New Kicks

I had to buy Wyatt a new pair of shoes. He's been wearing Grant's hand-me-downs (which is funny because they were Grant's first pair of shoes @ age 9 months) and the shoes he was wearing never really fit him all that great anyway- Grant had extra-wide feet. But as I was putting them on him the other day, he seemed bothered by them. As I was trying to cram his foot in there, I noticed they felt tight. I reached in and there was a wadded sock in the toes, so I figured that was the problem. After trying to put the shoes on again, he still seemed bothered. Sure enough, his toes were at the tippy top of the shoes. I knew it was coming because about a month ago, I got his feet measured and he needed a size 5 and his current shoes were 4.5. Since we are out in Western Kansas right now and there aren't many shoes stores, I just ordered from good old Zappos. They were delivered last night and as soon as they were out of the box, Wyatt just had to wear them! He just gotten out of the bathtub and didn't even have his pajamas on yet, but the shoes HAD to go on and we HAD to go outside. He loves his new Nike Shox!! I know, I'm a spoiler. What can I say, I have a thing for shoes- even tiny ones! And I think Wyatt does too!

Kansas Tourists

We took these Kansas cuties for a little Kansas Tourism this morning. We visited the Buffalo Bill statue and Oakley Welcome Center in good ole Oakley, KS. The boys and cousin Haylie saw the giant statue, looked at the sunflower field, and saw did the face cut-outs of Buffalo Bill. Grant looks kinda weird in a mustache and beard. Levi made me and Grant jump for joy in front of the statues. I'm just happy my feet left the ground!  After that bit of tourism, we headed over to the Fick Fossil Museum in Oakley. We saw lots of shark teeth, some cool fossils, a big buffalo, and lots of other cool old stuff. Levi and I even put our faces in the Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley cutouts. What do you think, should I get bangs? I guess the only stop left on our Oakley tourists travels should be The World's Largest Prairie Dog. Nah, I don't think so......

Mowers and Tractors

It's always on our to-do list to go for mower and tractor rides while visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house. It's been one of Grant's favorite activities ever since he was a little guy. Wyatt had never been able to go for a ride on the tractor or the mower, but he sure was excited to have his chance this morning. Grant too, of course!! Daddy took both boys on the mower for a while. I went out to take their pictures but they were no where to be seen, and for quite some time! They must have really enjoyed themselves since they were gone so long! I finally snapped a few pictures of them as they came back in, and they were all smiles. Then, after the mower ride, it was Grandpa's turn to give the boys a tractor ride. He revved up the "little" blue tractor and they were off! I kept hearing the horn go "beep beep" every few minutes, so I could only imagine what was going on inside the tractor. When they returned, Grant said, "I was being soooo goofy."  When Grandpa came in, he said they were all being goofy on the tractor, but Wyatt was probably the goofiest!!  Sounds like big and little boys alike all had fun!!!

Mr. Bubble

One of Grant's favorite past times is taking baths. Some days he may take 2 baths, just for fun! Yesterday, at Grandma's house, he really wanted to take a bath in the middle of the afternoon. Sure, why not!! When we went up the bathroom, we found some Mr. Bubble bubble bath next to the tub. Grant doesn't take bubble baths too often, mostly because he can't find his toys to play with when the water is all bubbly. But he wanted LOTS of bubbles in the tub, and that's just what we did. They were the best kind of bubbles too- fluffy, sticky, and light! We made him look like Santa, gave him crazy hair, blew bubbles all over, and buried his body in bubbles!! When I was drying him off, he said, "We goooootttaa get some of these bubbles at our house!" 

 We can do that buddy, just for you!!

Kitchen Sink

I was lazy and didn't feel like going upstairs to give Wyatt a bath and taking the time for the water to warm up and fill up. So I just used Grandma's kitchen sink. It's one of Wyatt's favorite places to take a bath, so I knew he wouldn't mind. As soon as I got Wyatt in sink, Grant wanders in and wants to join Wyatt. So I cleared out the other side of the sink and they took a double bath. Those two sure had fun "cracking" plastic eggs and filling up the pretend muffin tin. Thank goodness Grandma has a nice big, deep sink so her crazy boys can take kitchen sink baths!

Cousins in Colby

It was a gorgeous day in Kansas, so we took the kiddos to Colby, KS to play in the big park! We got to drive in Grandma's new Suburban and Grant loved the DVD player with the super cool headphones, plus he got to sit in the 3rd row, or the "waaaaay back" as he calls it!! Wyatt and Haylie happily sucked their thumbs the whole way there! Grant's favorite part of the park: the zipline and riding Chomper (the little dinosaur). Wyatt's favorite part: swinging and sliding. Haylie's favorite part: pouring mulch all over her hair!! They all had so much fun and there were lots of smiles to be seen! The only thing that would've made this trip more fun is if Little Piper were there to join in the fun! 

