing a dance!"
Enjoying his apple snack
Hanging out jumping and dancing on Devin's mattress
