Starting to look like summer...

We had a nice time over Memorial Day weekend at a great party hosted by some friends in the neighborhood, and Myles and Grace especially enjoyed the cold treats.  Grace in particular enjoyed hers from head to toe.

This one, I had to add just because it was so funny.  Myles really had a good time in the bath a couple weeks ago...

Just because it has been a long time....

I suspect none of our very few "followers" have bothered to look here in some time, since we have all but forsaken this little project, but I figured I'd throw some recent pics up for auld lang syne. All is well, lots of good times, here are a few shots from the past few months.

Birthday Boy

Myles turned 3 years old on Friday, August 12th. We started the morning with a treasure hunt to find his first gift. His first clue was contained in his Lightning McQueen birthday card - he had to go to where he keeps his toothbrush. The clue that he located there directed him to where he plays with his trains. The clue that he discovered on his train table told him to go to where Mommy and Daddy park their cars.

Once in the garage, he located his present - a Lightning McQueen bike! He was pretty excited! He jumped right on and was ready to go!

He rode up and down the street until Mommy and Daddy had to drag him in for breakfast. He wanted to ride his bike all day! He did take a lunch break to head to McDonald's for some grub, some playtime with friends and a new Smurf toy! After a short nap, he was back out for some more biking. When Daddy got home, we had a small birthday party with just the four of us and Myles enjoyed the frosting from a birthday cupcake.

Then it was time for a few more small presents from Mommy, Daddy and Grace - a Clifford the Big Red Dog book and some Toy Story pjs. Although Myles was happy to get those presents, he did wonder aloud where the toys were! Then it was time to hit the hay for his big birthday party on Saturday.

Myles has made his Mommy and Daddy so proud and he is growing up so fast. He is changing every day and is growing into such a funny, happy and polite little boy! We can't wait to see all the changes that this next year will bring!

Long time, no see...

After nearly 10 months of inactivity - hey that's about Gracie's age - we have no idea if anybody will ever view this blog again. But, looking back on the things we posted before has been really fun, so we thought we'd start up again, even if it is just for our own enjoyment and preservation of memories.

Well, Myles and Grace have changed. Myles is rapidly approaching his third birthday, which is just a little over a week away. Grace is crawling around at high speed and starting to stand braced against other objects. We'll now wait for something minor to happen, then we'll post about it.

Baby Sister...

It's been a long time since our last post, and that is primarily due to the fact that we have been very busy preparing for the arrival of Myles's baby sister.

Myles is very excited to announce that his sister, Grace Lillian Irene, arrived on Sunday, October 10. (10/10/10 - pretty easy to remember.) Myles is fascinated by his little sister and is somewhat frustrated that he is not permitted to pick her up and carry her around at will. "I do it!" Despite his enthusiasm and confidence, Mommy and Daddy suspect he is not quite ready for that level of care-taking.

Myles has yet to decide whether to change the name of his blog and include Grace, so we will keep our reader(s) posted on that matter.

Taking a good, close look:


Can I get away with "beeping" her nose?:


"Beep-beep!":

Green Meadows Petting Farm

On Friday, September 3rd, Myles took Mommy and Daddy to Green Meadows Petting Farm. What a fantastic place! The admission price included a pony ride and a hayrack ride and Myles thoroughly enjoyed both!
The farm had ducks, chickens, goats, bunnies, kittens, cows, pigs, turkeys, donkeys, llamas and more. There were lots of baby animals, many of which you could pick up and/or pet. Myles found that very exciting. He just kept running from one end of the farm to the other.

However, the kitty barn was definitely a favorite!

You could actually milk this cow if you were so inclined. Myles, however, was not.

It was a very fun way to spend a Friday morning and a great way to start off the weekend! We will certainly be going back in the future - maybe this fall to get a pumpkin!

Meeting Lillian Rose

On Friday, September 10th, Myles's cousin, Lillian Rose, was born. Myles was very excited to meet her! Her arrival was delayed a few hours, so Myles and Daddy got to hang out at Uncle Dan and Aunt Tiffany's house and play for awhile, which both of them really enjoyed. He also got to have lunch at McDonald's with Grandma and Papa T. and cousin Cole. When we went to see Lily at the hospital, Myles showed her several of her new toys and squealed with delight when she cried. He was sad to have to leave and told her "Bye, bye baby." He shows signs of being a great big brother!

Always Busy

As these pictures demonstrate, Myles never has trouble finding something to do. We had a lot of soda left over from Myles's birthday party and we keep them in our utility closet. The other day, Myles took each and every can out of each and every open box and carried them one at a time to the kitchen table. He was very careful to line them up so that each soda can was with its own kind. Then he sat down to play with them and mixed them up a bit. Let me tell you, Mommy never minds picking up that kind of mess. It kept him busy for at least 1/2 an hour!

Boating Fun

Last Saturday, Mommy, Daddy and Myles spent the day visiting our friends at their cottage and cruising around on their pontoon boat. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed every minute. Here is a picture of Myles sporting the Barbie life jacket that he borrowed for the ride.
Myles had a blast with his friends, Lauren and Morgan, and they were so good playing with him. What a wonderful way to end the summer!

