A New Atti-"Two"-de

What weighs 34.4 pounds (75th percentile), stands 38.5" tall (50th percentile), wears size 9 shoes, swims like a fish and is 3-Years-Old? It's Tyler Lane!



Believe it, or not, the posts that you once read about a newborn baby boy, who warmed our lives and hearts like no other, just celebrated his THIRD birthday!!!! No words can describe how fast it has gone for us. Especially now that we have 2 young kids, life is constant chaos, and racing right before our eyes.

A NEW ATTITUDE: Say good-bye to those "Terrible Two's" and say hello to the "Troublesome Three's" Ey-yi-yi! I will say this...we never did really get a full-on dose of 'drop to the floor, kicking, screaming tantrums', BUT (and I say that ever so reluctantly) we have certainly had our fair share of attitude, temper and time-outs. I guess it's give and take. Every kid has their own "devil sitting on one shoulder" parts about them and I'd have to say the stage that tried us the most was the "NO" stage. Everything was "NO!!!". It was to the point that even if you asked Tyler if he wanted a cookie, he would yell "NO!". So glad we have way outgrown that stage. For the most part, we have gotten past most of the temper, too. There are still times that he is grumpy, but those tend to be the days that he skips the nap. As a whole, we really can't complain. He is maturing more and more daily, and as that happens, the temper is seemingly less and less.

On to bigger and much more fun topics...

POTTY TRAINING: We're just about there at being 100% potty trained. As we speak, we are on day 7 of not having any accidents. Peeing on the potty (or, preferably in the bushes for him) is not a problem at all. Pooping on the potty is still a battle, but with every day, it becomes easier and easier. The chart that Aunt Leah got him for his Birthday has been SUPER EFFECTIVE!!! Every time he goes #2 on the potty, he gets to put a sticker on the chart. And, of course, it's Ligthning McQueen, so to Tyler, it's the best thing since sliced bread! Thank you, "Aunt Eah" and Uncle Jeff!

SWIMMING: There's no ifs, ands or butts about it...This boy is a fish! I can count on 2 hands the number of private swim lessons that he had and can firmly attest that he is a product of persistency. Practice makes perfect. Our friend Kami taught him the basics of survival and the basic techniques and his practice perfected it. He now has no fear and will jump in and swim from just about anywhere in the pool. Our next task is to learn to take breathes. I guess we better get a move on, since winter is quickly approaching.


SCHOOL: The dreaded day of the first day of school. Maybe more so for Mommy than Tyler. We are currently on the market for a new home and when we find it, school will be the next thing on the list. I would like to get our roots re-planted first, so that the school is conveniently located for both David and I. Tyler already talks about going to school (since Maddie just started) and I feel so guilty about not putting him in now because I know he's ready, but the last thing I want to do is to enroll him somewhere and then have to move him in a short time. So, we wait. Hopefully by the next post, we'll be posting pictures of school projects and photos!

BIRTHDAY: As you all know (if you read Riley's blog) we had a SUPER, DUPER First Birthday for Sissy this year. For Tyler's Birthday, we decided to skip the big party and opt for something a little more intimate and enjoyable for him. We decided we would take him to a theme park instead. So, the plans were made. Since his birthday is so close to Labor Day, we decided to take a mini-vacation and extend the Labor Day Weekend thru Wednesday. We planned to take the kids to Cypress Gardens during that week and experience the water park that they had. We thought it would be so convenient since the park is only 25 minutes from our house in Lake Wales. Well, little to my knowledge, Cypress Gardens is closed right now for remodeling. No big deal...change of plans. We were then headed for Aquatica, SeaWorld's water park. We wanted to keep it water oriented, only because it is SO hot around the time of his birthday. As with any other vacation we have ever planned, Tyler got sick. He ran a 103+ fever for a day and a half, he was very lethargic, he didn't eat much for 4 days and his cough was horrendous! Needless to say, instead of being at Aquatica for his birthday, we spent the day at 2 urgent care centers and a Pediatrician's office in Lake Wales. He was diagnosed with a Sinus Infection and put on some strong antibiotics. Poor thing. I've never seen him so bad. The simple fact that he didn't even want to wake up to open his birthday presents was a dead giveaway. We did finally talk him into opening presents and then he went back to bed shortly after that. It was at that point that David and I looked at each other and knew we had to take him to the doctor. Needless to say, we are still planning on taking him back to Aquatica soon.
Since he didn't really get to celebrate his birthday, we decided to do a small, immediate family gathering at my Mom & Dad's the following weekend, so that we could spend some time with family and Tyler could open his gifts. He was in much better spirits by the weekend and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed the nice, low-key gathering. It was something out of the ordinary for us, but a nice change. Tyler had such a good time and still to this day asks me "is my Birthday over?" He's the best! To see pictures of all of his Birthday Celebrations, CLICK HERE.




