9 Month Appointment

We were a few days early, but since there are no vaccinations involved with the nine month appointment, we decided to get it out of the way first thing Monday morning.  I am happy to report that Mr. Wyatt Bear is growing and thriving just as we hoped, meeting all milestones, and most importantly, doing it all with a smile on his face!  He weighed in at 19 pounds 1.1 ounces and 28 3/4 inches tall...the nurse asked me how long he was when he was born and I couldn't remember- MOM FAIL!!  It always reassures my worrying mommyself when we go in to see Dr. Walker; there's never been anything to be really worried about, but I always seem to find a way to make the worse scenarios up in my head.  Aside from calming me down, Dr. Walker is apparently also very good at convincing Little Guy what he needs to be doing.  Dr. Walker talked to him about how yucky it was to pick his nose and how neat it was to go potty on the toilet ( again, I love our doctor) and all day long since we left Little Guy is reminding me that Dr. Walker told him "No No, Wesley don't pick his nose" and he felt it necessary to call and leave Gigi and Papa a message letting them know that Dr. Walker goes poo-poo in the toilet...Oh Little Guy, you crack me up!  And Dr. Walker, I am going to be enlisting him for all my hard lessons, Little Guy loves him!

Party Animals

We have been packing our weekends full lately, and let me tell you, I am a little relieved to see Monday morning roll around and know all I have to do is get the boys dressed in sweats for a little drop in gymnastics play...we had THREE parties today.  We started with a two year old birthday party that was a fun and tiring event, followed by a BBQ at Uncle Luke's and Aunt Kim's, followed by a much needed nap break, and then concluding our run with another two year old birthday  party down the street...I am exhausted, and slightly nauseous, thinking about the day and all the food and goodies we had...Little Guy loves a delicious piece of Happy Birthday cake and today he certainly got his fill!  I think these busy days are just glimpses into our potentially chaotic future...

Our climber

Yes, this is now happening in our house...Little Guy wheels over his bike or finds a stool to carry and hoists himself up to open the fridge.  He then moves the bike or stool and uses the freezer bar to practice his gymnastics and maneuver his way onto the bottom ledge of the fridge.  Then he stands IN the fridge and decides what it is that he "needs"...the red Crystal Light quickly got dumped after a few close calls of him choosing that gallon pitcher to take down by himself.  Oh sweet bear, you keep me on my toes...what will we do when you have a little side kick in tow?

S-T-R-I-K-E

We hit up the lanes with the Metchos and Santopadres today.  Fairfield was on spring break so we took advantage and got in a play date with our favorite big kids.  Little Guy and Jackson were siked to be together and could have cared less about the bowling game...We followed it up with pizza and MANY attempts to win a prize from the arcade.  The prize was a bust but the day was a perfect 10 for everyone!

Just Two Minutes

Little Guy cracks me up every day.  His talking gets clearer (it's still a little tricky if you're not used to his speech) and more in depth every day.  I have been working with him on listening and try to give him a two minute warning whenever we need to go somewhere or move on to another activity.  Well, he's really taken to this theory and now tells me MULTIPLE times a day that he's just going to do "two minutes Mama"...as in, "Wesley it's time for milk and a nap", "I have juice for just two minutes Mama", or "Wesley let's do a puzzle", "I watch airplanes on TV for two minutes Mama", and "Wesley it's time to give me your cup and go night night", "I drink my cha milk for two minutes"...pretty much anything he can think of, he wants to do for just two minutes...it makes me laugh every time I hear him negotiate, and honestly, it's working quite well for us- he's usually pretty content to move on to whatever it is he needs to be doing after he's had his two minutes to do whatever it is he wants to do.  If the compromise is just a two minute detour and then we're off with little resistance, I'll take it!

Body Movin'

We hit up gymnastics today with some of our fun little friends and Mr. Wyatt Bear decided he was ready to try real crawling!  He propped himself up and crawled on his hands and knees for about 5 strides...then he realized he could get anywhere much faster with his trusted army crawl so he dropped down and started scooting!  We were already busy with a scooter and a runner, but a crawler means he's just one step closer to walking...wait, walking????

Party Animals

Daddy and I went out the night...I know, sound the alarm bells, that hasn't happened in a while...even more shocking, we were out until after midnight, and let me tell you, we were TIRED the next day!  We joined the Santopadres for the annual Sports Night dinner supporting Vaca High, and while we didn't win any raffles prizes or buy any auction items, we did enjoy some yummy food and wine and had a great time chatting with friends.

Hello Spring

Today was the first day of spring and we decided to celebrate with a fashionable sock and Crocs outfit and Popsicles.  I am excited for springtime, but it's hard to get into the spirit when it feels like we never really got winter...I am still dressing the boys in pants and long sleeves when we wake up and by lunch time they're running around in barefoot with just t-shirts.  One thing Little Guy is loving is the fact that swimming weather is that much closer.  He asks me everyday to go in the hot tub and when I tell him it's cold, he asks if he can just touch it with his finger- after he touches it he reports it's not too cold for Wesley and he's not kidding, he's already been swimming and that water will take your breath away it's so cold!

