After naps

I am in love with today and the fact I get to tell my boys that after naps, we're going to Africa!!!!!! The DeTar African Adventure 2013 starts tonight!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  From a new niece to our baby boy and a brother in law and sister in law to boot, our family has grown ten fold and we couldn't be happier.  We celebrated today at the DeTar house along with my parents, some aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was a delicious meal as always and Little Guy got to take the corvette for a spin.  It was home early for us to finish up last minute packing and getting in our last good night sleep before our big family adventure!

Pre-Thanksgiving Celebration

This year my sister and I will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with our hubbies' families, so we gathered with my parents to celebrate before the big day.  We also planned it so we could take a family photo for my mom's Christmas card.  It was another fun night with the babes all together and the boys talking football...each holiday gets a little bit more hectic crazy fun as the kiddos get bigger and we tweak past traditions to start new traditions with our every growing families.  Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder

We went out to Schroeder Ranch to celebrate Nicole and Curtis tying the knot.  It was a beautifully intimate wedding and the most perfect way to celebrate 10 years of love and commitment and the amazing family they are building with Alli and Gracie.  We really enjoyed the barn reception complete with some fun decor from our party stash and an area all set up for the kiddos.  We didn't stay too late since we're gearing up for vacation and working really hard to not get sick, but we had a blast while we were there!  Congrats to the newest Mrs. Schroeder (she's one of many many many Mrs. Schroeders!)

Budding Artist

This is what happens when you set up the art easel in the garage and then have the audacity to change the laundry while your sweet toddler son is creating his latest masterpiece...And yes, these are two separate instances being photographed...draw on your face once, shame on you.  Draw on your face twice, shame on me....

Pizza

We decided we just needed to hang out in our pjs all day long...and what better way to spend the day then making pizza in our jammies.  We're trying really hard not to get sick before we leave on vacation so we've been quarantined to our house this week and next so I am having to really mix up the fun for Little Guy.  He was a huge helper with the dough and loved eating the pepperoni and olives off the raw pizza.  Mr. Wyatt Bear was, as usual, a smiling spectator of the shenanigans going around around him.

Brothers

There are days that I can't believe I get to be a mommy, to care for another little person whole heartedly, to protect him from any harm, and to teach him all that I can.  And then, as if that revelation wasn't crazy enough, I was given the chance to do it again.  I look at our boys and I am constantly (literally on a daily, if not sometimes hourly, basis) amazed that they have grown into unique little people who trust in us and rely on us for everything and the awesome blessing it is to be able to give them everything they need.  

I love watching them discover the world, but what I love most is watching them love each other. Little Guy has become quite the fan of making Mr. Wyatt Bear smile and takes great pride in getting him to laugh.  And when Mr. Wyatt Bear laughs, Little Guy laughs, and when Little Guy laughs that makes Mr. Wyatt Bear laugh even more, and all of this makes my heart happy.  Is there anything better for a mama then to see her sweet boys loving and laughing together?  Simply put, no, there is nothing better.

Big Baby Crib

I decided to try the pack n'play for Mr. Wyatt Bear since he was pushing himself into the corner of the co-sleeper and seemed to be upset with the lack of room he had for rolling around.  It needs to be pointed out he hadn't rolled over yet, but he doesn't get a lot of down time with an older brother and two wild dogs running all about....well, after one night and two attempted naps in the pack n'play, we have gone back to the co-sleeper.  He wasn't a fan of the all wiggle room, although he did roll over once in the night, he likes the confined space of the co-sleeper and to be honest, I like the height of the co-sleeper.  So we can officially say he has rolled over and we are officially not encouraging it throughout the night.

A Boy and His Dogs

Little Guy loves his dogs...I mean he REALLY LOVES HIS DOGS.  It's gotten to the point where now he wants to stay home so he can just play with the dogs-and he likes this playing to be all by himself.  I am often given the shoo away with a quick "Love you Mama...Bye Mama" and then the door or gate is closed to keep the dogs in for playtime.  I think the headbands and hats Little Guy has OddBall and NeighNeigh wearing could be the reason for their attempted escapes.  Well, today Little Guy begged and begged to have OddBall take a nap with him, and I caved.  I did stay strong and say no to OddBall actually getting in the crib with Little Guy, but after two quick trips into his room to remind him that he had to be sleeping if OddBall was in his room, he fell asleep and wasn't heard from for two hours.  I turned the monitor screen on when I heard noise and saw Little Guy's hand reaching through the crib slats and OddBall sitting so patiently getting her ears rubbed.  I think we may have a new nap time ritual in this house.