There is so much more to touch on as so much has happened over the last year. It's way too much to sum up into one post, so we'll cut it short and sweet. Sometimes it blows my mind to think about how fast the last 3 years have gone. What we really find astonishing is to hear some of the things Tyler says and to see the way he interacts with his little Sister. Our "baby" is all grown up. He is well on his way to being a child, as his "toddler" days are just something in his rear view mirror of life. With each day, we learn from each other. With each day, we share with each other. With each day, we love our Little Man more and more. HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY, TYLER LANE! WE LOVE YOU! To view photos from 2-1/2 years old, until now, CLICK HERE.

And so it goes...

Where Does Time Go?

It may seem that I have been neglecting Tyler's blog, but I can assure you that his blog is the only thing that has been neglected. For those of you who see him regularly, you can vouch for that. He is a healthy, striving, 2-and-a-half-year-old, going on 12! He is full of energy, has a vocabulary that blows my mind each day, and an attitude to match it. Mostly, he is one hell of a Big Brother!

Since his last update, which even I am embarrassed to admit was 5 months ago, we have encountered and conquered so much. So much so, that I'm not even sure this mush brain can remember it all. Therefore, I'll try to sum it all up in a short, but sweet, post.

Let's see......Some milestones that we've conquered (which might not be as exciting to you as they are to Tyler and I) include drinking from a big boy cup, eating at the table with Daddy and I, potty training, big boy haircuts, terrible two's and swim lessons. These are just a few to say the least.

Big Boy Cup: Let's just say this is not my favorite. I think I spend more time wiping his shirt from dribble or cleaning the floor from spills, but nevertheless it's time to move on to bigger and better things. And, after all, practice makes perfect. He only gets the big boy cup when we're home or at a family member or friend's house. If we're on the go, the sippy cup is still the way to go. I have to say, he's not the hot mess that I make him out to be, but I am a clean freak, so it just seems worse than it is to me.

Booster Seat: I held out for a long time on moving Tyler from his high chair to the booster seat. Our dining room table is a pub table, so it's really high, which made me a little hesitant. But, now with Sissy in the high chair stage, I really did NOT want 2 high chairs in my house. So, we made the move. It has been a while since we did this, but as I mentioned, it's been a while since I reported on my boy, so I'm at fault. The same goes for restaurants. He hasn't been in a high chair publicly for a while. We love having him at the table with us and we have such great dinner discussions now. Sometimes I'm not even sure he knows what he is talking about.

Potty Training: I think I may dislike this one even more than the big boy cup and you can probably imagine why. Let's just say, this one is a MESS!!!! Firstly, for the longest time, I thought his babysitter was crazy. She would tell me everyday that he would tell her when he had to go pee and she would take him in and he would go pee on the potty. She would say that he had only messed 1 pull-up per day. Sure enough, when I checked his bag, only 1 pull-up was missing. When we would get home, it was a battle. After asking Tyler 28 times in a 1-hour period if he had to pee and his response being "NO" every time, only to find out that he had already gone in his pull-up, I was confused beyond words. I then learned.....and I say that sparingly since it took a month or so for my brain to work.....I finally asked the babysitter what his "technique" was at her house. She said he flipped up the lid, pulled down his pants and just stood there and went. STOOD THERE?!?!?!?! No wonder it was a battle for me every time. I'm trying to make the kid sit and tuck "it" down to go. Duh!!!! So, now that we've jumped that hurdle, we are now working on aim. Ahhhhh! 2 words.....tile wainscot. It's a GOOD thing that the walls behind the toilet in the bathroom are tile. I'm having to scrub it EVERYDAY! My favorite suggestion is to go pee-pee in the bushes outside in our backyard. He thinks it's pretty cool, too! Now, going #2 on the toilet, that's an entirely separate bridge that we are trying to cross. We'll get there.....one day.

Hair Cuts:If I may brag, I must say that my boy has some pretty awesome hair. It's thick and easy to manage. The only thing about it is that it grows like a weed. So, being the non-barber that I am, I suggested that David start taking him to the barber shop when he goes to avoid any more of my chopped up, bowl cuts. For many trips, it was a nightmare. The scissor cut, fine. The clippers came out, and it was like someone was trying to murder him. This was no fun for any of the parties involved, including myself. After a handful of rough trips, his wall came down and he will now sit and actually get his hair cut without us having to practically put a straight jacket on him. I'm not sure if it's the donuts that Joann gives him while he is getting his hair cut, or the lollipop reward he gets after, but hey, it works! Hallelujah!