What's Left

We are moving tomorrow. There was hardly anything left in our house today. Which is why we spent most of the day away. The couches were packed. The chairs were packed. The toys were packed. The beds were packed. But the TV's were not. Grant and Wyatt spent some time having picnics on the floor and watching some TV while I finished the packing. Grant has even been "camping out" in his room with his Thomas tent and sleeping bag. He has LOVED that! They have been such troopers through all the chaos! There were tears involved a few times- "I want my stacking robots!" "I want to play with my sea creatures!" But they did make up for it by running laps around the empty living room!! We head out tomorrow for our long, long, LONG adventure! This blog will probably be left behind for a while, so stay tuned....

Home Haircut

Wyatt's had a few haircuts in his short amount of time of actually having hair. But they never seem to go smoothly. Lots of crying, lots of screaming, lots of snot. Its always a huge mess. So, now that Daddy is home, he can resume the duty of home haircutter! Grant was always really bad with haircuts too, but once Levi started doing them, he never fussed at all! I was curious as to how Wyatt would react. He got buckled in his chair and put his finger to his lips, and I could just tell he was trying to figure out what was about to happen. Daddy got out the clippers, Wyatt touched them, he giggled and let Daddy get to work! He really liked spraying his face with the spray bottle for most of the time. Overall, he did great. He did fuss at the end, just because he never sits still for that long, so he was ready to get up. Daddy did a good job too and my little man looks so handsome!

Little Man

I've started catching glimpses of Wyatt looking more like a Little Man and less like a Little Baby. I noticed him sitting at the little table and chairs the other day playing with a robot. He had on a romper, but with him sitting down, you can only see his collar of his shirt, making it look like he was wearing just a polo. He was so deep in thought and concentration. It made me catch a glimpse of what he'd look like if he were sitting at a desk at school. I'm just so amazed at how big my baby is getting!!

17 Month Stats

Wyatt's not techincally 17 months quite yet, but he will be next week. And since we'll be traveling all over God's Green Acres, I went ahead and took him in for his 15-18 month checkup now. He got his shots and was sooo good! He cried for about 2.2 seconds, and the second he got his lollipop, he was all smiles!! Here are his 17 month stats:

Weight- 21.5 lbs (5-10th percentile)

Height- 31 in (10-25th percentile)

I didn't get his head, but its round, so I think he's all good. 

All in all, he's still just a little guy. It's so funny because Grant was just so huge at this point! Wyatt wears 18-24 month rompers and onesies, but when it comes to separates, he's still a solid 12 month, sometimes even 9 months when it comes to shorts. He is wearing a size 4 diaper and a size 4.5 shoe. Even though he may techincally be small, the fact that my littlest guy is so big still amazes me!

Doesn't even look like the same little boy to me!!! Where did my little baby go?!?

Bed and Breakfast

The movers came yesterday. They took all the furniture that will go into storage in Oklahoma. We are taking the bare essentials to Texas. Grant's mattress made the cut, but the bed did not. So, for the next 6 months, Grant will be sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I think he likes it so far! He obviously doesn't have a bed rail up, which he thinks is cool. This kid is such a crazy sleeper that we've kept his bed rail up since we transitioned him to the big boy bed. Who knows how many times he would've fallen out of bed without it! So I think he likes that freedom. He still stays in his bed til we get him in the morning or after nap, so hopefully this doesn't stop that from happening still. 

Last night, he wanted to pull his mattress out to the living room and pretend to be at a movie theater. I don't know what movie theaters he's been to that have mattresses, but I would quite enjoy that. (Maybe its because he's never been to a movie theater!) So I decided to give him a Bed and Breakfast this morning! When he woke up, I pulled his mattress out, gave him some cereal and he watched his morning cartoons! Of course, Little Brother had to come enjoy the fun too!

What a life these boys lead!! :)

Beach Playdoh

We are living in Florida for 4 more days, but the closest we are getting to the beach is with playdoh! Sadly, its just too hot to do the real thing! But Mimi sent the boys this bucket of Beach Playdoh last week and one of the containers of Playdoh is called Sand Sensations. It really does feel like wet sand, only a bit stickier. But Grant thought up a great idea to make the beach, the ocean, and a sandcastle. He got out his seashell collection to add to the fun! Wyatt just played with his red Playdoh. Not sure what his grand idea was, but he was concentrating very hard while doing it! (I love his concentrating face!) Building real sand castles would've been fun too, but this sand castle we made in the air conditioning, and that wins in my book!

Our House

We had three weeks. Find a house. Buy a house. Close on a house. Move into a house. In a different city. Cue 8033 Fleur De Lis Drive. July 17, 2007. Levi and I bought our first house. Who knew this eyesore of a house could turn into our beautiful home. It was not fancy, not big, not dreamy, but it was ours. I'd be lying if I said there was an inch in this house that Levi never touched. He did everything to this house to make it a home. Not to mention, this is the house where we've watched our baby boys grow into bigger boys! It's hard to believe that in a matter of 9 days, we will never see the insides of this house again. I'm excited to move on, get out of Florida and get closer to home. I'm excited to have a little more space, at least in our next temporary house. But it will be weird. Houses come and go, and that's even more true for military families, but the memories we have will last forever!

Here is a picture of Levi and I just months after moving in. I was pregnant with Grant. 

And here it is now...

Dear God, In my next house, please let me have a playroom and an easier street name!

Us!