Music, Sand, and Tantrums

Today was our last day of fall music...this makes me sad.  We love our Wednesday music class and Little Guy is really starting to get into his songs and likes to sing along to some of his favorites.  We'll be back in January and even better will be the fact that Mr. Wyatt Bear will be sitting up on his own and able to play with some of the instruments too! After music class, Little Guy wanted to "play sand".  Auntie Cari passed on some awesome sand toys and that's where he likes to spend his days now...except he has no desire to play with me, just Odd Ball and Ne-Ne.  He likes me to put them on the side yard and close the gate...that way no one can come in and more importantly, no dog can get out.  It makes me nervous when I watch him from inside the house and I see him trying to jump from the sprinkler system box onto the portable dog crate, but so far, no broken bones.  In the midst of music ending and the sandbox being a main attraction, we've still managed to have some time for tantrums...this terrible twos thing may not be an urban legend after all.  Little Guy has decided he will partake in making my days a little more stressful and my mommy voice a little more tired when he doesn't want to go along with whatever the game plan may be...so far we're handling these little tantrums just fine, but I've heard a dirty rumor that two is nothing compared to three, and if that's the case, these might be two REALLY long years ahead of us...

Mr. Wyatt Bear before and all slicked up after his Wednesday bath

Playing sand with Odd Ball and Ne Ne

This boy and his trains...he's all bundled up this morning to play trains in the planter box.  It's a miracle these trains don't get buried alive every morning.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I did it....I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving....and I LOVE every second of the holiday cheer filling our house.  I am not sure what it is this year, but I am EXCITED for the holiday season- I think most of the excitement comes from seeing Christmas through the eyes of a two year old....the lights, the sounds, the awe, it just doesn't get old.  My mom was over for the day and we thought what better way to spend nap time then to haul in all the Christmas decor.  I am so glad I conquered this with her help, it was out, up, and all boxes put away before dinnertime.  Little Guy said enough is enough when he vetoed the Christmas CD opting for the choo choo song instead.  Let the holiday season begin!

Sunday Funday

It's going to be a good day, no make that a great day, when you're personal alarm clock starts shrieking for you at 4am....at least that's what we tell ourselves in this house.  Little Guy is just having a real heck of a time getting back to his old sleepy ways since Day Light Savings and these 4am wake up calls are about to be the death of me!  What do you do when you started your day at 4am???  You nap at 10:30...and what does a 10:30 nap give you?  An incredibly early bedtime.  Papa and Gigi came over for dinner and playtime, so we warned them to come extra early since this party was already started.  We hit up the park before our dinner guests arrived and then Little Guy spent the early evening playing with his Papa and Gigi.  It was so nice to have my parents over and not have them working...well, my mom spent the night so she got plenty of work in the next day.

Reindeer and Dinosaurs

Today was opening day of pheasant season.  It's funny to look at the evolution of the opening day crowd.  Ten years ago it was all of us young 20 something year olds looking for a good reason to start the drinking early.  Five years ago it was a quieter party as some people were at home with babies and others had moved away for jobs or families or both.  And then there was this year, a packed house with half the crowd under five years old and a blast for everyone!  Little Guy had a blast playing with the cockadoodledoos, his friends, family, and eating more cookies than his mama could count.  It was a special day so our naps were a little off schedule, aka, super short!, so dinnertime came early and we found ourselves in Panera at 4:45....and since Mr. Wyatt Bear had a major blowout minutes before leaving, I couldn't see a point in changing him into another outfit to then just change into pjs an hour later, so he went in his dinosaur pjs and Little Guy wanted to wear his reindeer antlers- that is he wanted to wear them until we got into Panera then he just wanted to chew on them.  So we decided Mr. Wyatt Bear would wear them, and that's how we came up with this super stylish outfit....