Terrible Two's: Ah ha! Another one of my favorites!!!! Do I know the meaning of this, or what?! Let's just say that Tyler is a very strong willed boy, who, at times, can be very demanding. While I can't say I ever had the "my child is screaming, kicking and yelling on the floor, I have to leave this store right now" type of tantrum, I can say that he has learned what time out is and sometimes spends over an hour there. His biggest downfall is "NO". For a while there, NO was every other word. For those of you who know him, you know that it takes a couple of minutes for him to warm up to new faces or places. Once he's comfortable in his atmosphere, he's fine, but until then, NO is his only response. For the most part, I have to say I have no room to complain about his behavior. He never went through the hitting or biting stage and his tantrums were never uncontrollable, so if all I had to deal with was a few months of "NO's" I'm absolutely fine with that. I am happy to report that we have noticed significant behavioral changes over the past 2 months, seeming as if he is growing out of the "terrible two" stage and I'm hoping that we're full speed ahead for the "Terrific Three's"

Swimming:Tyler has started swim lessons again. He gets a private lesson every Tuesday and Thursday during the day while we are at work. The Swim Instructor actually goes to the sitter's house and does them there. It's the same girl who gave him lessons last year, and we have 100% trust in her. So far, as mentioned above, he takes about 10 mins. to warm up to her and with each lesson, it gets better and better. I think the other part of it is his confidence in himself and his trust for her. In the evening, after each lesson, I ask him how his swimming went and ask him what he did. 99% of the time he tells me he can't swim like a big boy, and repeats "I can't" numerous times. Our hope is that over the next week or so, he builds up enough confidence in himself and trust in her, that he'll just concentrate on what he is doing and overcome his fear. He loves to be in the water, so he'll get it. Like everything else, it just takes time.


Smart Boy: Tyler knows all of his colors, all of his animals, all the sounds they make, he can count to 12 (then 18, 13..LOL), he can identify all numbers and most letters (especially the ones in his name) and most importantly, he can tell you that he has a boat, a rhino, a jeep and a four-wheeler. Yes, I'm not kidding. He will randomly say, "Mommy, where's MY boat?" or "Mommy, MY jeep is yellow."

Big Brother: I saved the best for last. I think it's incredible the bond that Tyler and Riley have. While he won't share his favorite monster truck with me, it is 1000000% fine if Sissy plays with it and he will gladly give it to her. He helps so much with her and the interaction between the two of them is fascinating to watch. He gets her toys, picks up her bottle if she drops it, crawls in her crib with her if he hears her awake in the morning, or even plays hide-n-seek with her. I never imagined him to have a jealous bone in his body when it came to her, but I never dreamed that he would be absolutely in love with her, and he is.


Happy, Healthy and Growing up WAY TOO FAST, we are loving every day with him and wouldn't trade a single minute of this insanely hectic life for the world. And so it goes...

Diggin' Graves

One statement describes Tyler's new machine.....One-Of-A-Kind!

As many are well aware of, Tyler has been a HUGE fan of the Grave Digger monster truck since he was just over a year old. Everywhere we went, his Grave Digger hot wheels truck had to tag along. So, right around June of 2010, I began looking for a Grave Digger Power Wheels for Santa to bring him.

At first, we were ecstatic to find out that Power Wheels did do a Grave Digger model. It was awesome and I was ready to order one. Our balloon of excitement was quickly deflated when we learned that they did it in 2006 and they were no longer available. Weeks of searching, googling and binging led me to a Grave Digger forum online. Crazy, I know. There are actually people out there that collect everything Grave Digger and are nuts about it.

To make a long story short, I found myself on a web page that had 5 links to Power Wheel Grave Diggers for sale. The bad news....they were all over the country, spread from California to Minnesota to New York. The good news....THERE WAS ONE IN NORTH LAUDERDALE, FL for $50!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about meant to be. I immediately called the guy and we were on our way to pick it up, no questions asked. I knew that if it didn't work, David would get it to work. While we were picking it up, the guy mentioned that he had people calling from all over the country, asking him if he would ship it. He declined, as he thought it wasn't worth it. We are so grateful for that. So, off we went with "Santa's present". The truck was in good condition and the only minor thing that was wrong with it was that the plastic was a little faded from the sun, but everything else worked great. David tried to polish the plastic, but it didn't work. So, he called his Dad, who happens to be a great painter. Grandpa John, who Tyler calls "Pops" had some ideas in mind and took on the project of getting it back to "Bad to the Bone" status. Well, well, well.....BAD TO THE BONE it is. Thank you so much "Pops"!!!!! It turned out better than we ever imagined. He painted the entire thing and airbrushed the flames on the front free-handed! He is truly talented. I met with a custom sign shop, who recreated the stickers for the sides and back, and Voila!, it was complete!

Now we have it, a one-of-a-kind Grave Digger, for Mr. Tyler to enjoy for years to come. Christmas morning was absolutely amazing and his reaction was classic. He wouldn't even put shoes on to go ride it, he just wanted to ride it. If you ask Tyler what Santa brought him, he will [loudly] tell you "a BIG GRAVE DIGGER".

We researched, we found, we bought, we modified and we delivered! Success! With that, we continue making trails down memory lane. And so it goes...