Rain, Rain...Oh, My!

"Here's a kiss for you!" (Ty is on the window screen.)

"Peek-A-B00!"

"Oh, I need to give you another smooch!"

"Hah, Hah!"

"Oh, the rain,the joy of simplicity!"

It is officially Spring, but the weather goes back and forth between blustery days of a wintry mix of rain/snow, to rain, to snow, to beautiful 65 degree sun filled days. We are now expecting snow for Monday. Please, oh please, give me some relief. We are ready to plant our garden. But in the meantime, I let Ty enjoy an afternoon moment of playing in the rain. He was thrilled to be in his boots and play in WATER. You know how this kid loves his water...the dog bowl, bath time, water fountains, swimming in water, splashing in water puddles, catching water on his tongue...I could go on.

Tri-Gator in the Making

"Why can't I get in the water?"

"Why does Daddy look like that?"

"Run, baby run!"

"Let me fix the bike to my satisfaction."

"Where are the pedals?"

A couple of weeks ago, Troy competed in a local indoor time trial type triathlon sponsored by the Tri-Gators, the triathlon club he helped find. Each participant had to swim, bike and run for ten minutes and the person with the most distance was the winner. Troy took 2nd and Ty and I were there to cheer dad on. This was the first tri Ty has witnessed and he was a little confused. He wondered why he couldn't swim, bike and run with daddy, but we let him do his duathlon after the event was over. Ty was fascinated by the bikes and running is at the top of his list these days, especially if he is chasing Jack.

More Hummus Please

Do you have a picky eater in your house? If so, a palate repair is the answer. This is the joke in our house as Ty eats just about EVERYTHING since his palate was repaired. We don't know if food feels different in his mouth or if he was starving for real food after two weeks on a liquid diet, but we have a voracious eater on our hands. Before surgery, Ty ate eggs, bananas, noodles, bread and yogurt. He would try veggies like green beans and peas every now and then, but was never consistent. At this time, I think we have a vegetarian on our hands. He will eat all types of vegetables and devours broccoli and asparagus. Black beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans are also part of his repertoire. I made hummus on Friday for our Saturday evening house church gathering and the little guy could not have enough. I had leftovers on Sunday and Ty picked it out of the fridge on Sunday and brought it to me for snack. He wanted to sit on the stool at our counter height table instead of his high chair so I granted him the opportunity. The kid at the hummus by the spoonful like you would peanut butter and demanded more. I am so grateful for an adventurous eater. He also ate the roasted vegetables and curry chicken salad that was part of our spread on Saturday night!

How 'Bout Them Poo Kickers!!!

FYI, Troy came up with the title. Yesterday I learned a new title for these type of rubber boots and was reminded once again that I was raised a city girl. My dad proudly bought them for Ty a couple of weeks ago when my family came for a visit. I said they were perfect for rainy days, snow days and just for fun days! Sunday happened to be a rainy day and Ty wanted to try on his new boots in between the showers. He wasn't too sure how to move his feet at first, but soon got the hang of it and was quite proud. Troy came home from a morning visit to a house church in our network and saw Ty and said, "He has his poo kickers on!" He really meant to say the 4 letter word that begins with S, but we don't want to expose Ty to that word just yet. Troy reminded me of his poo kicking days growing up castrating pigs and scooping poop for extra moola. I still have a hard time putting my finger around the fact that my husband ever did that. He is more of the academic variety then the get your hands dirty (even though he can) type.

A Morning in the Park

The grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins from Texas were in town for a visit last week and we enjoyed a gorgeous spring morning in the park. The guys organized a game of "football" using sticks to define the boundaries and included the little ones. Ty wasn't too sure what to think, but his sports loving dad was determined to show him the game. I think Ty is more like his mom who is uncoordinated and prefers the type of sports that depend on ones own body and not the team and ball...like swimming, biking and running. I feel we have more of a future triathlete on our hands in the athletics department.

Mr. Potty Head

Ty recently went through a stage where he became fascinated with his potty seat. While we are not potty training, he showed interest in the seat so we would sit him on it before bath time. He never did his "business", but the ritual potty time became play time. Yes, the seat was clean and we couldn't resit a few snapshots.

