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.

Night on the town...

We hadn't been to La Estacion, our favorite local Mexican restaurant, since Myles's first birthday more than 10 months ago, so we went last night. You may recall (or can look back to 8/12/2009 to recap) that Myles really enjoyed our last visit, fell in love with a young waitress and gripped her hand with both of his hands, pressing her hand to his chest, and wouldn't release her for a very long 90 seconds or so. This time, he used a chip to spoon the better part of a small dish of salsa into and around his mouth, chest and lap, and continuously smiled and shouted "Hey!" and "Hi!" to every server or patron who passed by our table. He ate a good hunk of quesadilla and was very well behaved. We don't get out very often, but last night made it seem like we should. What a fun time!