Chomp chomp

Guess who now has TWO bottom teeth?!? Mr. Wyatt Bear's second tooth has finally broke through. There's not a whole lot to see but you can feel the razor sharp edge, take my word for it.  He also decided to go ahead a pull himself up today....yes, he's breaking his Mommy's heart growing up more everyday. He was just full of smiles as he held onto the box and watched his brother swing....teeth and standing up....what's next?!?

Big boy bath time

Today both boys enjoyed a bath together!! It was exciting for Little Guy, amazingly time efficient for Mommy, and Mr. Wyatt Bear seemed to be okay with it too....even when his brother was "helping" wash his hair :) 

Party Time

Today we celebrated Miss P with a musical birthday party for the record books.  Her mommy went above and beyond to throw the best party around.  Starting with the musically themed invitations, to the music together circle time led by our favorite Miss Justine, party bags complete with cowbells and egg shakers, a xylophone cake, and a delicious taco bar, it was the best way to spend a beautiful 80 degree Saturday in March.  I think Little Guy survived on chips, push pops, and juice boxes all day, but he was happy camper and made it until almost nine when he crashed in the toddler bed at Gigi and Papa's.  It was the first time the boys stayed in the same bedroom and it worked until about 1 am...then Little Guy snuggled up with Daddy and I bounced from the toddler bed to the foot of the queen bed depending on who needed what...it was a FABULOUS day, but boy are we tired!  With another party tomorrow, we are ready for a power nap!

Crazy Dude

I love this crazy dude...he decided to munch on his favorite food of the moment avocado in Mr. Wyatt Bear's jumper...he now detests avocado, I can't keep up with the hourly changing food preferences....

Brothers

I love these two silly bears.  We decided to just chill in big brother's room after naps...Mr. Wyatt Bear loved the bean bag chair and Little Guy was excited to have his baby brother on his new big boy bed.  Oh sweet boys, I love watching you guys laugh together.

One Year Already

Happy Birthday Miss Peyton!!!  Our sweet little love celebrated her big first birthday today and we can't figure out where the last 364 days went!!!  Wasn't it just yesterday I was rushing to the hospital, praying my sister was in labor for the long haul ( I apologize about that prayer now Katie!), only to be minutes late to the birth, but overcome with emotion when I held my sweet niece for the first time...oh how time flies when your babies are growing up.  We wish you best of days Miss P, we're so excited to watch you grow! 

To celebrate her big day, we went to Chuck E. Cheese.  She had never been and her mommy was VERY excited to take her...I am not sure if she loved her visit with the mouse, but Little Guy loved all the rides and games...and I LOVED the mini donuts we had for dessert!  We can't wait to celebrate again on Saturday!

Baby No More

It's official. Little Guy is in a big boy bed! I know I said a few weeks ago that that bed was set up, but up until today we've had the crib and the bed side by side (it's been an obstacle course getting to his bed every night!) Well this morning I dismantled the crib and away it went- Little Guy was not phased; he jumped right into bed and took a great nap and went down like clockwork this evening.  Now that the crib is gone, I can finish the big boy room transformation!

Mickey's House

Today we headed out bright and early for our adventure to Mickey's House.  We left with plenty of time to drop off the dogs and still get the airport with plenty of time to leisurely stroll through security...or at least we thought we did.  The packed parking garage and a little misreading left us RUNNING to security and praying that they let us through without a boarding pass for our lap passenger Mr. Wyatt Bear...we were lucky they did (apparently they aren't supposed to but it's always a toss up whether they stop you or not) and we made it with minutes to spare before the plane starting boarding.  Grandma and Papa met us at the airport and were huge helps in getting us loaded up.  We decided to travel with carry ons only so we could rush straight to the park when we arrived...in theory it sounded good, but it ends up being a lot of stuff to keep track of.  We arrived in Orange County and Mr. Wyatt Bear promptly feel asleep on the shuttle since he had missed his morning nap...

We hit up California Adventures first and our very first ride of the day and Mr. Wyatt Bear's first ride ever was the Little Mermaid.  He loved the lights and music and Little Guy loved riding with Grandma and Papa.

I think it's hilarious that Little Guy LOVES riding the merry-go-round when we're in Disneyland.  We live two minutes away from a merry-go-round and still it's a must do when we're away on vacation.

Talk about an exciting first day- we saw Lightening McQueen and Little Guy was STOKED!  Carsland is pretty awesome and even more fun when your two year old is OBSESSED with race cars.

Daddy, Little Guy, Papa, and Grandma hit up the bumper tires so I hung out with this sleepy dude.  So far Disneyland seems to agree with Mr. Wyatt Bear's preference of being held 100% of the day.