On this day, 5 years ago, Levi and I became an "Us." It's hard to believe all we've accomplished in 5 years- 3 houses, 2 kids, 2 deployments, and one happy life!!  It's been a life I thought I'd never lead, being a Navy wife, that is. And even though its been one heck of a rollercoaster ride, knowing that I'm riding with Levi has made it all worth it! 

After scrounging my computer for pictures of JUST the two of us, they are few and far between. Guess that's what happens when he's spent the past two years at sea...and when I'm the only one taking pictures!  So here is a compilation of the past five years...

Happy Anniversary my love!!!

ShamWow!

This video accomplished in 5 days what I have been trying for the last 365+ days!!! I've always imagined my kids loving schoolwork and art projects because I love teaching them!! Yeah, that "phase" lasted about 2 weeks with Grant and I haven't been able to get him to do any type of school work with me whatsoever!! While at home, he mainly wants to watch anything with superheros, so Little Einsteins and Team Umizoomi have fallen to the wayside, so I can't count on good old Nick Jr. to teach him anything anymore! I finally laid down my golden fist and told Grant that if he wanted to watch a movie in the car, it MUST be a school show!! And let me tell you- this movie has been in our car for all of 6 days and the kids now knows EVERY letter of the alphabet and what sound each letter makes! He didn't know an "A" from his foot 7 days ago!! Now, he points out letters while shopping, driving, playing, etc!! I'm just shocked!! I know his brain is a little sponge, but I'm starting to think he's more like a ShamWow- super absorbent!

And speaking of sponge, Wyatt finally found a show he likes to watch! I haven't been able to get him to watch TV AT ALL!! No Baby Einsteins, no Brainy Baby- nothing!!!! But this movie came on and he was glued! He knows the B, D, M, S, T! He proudly sings along!!

Thank you Leapfrog for doing the job I couldn't!!!  At least I was successful at teaching other people's children! :)

Painting with Wyatt

I can't believe I waited this long to paint with Wyatt. I started painting with Grant when he was 13 months. I guess that's what happens when you're a second child. Or maybe its the fact that the thought of cleaning two children after painting just frightened me. Either way, it was overdue for Wyatt to experience his first try at painting. It was actually Grant's idea and Wyatt nodded his head in agreement that it sounded like a great idea. So the clothes came off and the paint went on...and by on, I mean ALL OVER HIS BODY!! But that should be expected, right?!? At least I was expecting it! Nothing a quick bath in the sink couldn't take care of!! 

Super Brothers

My dear friend Kelly gave the boys these shirts for their birthdays. Very fitting, since Grant has been obsessed with all things superhero since then. However, he only likes to wear his shirt if Wyatt wears his too! He likes to pretend he is Superman and Wyatt is Superboy and there is always some bad guys to fight or people to rescue. 

Today, there was a train wreck and Superman and Superboy had to drive the "Bat Boat" to rescue the people on the train!! Of course, after the train wreck was clear, Superman and Superboy had to flex their muscles for a job well done!

Cheeseball Twins

Can these two cheeseballs possibly be related??  I remembered Grant making the same cheeseball smile, so I had to look at some old pictures! Sure enough, same cheeseball smile!! Grant had 16 teeth by the time he turned 16 months, so Wyatt's 8 teeth make him look a little different. Just makes me laugh!!

Cool Trick

Check out Wyatt's newest trick....and he's about 90% proficient, but only cuts down on 10% of his messes!!

The Lovies

My boys are lovey boys. I know where it comes from- I slept with a blanket and teddy bear til *cough* high school. 

Here are the contents of Grant's lovey collection:

-my old teddy bear, Cuddles. I passed Cuddles on to Grant before I had Wyatt. He has definitely taken good care of him.

- his blue blanket, appropriately named Blue Blanket. This was a baby shower gift for him from my friend, Nikki. He didn't start getting attached to it til he was about 1.5. I used it as a winter bedtime blanket for him. When Spring rolled around, I tried to change out for a lighter blanket, but he insisted on Blue Blanket. He's been covered by it every night ever since!

-and as you can see from the bottom left, he has a MASSIVE amount of "friends" in his bed, and each day seems to draw dear connection to one, but its always short lived.

Wyatt's collection entails:

- 2 white satin lovies, made by Mimi (my mom). I had a satin lovey when I was little, appropriately named Mimi (that's why my mom chose to be called Mimi, as opposed to Grandma).  Wyatt loved to have a blanket by his face at all times when he was a teeny tot, just like I did when I was a baby, so we thought he'd enjoy the satin feel, and he does!

- 1 red square satin lovey that came in a gift box from Navy Marine Core Relief Society. Never thought he'd like it, but it was always our "emergency lovey" if something happened to the other two. Now its a staple.

- 1 blanket, one side satin the other side fleece. This was a gift from Aunt Summer before Wyatt was even born. It's a new addition to his collection as he used it at Sea World a few weeks back. Of course, he loves the satin side the best!  But that has become the one blanket he takes out of bed with him each morning and after nap. 

- And last but not least, his gloworm named Baby. Everytime he lays down for sleep, we push his little tummy and Wyatt falls asleep to his warm glow! He loves to hug and kiss his Baby.