Giraffes, Elephants, Neighs, and Dinosaurs

We've really been trying to front load African animals and what not so Little Guy will have something to draw on when we're out on safari...he has an African animals night light, loves to read African animal books, and enjoys the giraffe exhibit at the zoo.  I talk to him throughout the day about our upcoming vacation and he is always excited that Mama, Dada, Baby, and Gigi are going on the airplane...and then the rest of the details get a little muted...well today he informed me during our vacation chit chat that he would see giraffes, elephants, neighs, and dinosaurs...I didn't think it was possible, but this African safari might wind up disappointing our little friend...I've been emphasizing the chance to see a lion, but those dinosaurs are really holding strong.  Sorry Little Guy, your just a couple hundred millions years too late.

Potty in the Toilet

AHHHHHHH......I am officially not ready for this......Daddy had Little Guy on the potty tonight and he went, he actually went.  He hasn't had an interest in going throughout the day or on the downstairs toilet, but after baths upstairs was apparently the secret recipe.  We cheered and high fived and he was pretty proud of himself and really excited to flush....so I guess that means after vacation I have to commit to potty training...heaven help us all, I hope it's easier in real life than the nightmare I keep replaying in my head- quick recap, it involves accidents in the foam pit of gymnastics, on the toy aisle of Target, in the car seat I spent hours installing, and pretty much anywhere else I find myself these days when I note, "Here would be a TERRIBLE place to be if you were just learning how to use the potty..." But alas my sweet bear cannot live in diapers forever and if he's ready, he's ready.  And truth be told, it will be a beautiful day when I am only changing one squirmy little diaper at a time.  Way to Go Little Guy, Mommy and Daddy are proud of you!

Doctor Check Up

Mr. Wyatt Bear had his four month check up today...I think I am soon going to cash in all the favors I have stored up from Daddy for doing check ups and shots by myself for both boys, it is heart wrenching on this mama to listen to her sweet bear cry.  Mr. Wyatt Bear decided he didn't want to show case his smiling personality and instead cried the majority of the appointment, even before the shots...nonetheless Dr. Walker said he is in tip top shape and couldn't fall more perfectly on the growth chart if he tried!  Even with his shots, he was a happy bear as soon as he got his milk and was home for some rest.  Little Guy got to spend the time at Auntie Heather's house playing choo-choos with Jack Jack, Caden, and Emme...he was in heaven!

4 months already????

Mr. Wyatt Bear is four months old today....yes, that's a third of the first year under his belt!  In honor of our littlest bundle of love celebrating this milestone today, here's four fun facts we want everyone to know:
1.  Mr. Wyatt Bear wakes up smiling, falls asleep smiling, and spends all of his day smiling....seriously, this baby LOVES to smile.all.day.long!
2.  Mr. Wyatt Bear is weighing in at 15.6 pounds at four months old...for a point of reference, Little Guy weighed 16 pounds at 4 months and I weighed 14.2 pounds- I just love first year calendars, how fun is it that I can go back and see all my first year highlights from ages ago (way to go mom for recording everything!)
3.  Our little babe now has all four sides up on the co-sleeper since he can fully lift his whole trunk up and enjoys looking around after he's done napping.
4.  Mr. Wyatt Bear now enjoys spending time in his jumper and has just started to see the fun in toys...it's going to get a lot crazier in this house in the next few months.

Happy Four Month Birthday Mr. Wyatt Bear....you could not make our family any happier or fuller of love...WE LOVE YOU!

Wey-Wey Simon DeeeTaaarrr

Little Guy has learned his whole name...it started with Wesley, or as he says "Wey-Wey", then Daddy taught him "DeeeeTaaarrr", then he added in "Simon".  It's pretty adorable to hear him say "Wey-Wey Simon DeeeeTaaarrr".  I am not sure what it is about Daddy, but he has been able to teach him to say his favorite golfer is Nick Watney, his favorite football player is Ryan Tanehill, and his full name is Wesley Simon DeTar....clearly only one of these skills holds a lifetime of usefulness, but it's still fun to know your golfers and your full name.