Tater Tot Turns 23 Months Old

Tater Tot –

I can’t believe that you are 23 months old today!  You are getting to be such a big boy buddy!  One month from today, we will be celebrating your 2^nd birthday.  Daddy and I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by.

Over the last month, we have spent a lot of time outside, especially at the park.  You love when we go to Toddler Town to play with Brayden and Evan.  You had a blast celebrating Ella’s 4^th birthday party at Rabbit Farm Park.  But your favorite park is Destination Park, because Daddy will climb on all of the big equipment with you and you get to go down the “big boy” slides.

You've started recognizing and naming yourself in pictures.  It always makes me smile when you say your name, because it sounds like you are saying Tater.  One other thing you have learned is the letter "O."  I'm not really sure how or where.  Maybe you picked it up from watching Sesame Street.  Who knows?  The only reason I know that your really know it, is because we were at Toddler Town the other day and while Mrs. Kristin and I were watching you and Evan play, you went over to a little part of the playset that has Xs and Ox on it.  You proceeded to spin each one until you saw the "O," point, and say "O."  You did it three times in a row.  At night, when you go and find your "Go, Go, Go!" book, you read the title and then point at the "o"s and say "O, O, O!" 

You Cars collection continues to grow and your love for planes, trains, cars, and trucks gets bigger by the day.  I love watching you play on the floor and make different noises and sounds.  Couch cushions and empty boxes become ramps and you open up books (and make them stand up like tepees) so that your cars can have a garage.  You still request “Lightning McQueen” and “Helicopter” every day, so Cars and Mater’s Tall Tales are always on hand. 

Your newest "thing" is lining cars and shoes up in rows.  It's pretty hilarious.  All of them have to be "just so" or else you have to move them until you think they are perfect.  It seems like a little bit of OCD might be creeping through.

I absolutely adore your personality.  There is SO much of it, for such a little body.  You are silly and are always finding new ways every day to crack yourself (and your Daddy and me) up.  You’ve started to do this thing where you pretend to slap yourself on the cheek and then throw yourself on the carpet.  Turns out, Marshall does that to make y’all laugh at Mrs. Joanna’s house.  You are turning out to be quite the little ham.  At night, when you get your last “burst” of energy, you run circles around the downstairs and then throw yourself on a cushion, your Daddy, or Bruiser.

You still love music and Gary Allen’s song, Right Where I Need To Be, is still one of your favorites.  Before the final note of the song even finished playing, you are already shouting “Again, please!  More, more, more!” from the backseat.  So, there are some days (like yesterday) that we hear that song three or four times in a row.

Recently, you have become quite the budding artist.  While you love to color with crayons and colored pencils, your favorite thing to do is find Mama’s pens.  Once you find one, you let your “creative juices” flow. . . all over our couch, the cushions, and your legs.  You quickly learned that Daddy and Mama are not big fans of that.  Although, we did have a good laugh about it, when you weren't around.

You still have your typical naptime and nighttime routine.  You have to go to bed with your ladybug pillow pet and it comes downstairs with you when you wake up.  Lately, you’ve also taken your jeep and “Papa” farmer to bed with you too.  You still love to snuggle with your Mama on the couch or with Daddy and Bruiser on the floor.  You’ve gotten used to drinking Almond milk. . . everything is better with chocolate!  We still say a prayer every night to thank God for our family, friends, and all of the other blessings He has given us.  Once you are covered up with your soft blue blanket with brown polka dots and your little Scout puppy dog is playing music, you are good to go.

Only a couple more days of school left and then I get to spend the next two months playing with you and getting to just be a Mama.  I can’t wait!  We are going to have so much fun together.

What can I say buddy?  You are my pride and joy, the apple of my eye, and the sunshine of my day.  I love you more than life itself and can’t wait to celebrate the day God brought you into this world.  Happy 23^rd month my little love bug!

All my love,

Mama

P.S. -- I’m sorry I haven’t been able to post more pictures lately.  Turns out that the reason our computer has been going so slow, is because we had 39,000 pictures uploaded onto the hard drive! Daddy has been working hard to upload them to c.d.s and another hard drive, so I’ll try to do better over the summer.  But here are a couple of you and Daddy moving our old tv out of the house.

Say Cheese!

We had our family pictures taken by Jennie Helmuth back in mid-April.  She really has a gift for capturing the true personality of a child.  I love the family shots she took, but the ones of Tay by himself make my heart melt.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

A Mama's Day to Remember

Today is Mother's Day and it is one that I won't soon forget.  This morning, when Brent got home, he told Taylor to "go help your Mama find her Mother's Day present."  It's no big secret, at least to Brent, that I love surprises and trying to figure out where and what they are.  As soon as he said that, I was up and began diligently searching for my present.  About the same time I started my "scavenger hunt," Brent started snapping pictures of me.  I thought it was funny, because usually I am the one with the camera glued to my hand.  I had on Brent's shorts and t-shirt and hadn't even washed my face. . . payback I guess :)

When I went into the office, Brent said "You are getting warmer and colder."  So, I of course made my way to the fridge and then the freezer.  No luck.  Brent continued to snap away.  I went back into the office and started to check the desk, when something caught my eye.  There on the desk was the Nikon camera that I borrowed from Jessie. . . but hanging from my husband's hand was a Nikon strap attached to another camera.  My jaw dropped.  It was then that I realized what my present was.

We had been saving up all of our Christmas money and spare change to buy a tv.  Brent said that he made an executive decision and invested in the camera instead.  He said the tv could wait.  I wanted to cry.  It was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. 

We continued our usual Sunday morning routine by going to worship.  Of course, this was the one time I didn't pack an extra pair of pants in Tay's bag and wouldn't you know it. . .he peed through his khakis and onto Brent's.  Go figure! 

We made it work and after a quick stop at the store to get pictures, groceries, and a pair of shorts, we were on our way home.  We had decided earlier in the week to have our parents and Aunt Manda over for lunch.  We wanted to let our Mamas know how important they are to us.  Brent smoked a pork loin and a couple of whole chickens and grilled some veggies.  After eating that, a couple other sides, and some fruit pizza, we were stuffed.

The day ended with Jessie and Patrick stopping by to see the family and all of us gave Mama her Mother's Day present together.  We got her a glass Hummingbird bird bath.  It looked like it was made for her.

It really was a perfect day.  One that let me reflect on how truly blessed I am.  I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband, who is thoughtful and kind.  I am grateful that God blessed me with an incredible Mama, who has shown me, by example, what it means to be a good Mama and how to be a Godly woman.  I am truly thankful that God blessed Brent and I with Taylor.  Before I became a Mom, I never know how much joy one little person could bring into my life and how I could feel such a different kind of love. . . one that completely fills my heart in a way nothing else has, nor ever will.

Here are a couple of pictures, from the day I became a Mama and the days that followed.  After six days in the NICU, Taylor got to come home with us. . . where he belonged.