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

Kyler -- April 2013

Once the weather became nicer, Kyler became much more an outdoor boy. During the spring, we often spent a couple hours outside in the morning and then usually some family time outside after dinner. Kyler loves to meet all the neighborhood dogs, showing absolutely no fear of them, which can be good and bad. He loves to walk up to any dog and just let them "kiss" him, but he has gotten knocked down occasionally by an overly zealous dog. We had fun going to many spring garage sales and finding "new" toys, especially many outdoor thing. We enjoyed time at nearby Hager Park, including a nice outdoor picnic with Grandma.

Of course, we still had a lot going on inside as well, including becoming very good at doing puzzles and sorting shapes. Kyler loves to jabber all the time, though words are still usually hard to understand. He is still a cuddler, which I hope never changes. I love when he comes to snuggle with me in bed or on the couch. Kyler does seem to take after his Dad and Mom when it comes to being organized. He often likes to take groceries out of our pantry closet and line them up in so many different ways. Its fun to see the designs and patterns he likes, before he changes his mind and does another. I cannot wait until he can verbalize what his little mind is thinking.

Someone thought Mommy needed to organize her purse...I hope I find everything!

A "new" toy treasure from a garage sale...boy, are they loud!

"It's story time, Mommy!"

"What do you mean I have to go outside?"

Such a snuggler...and cute in his jammies

Lookout spot at the park

Kyler is really great at remembering to duck when he needs to

Kyler loves to run on the bridges!

"Hi, Mommy!"

Still loves to swing!

Sorting the drinks from the pantry

Now time to sort the boxes.

Hydrating before the Calvin 5K

Great running, Daddy!

Not sure if he is supposed to step on the yellow line

So proud of his Daddy!

Frederik Meijer Gardens

Michigan has four wonderful seasons, but winter always tends to linger a little too long. The itch to go outside can become very strong in March, when there can still be a few feet of snow on the ground. This year, we thought it would be a great idea to join the Frederik Meijer Gardens, so that during these long dreary months, we could take Kyler to some great indoor areas to run around and look at nature. During March and April each year, they have a great exhibit called Butterflies Are Blooming in the largest of the botanical rooms. Ryan's spring break was filled with snow, so we enjoyed taking Kyler to see something that we did when we first started dating. Later on, we also went with Aunt Lori and cousins KayLynn and Mekinley, as well as with cousin Sarah and Josie. Kyler loved to watch the butterflies and people, and he especially enjoyed getting out to run around at the children's indoor create-your-own sculpture park.

Hanging out in the stroller, wanting to get out and explore!

Such a pretty close up!

Finally a picture of the blue morpho butterfly! (On previous visits, Ryan could never successfully catch one of these)

Two cute scientists!

Playing with the kids' sculptures

Action shot!

So many pretty colors!

Kyler pointing out butterflies

Meeting girls with no fear...and showing off

Such cute cousins!

"Sharing" the butterfly seat for pictures...

...until Kyler pushed KayLynn off

Kyler -- February and March 2013

Weekly blogs were nice at first, but now with the monthly blogs, I figure it makes more sense to go with calendar months rather than months with respect to Kyler's age. Plus, in February, we found out that we are expecting our second child in October, so this would further complicate things once the baby is born. But on to more catch-up!

Our little boy continued to grow and change, even picking up a few new behaviors that we hope disappear as quickly as they showed up. The main problem we began facing was the sudden hatred he had for his changing table and all of the flailing that occurs when we have to change his diaper or clothes. He got much better at standing on the changing table to allow us to pull his shirts on, but it was a battle of wills for everything else. He also began to take a very big interest in Duncan, but his "pats" are more like hits, so we have had to work on being gentle and teaching him to give Duncan some space (and vice versa).

Kyler started to say a lot of new words, even though they are hard to fully understand unless you are around him often. He began to say "juice," "cheese," "fish," and "ga-fish" (for goldfish crackers), while continuing to say "Da-da," "this," and "Mama" (but only when he wants something).  Kyler became very fond of brushing his teeth and identifying his body parts, including his eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, ears, toes, and hair. He continued to be extremely "motoriffic," with pretty much nothing too difficult for him to try and climb onto. Despite numerous falls off the couch, he never seems to be deterred. We also tried to work on Kyler's artistic side, providing crayons and markers for him to draw with, but he preferred to eat his artistic implements.

Kyler's appetite continued to be adventurous, as he tried honey, apricots, fish sticks, chili, and a Shamrock Shake that Ryan had to fight him for. The weather started to warm up enough to explore the outdoors and the many puddles that the melting snow left for us. When visiting the grocery store, Kyler became fascinated by the fish tanks in the pet department and all the kids he sees going by in their respective carts. He loved going to visit the "grandmas" in the nursery during my Thursday morning Bible study. On Easter, Kyler enjoyed his first Peeps and a new basketball that has barely been put down. Kyler also experienced his first haircut, which seemed to be pretty traumatic. But he looked so cute afterwards.

Light switch rave!

Gotta love snuggle time with Daddy

Cannot wait to get into his "tubby"

Looking cool...and working it

Working on his coy look...watch out girls!

Wait, isn't that supposed to be Duncan's bed?

Slam dunk action shot--obviously watching too much March Madness with Daddy

Yep, time to get a haircut!

Getting his first haircut--before the tears begin!

Looking so much older after the haircut!

We may have a future PT in our house...

"Pull your knee into your chest, Daddy"

Super excited about his Easter gift

It might be a little too big for that hoop, little boy!

Lining up the shot

His first Peep! Happy Easter!