Game Night

I think Blake looks so grown up in this picture.  (Whenever the camera comes out they all want me to take pictures of them.)

 

Ty was cracking me up as he was trying to be included in the game.  He had to use all his body to get the die to pop in Trouble.  He picked all the marker pieces off the board and we would just randomly stick them somewhere else.  We are pretty loose with the rules when he is around.

 

My Poor Baby

Last Friday night at 6:00 we were all getting ready for a  Halloween Party.  Eric and I were both in our room and I heard a horrible noise and I instantly knew what was happening.  Ty was falling down the stairs.  I ran as fast as I could and found him lying on his stomach at the bottom of the stairs with his hood from his jacket covering the back of his head.  I picked him up and held him and started to comfort him.  I ran my hand over his head trying to soothe him.  Eric came down and saw what I didn't see at first.  I had blood all over my hand as he had a cut on his head.  I quickly got him upstairs and Eric held him while I got a wet cloth.  It stopped bleeding quickly but it was a pretty good sized wound. 

 

Eric put him in the car and I took him to a walk in clinic close by and I was so grateful it was open.  I was pretty shaky but trying to act calm.  I wanted to yell at the guy in front of me in line to move over but I didn't.  They got us in pretty fast and the doctor seemed so calm when she told me she was going to put three staples in his head.  Staples!  I wasn't prepared to watch her do this--it looked like a tool you would use on house projects.  Ty cried each one and by the end I almost started crying with him when he was squirming and big tear drops ran down his cheeks.  I was told that it doesn't hurt to take the staples out (which will happen on Wednesday).  I was also grateful I had a licorice and a sucker in my purse.  He was fine once he had candy.  He has acted normal since the incident.  Eric and Nathan gave him a blessing that night which put me at ease.  A couple of days removed I feel better.  I called my mom the night of and had a good cry over the whole thing because it was traumatic for me.  I know it was an accident but he is my sweet baby.  He has been fine going up and down the stairs independently for a few months.  I don't know what happened and nobody saw it.  We are all being extra cautious with the stairs now.  I cringe every time I see the staples.

 

The next morning we were eating breakfast and the kids were talking about Ty's head.  Janie asked me "Mom, do I have a brain?  Does everybody?"

 

 

 

Kalamazoo Day

Blake didn't have school on Friday so we went to Kalamazoo, Michigan.  (About an hour away.)  Lindsey used to live there so she was the guide and our first stop was to a children's musem.  I realized how I haven't been to museums for awhile.  It used to go so often when Blake and Janie were younger. 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was to a mall.  A real mall!  With a food court, carousel, kid area, and clothing stores that I recognize.  I always feel at home when I go into a mall.  It just feels right.  And here is a shout out to my friend Lindsey.  She told me to try on some clothes and she would watch the kids in the corner of the store.  We have seven kids between the two of us.  While I was trying on clothes I noticed how quiet they were all being.  I found out they had been playing the quiet game and the winner would get a nickel.  Janie held out pretty long, surprisingly. 

 

 

I'm always trying to get a picture of the three of them but doesn't seem to work.

 

Janie loves Asher and is always asking to hold him.  We were babysitting him once and she was holding him when he started to cry.  She naturally said in a high pitched voice "It's ok Asher, I'm right here."

 

It was so nice to get out into the real world.  I forget that we live in such a small town sometimes.  I guess the population for Benton Harbor/St. Joseph/Stevensville is less than 20,000.  Crazy.  I went home and told Eric that we need to move somewhere with a mall.

Happy Halloween

The weather forecast said that it would rain 100% on Halloween.  Blake and Janie prayed that the rain would stop from 6 to 7:30 so they could trick or treat.  Blake had a parade at his school in the morning.  We got there on time but the parking lot was packed so had to park a little out.  It was raining so Janie, Ty and I ran in.  I love seeing Blake in action at his school.  He had a fun class party with lots of treats.  It rained on and off all day but was perfect for them to trick or treat.  It started to drizzle at the end. 