Good-Bye Winter

We are SOOOO ready for spring and tired of these up and down temperatures in Central Illinois. One day we are enjoying the outdoors in the 60's and then we are stuck with bone chilling cold, blustery, windy days the next. The snow has been minimal this year, but Ty and I did enjoy a couple of sled rides this winter. Its hard to tell from the pictures, but Ty was thrilled with the new mode of transportation. The little guy loves speed and gave the biggest belly laugh whenever I ran or went around corners. Talk about a workout for me! I cannot wait to introduce him, and his dad, to down hill skiing!

Something a Little Different

The Inn Above Onion Creek, the incredible and green bed and breakfast that I worked (housekeeper, cookie maker, assistant cook, reservation maker) at in college and on occasion after I graduated, was featured in National Geographic Traveler as one of the Top 10 Most Romantic Inns! I would definitely second that as it is in a quiet, rustic yet elegant setting with fabulous sunsets, gourmet food and natural gardens/wildflowers. Due to its remoteness at its conception, the inn offers both breakfast and dinner in its price. Eight years later, development in the local area has boomed and there are more choices for food, but the inn has fought and won to have the land in their area to be zoned for no development to protect the wildlife, greenbelt/aquifer and views of the guests. I have so much respect for the inn and its owners and innkeeper, Amy. The inn was green years before it was cool to be green. We composted and recycled everything possible, had organic gardens and bought organic food to prepare all meals. We were conscious about everything in our day to day operations. Troy and I had the opportunity to stay there last summer for a get away after vacationing with our family in Texas. I always dreamed of visiting the inn with my spouse as I was cleaning the rooms and I finally got to fulfill that dream. Enough time had past since I worked there that I felt detached enough to be able to enjoy its possibilities at its fineness.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Posing in the Tub

Ty's paperwork said he DESPISED bath time, but you never would have known it from our experiences with him. The kid LOVES water...especially Jack's water bowl these days. Water fountains, the bathroom sink, the toilet (we have to close the bathroom doors and lid or he will play in the basin), YMCA swimming pool, puddles to splash in...anything that contains water, he is magnetically drawn to. The YMCA staff has even commented on his "natural" abilities in the water. They even said he has a swimmers body like Michael Phelps, long torso and little legs. YEP, that is our boy. It will be interesting to watch as he matures if we have a little "Gator" (local swim team) or "Tri-Gator" (local triathlon club) on our hands.

Now and Then

Now

Then

Look what a difference 5 months can make in the life of a child. Today marks our 5 month anniversary of receiving Ty as a gift from God. Each day is a blessing and he continues to amaze us each day. It is interesting to see new things unfold as time goes by. Ty is a fish in the water and the top picture reminded us of his "like my wet look" photo we posted while in China.

Ty's New Trick

"Look what I can reach now!"

"Ah, ha. It worked!"

"Yep, I did it!"

Ty's new trick of opening doors has us on our toes. Places are no longer off limits (the bathroom) or safe as he can reach most door handles in our house. Just this morning he opened the door to our basement and preceded to go down the stairs before I caught him. While he is quite good at going up and down stairs by himself, I am there to assist, just in case.

Are You Hungry?

"Howdy Grandma and Grandpa!"

"Here's a kiss for ya!"

"How about some mini muffins too?"

We continue to encourage Ty's language development and spend a lot of time singing, reading books and talking about various photographs. While enjoying his snack of mini whole wheat, three berry muffins before bed, we looked and talked about his Grandma and Grandpa in Texas photo. Ty immediately kissed the picture and then began to "feed" his grandparents. Priceless.

Where Did It Go?

"Are you ready for some magic?"

Ty hiding his sippy cup.


"Drink anyone?" (His version of the sign "drink")


"Where did the drink go?"

"Wow! The cup reappears!"

We have been using sign language with Ty since the day he came into our lives. It has cut down on a tons of frustration and he clearly enjoys learning new signs. It amazes us how fast he picks new signs up and has fun with them. We finally caught a moment of play (and fun) on camera while staying at the Ronald McDonald House for our post palate surgery check-up.

Saggin

What happens when mom buys the cheaper version of our favorite brand of diapers? Saggin. Won't do that again. The temperature reached 63 degrees today and we couldn't wait to enjoy an afternoon stroll and playing in the mushy, water logged (just like the diaper) lawn.

Dog Food Bundt Cake Anyone?

Ty enjoys the task of feeding Jack each morning when he wakes up. He meticulously places each wheat free, tooth cleaning kibble into the designated measuring cup to dump into Jack's dish. On this particular day, he took a different approach. We thought his result was quite artistic and genius if we must say!