Shoe tying kindergardener

Now that Cruz can tie his shoes, he's allowed to go to kindergarden! 

(Daddy's have their own special way to motivate :)

Soon

This baby boy is coming soon...really soon.  I'm sure not hiding it either with this "big, fat, sexy belly" (as my boys refer to it).  Today a guy at the store looked at me and said, "Whoa!  You are WAY pregnant!"  Why, yes I am sir.  I have about 18 days to go, but who's counting??  I can't wait to hold this little guy.

Lil' Graduate

Cruz on his last day of Preschool (at Grace)

At Impact Sports on his Preschool Party day with his buddies 

Cruz and Soph rockin' out 

Miss Patty

The pressies for the wonderful teachers.  

Funny thing about these is that I was going to have Cruz write what he liked about each teacher.  I asked him so we could write it down on a scratch paper.  For each teacher he said, "Now--which one is that again?  The one with the short hair or the long hair?"  Cruz has had these same teachers for TWO years and didn't even know their names!!  I was dying.  When we saw them at the party Tyce said he wanted to show Miss Patty his paper.  Cruz asked me, "How does he already know their names?"

These ladies are sweethearts and I am so thankful that I will be able to spend the next 5 years with more kids in their preschool.

As for Cruz...onto KINDERGARDEN!!

My name is Tyce

Some -isms for the month:

The kid loves cheese crisps aka quesadillas and calls them "creez pists".

He is recently really obsessed with Beau and when he leaves or if he's gotten hurt he says, "I want my Daddy!"  Sooooo cute.  He's also been known to call Beau at work and ask him, "You wanna come over?" Tyce also says, "Realllllly Dad!"

To me, he talks all day long about just about everything on his little mind and occasionally has lines like, "I'm a BIG kid, that's why Mom!"

He gives cheap shots to Cruz, hitting him for no apparent reason.  Luckily I remember Cruz doing the same to Oshyn, so I am envisioning a time when it no longer happens.  As for now, I put him in the crib for his "time out" and tell him that it makes Mommy sad, Daddy sad, Heavenly Father sad, and Jesus sad when he hits Cruz.  When I go into get him and ask him why he is in the crib he has said to me (more than once), "I hit Jesus?!" with his innocent happy voice.  He doesn't get it, but is an -ism to remember. 

A gamer.  He likes to play games on our phones or on Oshyn's "iPat".  It amazes me what he can find and do without any help. 

He is our snuggler.  We have never had a kid that can climb into bed with us in the morning and get lost in the sheets and fall back asleep.  Its kinda fun.

A cheeseball to the core.  Tyce is always wanting to do something or say something that makes you laugh...and if you do, he'll say or do it 5 million more times.

Mr. Boots.  Everyone knows him for his cowboys boots.  He wears them with just about everything, including basketball shorts.  I love them and am excited that I have another little man that gets to wear them next.

Always up for a good time.  He is a friendly dude and will converse with anyone about anything from ages 1-101 (I'm lying, he talks to babies too!)

What a fun-lovin' crazy we have on our hands.  His vocabulary and way of talking/acting just get more and more grown up daily.  Tyce is a terrific two year old (with occasional terrible two tendencies which make him the real deal).  We love our Tyce!

We're so green

we thought we'd recycle our oldest two...we have a new one coming soon, so it should work out okay.

Hilton Head

We love east coast water & will miss your 71 degrees-ness, but not as much as we missed our little rug rats.  Not that we didn't appreciate a little down time & a date weekend, but life is better with kids, hands down.

Bathing Buddies

Great to be 8

On his Eighth birthday, Oshyn chose (with a great amount of enthusiasm and desire) to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  What this ultimately means is that he made a covenant, or two-way promise, with our Heavenly Father/God to take upon himself the name of Jesus Christ (try his hardest to be like Him), keep His commandments, and serve Him to the end.

Oshyn has been waiting for this day for not only days, weeks or months, but years!  He could hardly stand how excited he was to take this big step in his life.  We were so proud of him for all the efforts he took to prepare himself to learn all he could before this day.

 We invited all to come!

He wrote his testimony for the cover of his program for the day.

Grammie and Grandad gave him a nice word picture that we displayed and he received many wonderful and kind cards from family & friends.

I gave the talk on Baptism and Beau baptized him.  Then Uncle Ralph gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and Beau gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 (He really wanted to match Beau and specifically asked for a matching tie.  Boy were they handsome!)

We had a nice gathering of friends and family afterwards with much help and prep from Grandma Annie, Aunt Marianne, Uncle Roger, the Panttaja's, and Uncle Chad.

Uncle Chad flew in from the East coast for this very special occasion.  To say I was surprised when he knocked on our door would be a major understatement.  MAJOR.  He will never.ever.ever. know how much that meant to me and Oshyn to have him here for that weekend.  I love my brother to the core.

We finished the day with a long journal entry that Oshyn dictated to me and I wrote.  Classic and priceless.  What a day.  I cannot believe my biggest baby is EIGHT!!

Purple People Eaters

Not sure anyone else called the team this, but what else would you call a purple team...Grapes?!

Cruz had a great Tot Soccer season (with only one stubborn, I'm-not-playing episode---one threat of Daddy not cutting his hair cured that fairly quickly).  He ran hard, got the ball, scored "hecka" goals, and was a good teammate.  I really liked his coach too.  We all enjoyed watching and cheering for Cruzer and were proud of the soccer skills that he's honing!

Handsomes

You're bound to look good on Easter when Grammie and Grandad pick out your gear!  We had a nice relaxing, Christ-centered Easter this year.  Thank you Easter Bunny for making your appearance early so we could focus on the resurrection!  The Church has put out some wonderful new Bible video clips that were awesome to watch with the little men.  Happy Easter!!

Early Easter

Eggs Dyed...CHECK!

(Can you come a day early after you go to New Zealand?)

Letter written {Easter Bunny on Saturday--new tradition}...CHECK!

Baskets found, Sees Bunny for breakfast...CHECK!

Eggs found, happy boys on a sugar high by 8am...CHECK!

Rides

We splurged on a new ride for the munchkins and bun-in-the-oven.  I love you Costco (it can also be a double stroller! Score).  I will never be stranded without being able to load up the two littles on the bike and the two big ones peddling on their own.  Now if I could just keep my bike from getting flat tires...

Just as we purchase that sweet daddy, Tyce has become a peddling maniac!  He may well be on his way to being our 3rd circus baby, riding a two-wheeler as a two-year old.  We will see, but no pressure as I have my transportation figured out :)

Drinks to go anyone?