 

 

 

We all went trick or treating for about 15 minutes (Ty did not want to get dressed up again).  I just wanted to see the kids in action, but was going to head back to pass out candy.  When I was turning around to go home with Ty, I looked down at him and nose down was completely covered in blood.  I screamed and Eric ran back to us.  It was just a bloody nose and he was fine.  Scared me though!  People were looking at me weird as I walked home.  Like this was my gory costume for my baby. 

I sat on the porch with Ty on my lap and we passed out candy.  My friends Lindsey and Shawna took a break from trick or treating and sat with me.  Ty helped me drop candy into the bags.  He had a slow release but it was cute.  Some candy he would throw in. 

 

Ty - 16 Months

 

 

I was trying to get a good belly shot of Ty.  Sometimes it looks so huge compared to his body.  When I pulled the camera out he held still and started blinking his eyes and made a funny smile.  Like he knows that he needs to pose.  Then he ran over to the wall where I made him stand while I took his batman picture the other night.  He just stood there (first pic) and then touched the wall like he was saying 'this is where I stand for pictures mom.'

Ty is starting to say more words but on the whole he is very quiet.  He doesn't babble much and just randomly will say a word and thats it for awhile.  He won't perform for others and makes his scrunched nose shy face and leans into me if I ask him to say something.  Here are some words that he says or attempts to say on a random basis:  apple, help, more, ball, bath, dada, mama, Jesus, cheese, teeth, wawa (water), pear, dog.  He can do a lot of animal sounds.  And will raise 1 finger when asked how old he is.

He plays so nicely around the house.  As long as Blake or Janie is near him he is fine just grabbing toys and wandering around moving things.  If he ever finds something small he will bring it to show  me with his two little fingers.  He likes reading books more and will grab one and make room on my lap when I'm in the middle of doing something.  Ty goes down for naps or bed so easily.  He just needs his binky and blanket.  I tickle him and he laughs and that is it. 

He started trying to jump last week because Blake and Janie were.  He tried to get up but then would plop hard on his bum.  He did it over and over again because we were all laughing.  He can get hyper and crazy, especially at night.  Like tonight, he was running around laughing and squealing while running into the couch.

Ty is a dream and I seriously love every minute with him.

Trunk or Treat

I made a craft!  And all by myself which is weird because I'm not craftsy and hardly ever have the desire to be.  But I bought a wreath and spray painted it black and came to find that spray paint is really fun to use.  Janie and Blake strategically placed the spiders.  I do want to start accumulating decorations for holidays because the kids love it.

 

Remember that blue puffy jumpsuit I got for $1 (still proud of that) that Blake used when he was a baby?  The tag says it is for a 3 to 6 months old baby.  Anyways, it was going to be cold at the trunk or treat activity so I asked Eric to see if it would fit him.  And it did which turned batman into buff batman.  It was so funny to watch him waddle around.  He didn't seem to mind all the puff.  He was trying to pick a pretzel up off the kitchen floor.  All the padding was too much and he slowly fell on his forehead as he was reaching for it.  It was funny to watch.

 

Batgirl Janie.  She was so so excited for this activity.  She had been asking about it all month, week, day, and for two hours before it started she was asking every 2 minutes.   

 

Blake was "Buzz Lightning."  (Mix of Buzz and Lightning McQueen).  Thanks to Keri for the costume.  It was perfect!  He flew around to infinity and beyond and was all smiles.

 

Ty does not like it when the kids touch him.  They do it so often that it just bugs him.

 

Ty had a piece of bread in one hand and candy in the other.  He was slow to move from car to car and often held up the groups or got lost in the mix.  But he was slow and steady and got a good haul. 

 

 

 

There is a bounce house in the back that was a big hit.

 

Up to no Good

On Friday I was busy in the kitchen and it got really quiet in Janie's room.  I went to check on them and found this.  I kept coming back to see how their play was evolving.  Janie takes good care of Ty while they play.  They were happy and laughing for at least an hour.

 

Phase 1

One bed slide

 

 

Phase 2

Two bed slides

 

Phase 3

 Big Trampoline