Water, how I love thee...

It is so nice that being outside can make my boys so happy and content. Throw water into the mix and it can last for hours (at least for Kyler). Give the kid some rocks and water and we are set for the day. He even forgets about food. Well, until he sees someone pull out a popsicle! It has been getting much warmer around here but not hot yet, so it is comfortable enough for me to stay out there with them. We have been to Pioneer Park twice recently (it's a fork of the Red River that is nice and shallow for the kids and has a sandy bottom). Kyler was in Heaven both times! Damon enjoys it for a while, but he is ready to go long before Kyler. Kenney put Damon's feet into the water, and he screamed as if he was being tortured. It was pretty funny. The water was a little cold, but then we put his feet on just the sand and it happened again. So we figured he doesn't like the feel or texture of the sand.

I think this picture is hilarious!

We have finally gotten some rain as well. The water collects in a little bird bath that is in the front yard. And therefore, Kyler has a new toy! He has to touch the water or throw something into it every time he walks past it. This day, I just let him have at it. He was throwing rocks, splashing with sticks, getting dirty, etc. He had a blast if you can't tell!

Bathtime is another favorite in our house. Damon loves being in the water and splashing his brother. He tries to move all over the place and is super unstable because he moves so much. Kyler is very 'helpful' with Damon. He even shares his toys.

Believe it or not, Damon never cries when Kyler does this to him. I am still amazed he doesn't seem to mind.

This picture reminds me a lot of Kyler

He has to release drain with his toes. Weirdo!

Kyler also 'swims' in the tub. Sorry for the cute naked butt!

At the end of every bath Kyler lays down and blows bubbles and then waits for me to cover him with a towel and pick him up. I have no idea where he gets all these odd habits, but it makes for an interesting bath!

A Day Full of Birthday Fun

I am still amazed that my baby is 2!! It just seems unreal. Then at other times, I can't believe it's only been 2 years. We love this little boy to pieces. He makes us smile and laugh everyday. We love that he is so active and likes to play. He has the most quirky habits. He loves to play with his daddy, never cuddles, eats only things with sugar, loves to watch movies (esp. Toy Story), thinks saying please will get him anything he wants, is learning to love his little brother, hugs his mommy every night before bed, and brings so much joy to our family.

Kyler had a really good day for his birthday. He ate a cookie for breakfast, went to the park, got to stay up with Mom while Damon took a nap, watched a movie while Mom got everything ready for the party, had lots of family come over to celebrate, ate a cupcake, got way too many presents, and stayed up late!! All-in-all he had a fun filled birthday!!

Kyler was acting like a teenager rather than a toddler in the morning. He didn't wake up until 10:30!! I wish that would happen more often. I might be able to get some stuff done or get some sleep!!

Damon had fun watching all the kids play. He loves seeing Kyler run everywhere!

He never really looked at the camera, but he had a smile on his face the entire time we were at the park.

I think the park in Childress has the tallest slide I have ever seen at a kid's park. It's huge, but it doesn't scare Kyler one bit until he tries to go down. Then I have to climb up there and go down with him!

Luckily his legs are still a little too short to monkey around, but he sure tries to climb everywhrere.

Gotta have the tongue sticking out!

He had a fun time on the merry-go-round until he tried to move while it was going. Avery had a much better grip than Kyler.

Damon loves to be outside too. I'm afraid to admit, but his ears are starting to stick out. Poor kid needs his long hair back!

I love this little boy!

Those candles were hard to blowout! The video shows how hard it was.

For some reason Kyler thought that he couldn't eat his cupcake with his hands. He just ate it like a dog. Silly boy.

Kyler now sings Happy Birthday around the house. It's pretty cute! He had a little trouble with the candles but got some help from a few cousins.

Kyler definately undrestands presents now! I guess it's not too hard to figure out what makes him happy. Everyone did a great job of picking out gifts for him! This clip is pretty long, but he had fun opening presents.

Thank you to everyone that helped make this day special for our precious Kyler Dude!

Food is the Enemy

Have I mentioned before that feeding my children is a nightmare? Seriously, it is such a pain. I never thought eating/feeding would be such a challenge. Both Kyler and Damon have been underweight pretty much since the day they were born, but Damon has hit a new level. At his 6 month checkup, he was in the 20th percentile for weight. So we have tripled the amount of food we were feeding him. Well, I took him in because he had nasty fluid draining out of his ear and was relieved to see that he had gained some weight. When I pointed it out to the doctor, she said, "Lets take a look." She entered the weight on the growth chart and said he had gained some weight, but now he is in the 17th percentile. WHAT? Are you serious? What else can I do? I promise I do feed my child. Here is the proof. This is what I feed Damon in one day:

He eats 6 jars of baby food, 2 feedings with cereal, 4 bottles and a few snacks. He is 6 months old, and I feed him every 2 hours. Only so much food can fit in his little tummy. He should be so fat he shouldn't be able to move!

After the most recent appointment, I now have to add more formula to his bottle. Usually you add one scoop of formula per 2oz of water but now he takes 4oz bottles with 3 scoops instead of 2. He won't drink 6oz because it's too much fluid, so we have to thicken up what he can handle. Ridiculous!! If this doesn't work, I am going to ask the doctor to check for hyperthyroidism or a tapeworm!

Anyone who knows Kyler, knows he has his own eating issues. He will eat ANYTHING, that has sugar and pretty much nothing else. Breakfast foods are great for him, especially foods with syrup. We just have to add peanut butter for a little protein. Lunch and dinner are a battle everyday. However, he usually eats pretty well if we bribe him with a treat! He has a lot of fun helping me make anything with beaters. I didn't even have to teach him how to lick them, it was instinctive! Yesterday, I tried to trick him because I used to beaters to make mashed potatoes. I gave him the beater; he licked it, and then tried to spit out the potatoes. I need to started cooking waffles and pancakes with hidden vegetables.

He loves to sit on the counter and 'help'

One day maybe my whole day will not be consumed with feeding/coercing my children. Also hopefully, we can all enjoy dinner together as a family eating the same thing. 3 separate dinners is out of control!

First Haircut

We have known for a while that Damon has needed a haircut, but it is so hard to cut those cute long locks! (Plus the back of his head had super thin hair because he rubbed it all off, and I was afraid he would look bald if we cut his hair) I didn't want a bald baby. Well, we finally let Papa get the scissors going. And we no longer recognize our own baby! What do you think?

Crazy hair before the cutting began

Peek-a-boo
He was loving having so much attention

He tried to watch everything that Papa was doing

Then he started to get nervous and would not stay still. He moved so much! I'm surprised he didn't cut.

It's getting shorter...

Doesn't he look so different?
I had one little boy from church ask me if I got a new baby! It was pretty funny.

Just to prove that he still has hair, Kenney took a picture of the top of his head. We knew the hair growing in was lighter than the hair he was born with, but we didn't expect it to be this light. He's almost a blond!

That cute little smile didn't change, thank goodness.