Big Boy Bed Time

For quite some time now, Myles has been climbing in and out of his crib at will. So, Mommy and Daddy decided it was time for a big boy bed.
Myles moved into his big boy bed on August 21st and he was so very excited about it! He jumped around and couldn't wait to crawl up on it. Myles's big boy bed was also Daddy's bed when he was a little boy, so it is extra special. Myles has been sleeping in his big boy bed for more than a week now and he is doing a great job - he has not been getting out of bed at bedtime and he hasn't fallen out once. As one of his birthday presents, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Mike gave Myles some sports ball sheets to go with his new quilt and he loves pointing out the different types of balls on them. He is very proud to be such a big boy and his parents are very proud of him as well!

Birthday Bash

Myles's dinosaur themed 2nd birthday bash was held on Sunday, August 15th. The weather was perfect and Myles had a wonderful time. He had about 45 guests, both friends and family, help him celebrate. (This picture was obviously taken before the party started.)
The party was primarily held in the backyard, although most kids played with toys inside for awhile as well. Myles had his pool, water table and new sprinkler beach ball out for the kids to play with as well as his bubble mower, bubbles, basketball hoop, bag toss and new soccer ball and net. Cousin Cole was also nice enough to share his bounce house for the party, which was a big hit. Everyone kept very busy.
After a lunch of burgers, brats, hot dogs, dinosaur shaped PB&Js, chips, fruit and veggies, the cake was served. Myles had to sample a bit of the frosting first, of course.
As usual, Myles enjoyed his cake immensely. We actually think that he ate some cake in addition to the frosting this time! Must have been to honor the occasion.
After a brief nap and a snack, it was time to open the large number of gifts that Myles received. Grandma and Papa T., Gramma and Papa A. and Aunt Jenny and Uncle Mike were able to stay for the gift opening. Myles was very excited about each one of his gifts and played with each and every one of them after opening them before moving on to open the next gift. It was so fun to watch him enjoy all of his presents. He is a very loved (and spoiled) little boy! What a fun, fun day!

Birthday Boy

On Thursday, August 12th, Myles turned two years old! Since his big party was scheduled for Sunday, he opted for a quiet celebration at home with Mommy and Daddy.
After dinner, Myles enjoyed a birthday cupcake - well, at least the frosting from a birthday cupcake.
Mommy and Daddy gave Myles a Mr. Potato Head for his birthday. Myles immediately recognized this toy as a result of his diligent study of the Toy Story movies. Once he saw it, he immediately said, "Tato Head."
Mr. Potato head was a big hit right from the start and has provided hours worth of fun ever since, making it a great toy for both Myles as well as Mommy and Daddy.
We can't believe it has been two years since Myles came into our lives. He is such a joy and keeps us laughing daily! We thank God every day for our beautiful little boy!

Another Birthday Party....

Today, it was the 3rd birthday party for Myles's buddy Jason - also in the neighborhood. Jason and his parents, Jeff and Christina, threw a legendary party. It was baseball / Brewers themed. Brewers cake, Brewers colors, Brewers gift bags with each child guest's name on them, ballpark food (hot dogs, brats, nachos with cheese and peppers, popcorn, etc.). Really great ideas and executed with incredible care. Like we said before, the pressure is really on for a good birthday party in this neighborhood - tough acts to follow.

Myles mans the door while his good pal Lucas rings the bell of the playhouse.

Myles follows the lead of the older boys and finally succeeds in climbing up the slide of the huge inflatable jumpy thingy in the yard.

Myles puts a hurtin' on a Brewers-themed cupcake... well, at least on the frosting portion of it...

What a great party! Thanks, Jason, Jeff and Christina!

Fun in the Sun

Myles and Mommy went to a zero depth pool this morning and Myles was absolutely thrilled! As you can see, he didn't hesitate to run right in! It was a beautiful morning and we had so much fun!
We were planning on hanging out with friends, but unfortunately, several friends were sick today so it ended up just being the two of us. We hope our friends will be able to join us next time. We did happen to run into Myles's babysitter and her kids, so Myles was pretty excited to see them.
The pool had a cool slide that Myles loved going down, but unfortunately Mommy didn't get any pictures of that as she was busy monitoring Myles's "waiting his turn" technique as well as his "move out of they way when you are done" skills. Maybe we can get some good shots of that next time.
Myles loved laying down in the water and by the end of our visit, he was dunking his whole face in the water. Each and every time he did it, he squealed with delight and was very proud of himself! Mommy was pretty impressed and enjoyed every second!

Partying with friends...

This weekend was the weekend of the birthday party in our neighborhood. Myles had to miss his friend Tyler's 2nd birthday party on Saturday because he was recovering from a brief illness, but he was back up today for parties for Colton (2) and the joint birthday party for brother and sister Mason (1) and Madelyn (3). It was a very fun day with neighbors and friends. Of the pictures below, two were taken by me on my mobile phone. The other two were taken by a neighbor and friend, Amy S., who has a really nice camera and is a very good amateur photographer. You guess which are which, it won't be difficult.

Myles enjoys one of the many party favors at Colton's party.


Myles goes for a ride with the birthday boy, Colton. I guess Colton's Harley-Davidson trike is just a bit cooler than the pink scooter Myles borrowed.



Here, Myles takes a break from terrorizing the playground to do his impersonation of a catalog model for a couple of shots.



Let's just say that our neighbors have set a high standard for birthday parties. Myles has a lot to live up to when he joins his pals at age 2 in a few weeks.