Lately

Tys-y boy is 14.5 months old. He is so fun! He took 20 steps in a row across the kitchen today! He took his first step a month or so ago. I love that all of these milestones are just as exciting with our 4th child. He fills our home with joy and wonder. I love watching him explore outside. He loves to dig his finger into the dirt (and eat it) and gravel, crawl from the backyard to the front (oh boy), ride in the little tikes car, go down the little slide, and go for walks (to look for dogs). He LOVES animals. He lets neighbors' dogs lick him and jump up on his lap. When he sees dogs he says very enthusiastically "oh, oh, oh."  Tyson says lots of words that start with "b." (ball, bath, bite (like another bite), book). They all sound about the same, but I can decipher them within context. He goes crazy when daddy comes home. He bounces up and down in my arms if I'm holding him or crawls as fast as he can to the door while he yells "da! da! da!" It's very endearing. He doesn't love Annika and Benson to hold him. But for some reason, he usually enjoys Esther holding him. Those two have a special bond. She often tells me what he wants (or what she thinks he wants) and is always trying to make his existence more enjoyable. She held him at church for a minute during Sacrament meeting a few days ago. It melted my heart. They're about the same size when he sits on her lap. He was content and she was holding on to him like she'd never let go. Tyson loves cutie oranges, blueberries, toast (maybe the jam is his favorite), spaghetti sauce, yogurt, baby food pouches, cheese sticks, brownies (he spots us eating them across the room and crawls over begging- how can we say no?), milk, water, grapes, berries, and pretty much any other fruit. He finally liked broccoli the other night! I've given to him probably 7 times over the last 6 months. He's never swallowed any. But the other night, he ate 3 pieces and then stole some off of my plate when I was holding him. I was very happy! He has turned into a fabulous sleeper! 6:30/7pm-6:30/7am and he still takes two naps/day. Usually one hour in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. The last two days he's taken a 3 hour nap in the afternoon! He must be growing. He still has just three teeth (since Halloween). He seemed to be teething last week but they must have retreated back. He's starting to get more confident at church. During the 5th Sunday meeting in the chapel, David said he crawled over to the doors several times. He would shove them a little at a time until the opening was big enough for him to escape. This morning, he reached up on the table and pulled down a tray of our garden starts. I was in the other room, but I knew what it was right when I heard the crash. I think at least half of them will make it. And I won't be putting them so close to the edge again. The kitchen table has the best sunlight in the morning. But maybe they will thrive more on the counter, out of Tyson's reach, bless his heart. Benson calls Tyson "doo- doo." We all call him T-bone. I call him scoop (my little scoop of love), T-bop, and Tys-y. We just love him to pieces and are so grateful he's in our family!

Esther started riding a training wheeled bike last week! She picked it up right away and is now riding her bike when we go on our long walk around the neighborhood. She's very proud of herself and so are we. She named her bike Donna, after Donna Ruttan. She cracks us up. She loves Donna Ruttan and Ann Sperl (another grandma that lives across the street). She brings Ann rocks, leaves, flowers, or walnuts almost daily. She cried when we walked into Sacrament meeting and realized she forgot her picture she drew for Donna the night before. She is as sweet as she is stubborn. She loves learning the primary songs. I love hearing her sing the songs I'm teaching them. She's really good at memorizing lyrics. Her pitch needs some work but it's still adorable. Last Sunday, she apparently stood up during class, took off her dress, and handed it to her teacher! Good thing she had leggings and a shirt on! I love her confidence. She and Benson haven't been getting along very well for the last few months. I hope we can help them grow out of that soon. Esther likes to say annoying little phrases over and over again. It drives Benson crazy. She is so stubborn that I often can't get her to stop without removing her from the room. Benson usually asks her to stop nicely and then resorts to yelling and hitting when words don't work. We'll figure it out someday. Hopefully before Tyson is old enough to pick up on bad habits.

Benson tries to make good choices a lot more often now. It's encouraging to recognize the progress. He is so coordinated physically and I love watching him run, throw a spiral football, and ride his bike. He also is starting to quote lines from shows and recall song lyrics with good comedic timing. He is a funny kid! The other day I said something like "Annika, tell me what you want for dinner." He started singing "tell me what you want, what you really really want." And continued on with the song. haha He knows that song thanks to David. :) He loves primary and is always excited to show me what he made in class. He's a good little boy. I can't believe he'll be in all day kindergarten this fall. Preschool has been perfect for him.

Annika is getting older for sure. It took me a few days to realize that she was being sarcastic ("dad, do you not have eyes? Can't you see it?"). I guess I need to work on that. She is still sweet and has a desire to always make the right choice. She has become good friends with Abigail Walker this year. It's fun to hear her talk about they play and talk about at recess. I hope they stay close all through school. I just went to her school conference last week. She scored well above standard (more than double in some areas) on all of the subjects they've tested. She loves to read. Lately, she's been reading the illustrated book of mormon reader every night. She loves going to activity days and has picked up on piano quickly, in my opinion. It's so fun to watch my kids learn new things and experience success along the way.

The kids ride their bikes together for probably two hours or more a day. The weather the last few weeks has been heavenly. We love spring!