Little Guy was SO excited to see the fire truck but as soon as we had a chance to go up and meet him, he freaked out and was not a fan.

Little Guy and Grandma loved riding on the caterpillar chomp-chomp train.  

Mr. Wyatt Bear was pleased as punch to get to ride the chomp chomp train AND stay in the carrier, win win for everyone!

After Bug's Land Mommy and Daddy hit up a ride just the two of us.  We decided that the seven minute wait for Tower of Terror was too good to pass up.  It was fun to ride something scary and even better that both boys fell asleep in the stroller while we were riding.

We headed over to Disneyland while the boys napped in the stroller and met up with the Santopadre Family.  We stopped for the classic castle picture then trekked it to Toontown.  Jackson and Little Guy were overjoyed to be together, it was fun to see.

We caught a group photo of all our littles in matching shirts and the mommies in matching Minnie shirts.  I love the friendships our kiddos share and feel so blessed to have Heather as my partner in crime.

Little Guy met Pluto for the first time.  He was excited to give him a big kiss on the nose.

A family photo with a character and no crying children...I think this has potential to make the Christmas card!

The mommies decided to bring the younger boys on Buzz Lightyear.  It was fun to see them try to battle the evil Emperor Zurg.

The boys were all ready with their corn dogs and french fries for the musical parade.  We scored great seats and decide to use all the winter gear since we had packed it...we clearly didn't need it since Uncle Chris stayed in shorts and it was maybe 60 degrees.

Twinsies for day two!

Little Guy loved the rides in Bug's Land.  They were all his size and most had pretty short lines.  He rode the bumper bugs with Daddy and thought it was pretty fun to drive.

Next up were the ladybugs...even with a short line it took forever since there were just five ladybugs to ride in, but Little Guy loved the spinning and I love the pre-ride kisses I got.

Our little family getting ready for another spin on the chomp-chomp choo choo train.

Little Guy loves the characters so I thought he'd be more comfortable this year, but we're not quite there.  He met the characters without tears, but he still needed his Daddy right by his side.

This cheeser loves Minnie Mouse!

After riding the Winnie Pooh ride, we found the most amazing bakery.  I was in love with the cookies and Little Guy was so excited to have a Monster cake pop.

While Little Guy slept in the stroller, this happy dude kept me company under the monorail.  Daddy needed to make some work calls so we had a little break.  I love Mr. Wyatt Bear's new hat!

Little Guy passed out in the stroller with half a chocolate cake pop and his milk.  Disneyland is exhausting.

Post nap chocolate face- he's all ready for the Pixar parade!

Family selfie

A late night stop to say hi to Mater.  

How precious is this movie room.  One of the perks of staying at a Disney Hotel.

Little Guy loves Nemo.  The ride is closed, but the murals are still up and he was so excited to see him at the start of Day 3.

Dumbo!  After braving the long line, we all had a chance to ride the flying elephants.

This is what exhausted looks like!  Sweet Mr. Wyatt Bear slept like a champ each night!

These two smiling faces made the whole trip perfect!  We took the raft out to Tom Sawyer's island, and who would have guessed it, Little Guy loved it.  We ended up on the island for almost three hours (without a diaper bag and with two stinky bums) and had a blast running through caves, bridges, and hills.

The trip slowly started to unravel as we waited for the shuttle bus (running an hour late), sat in traffic (that we had not budgeted time for), and then arrived at the airport with two very tired babies who had just fallen asleep as we exited the freeway.  We navigated through check in and security, only to be told our stroller was testing positive for explosives (apparently this is common after a trip to Disneyland, with all the fireworks and pyrotechnics), and that I had to have a full body screening...all the while Daddy manned Mr. Wyatt Bear and Little Guy laid in the center of security rolling on the ground crying...yes, that really did happen.  We finally cleared security and headed to our gate- I am pretty sure we were the most hated party boarding the airplane...Little Guy refused any milk or dinner and was just pretty much spent from three days of sensory overload and complete exhaustion.  He perked up on the flight and was actually enjoying the ride home until he had to prepare for the landing.  What happened next almost had to be seen to be believed- Little Guy screamed, kicked, cried, convulsed in ways I have NEVER witnessed before and completely lost it when asked to put his seat belt on.  I finally started laughing out loud, because it was either that or melt into a tantrum myself....we couldn't get off that airplane fast enough!  The spare outfits I had in the diaper bag doubled as pjs for the night and as soon as we hit the freeway our little loves were out!  It was an amazingly fun trip, but boy oh boy, the air travel just about did me in...and that's coming from someone who flew internationally just a few months back.  I can't wait for next year's trip, when we DRIVE!

Our families through the years...our first trip was in April 2010, next February 2013, then March 2014.  I can't wait to add to these photos.