Little Whitie Tighties and Boots!

My beautiful little boy wearing boots that HE put on himself :)

we were off to see the ducks!!

and yes..he is carrying the boot in his mouth!He was sooo proud that he had put on the boots! See! I told you he loves to read :D

He LOVED wearing his boots :)

Ya Gotta Love Sleepless Nights :)

Ok so Tucker has been sleeping thru the night very consistently and good since he was about..7ish months old. Which is AMAZING. Then my question is.......WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THAT!?!?
The last 4 nights he has woken up 2 times a night and just wanted to talk to me!
Even as an infant, at nights, he would wake up, drink a bottle and go straight back to sleep! Once he started baby foods at 6 months, even those got rare and by 8 months, he didn't wake up at night!!
So why is he starting this now!? He isn't teething (teeth numbers 13 and 14 came thru this past week) and when he wakes up, he isn't fussy. He just wants to sit and cuddle with mommy and talk to me. He does NOT want to lay in our bed either..if I take him to lay down in the big bed, he promptly starts pummeling daddy in the face!
I'm not complaining..I LOVE it when he wants to cuddle and talk to and love on me. But I admit that the day time is a better time to do that for me :-)

In other news..when I say where is mommy's nose? He gently touches my nose. Where is daddy's nose? He hits Zeke in the nose. Where is Tucker's/your nose? He gently touches his nose. Its adorable. He can also do belly, toes, and teeth.

And..ever since he used a fork for the first time all by himself last week...he refuses to even begin a meal without the proper utensils. That also means..unless he is starving, no food touches his hands. He feels like he MUST pick everything up using only a fork :)

And like I said before, he inherited his mommy's OCD clean gene. No mega blocks can remain attached..he refuses to put them into the wagon/firetruck without taking EVERY one apart. If he drops even the tiniest crumb or sees anyone else drop one, he HAS to pick it up. Everytime we come back from the park or from a walk, my pockets are normally full of small wrappers and such because he can't stand litter. He is ALWAYS wiping off the table and sweeping the floor. And his toys are almost always put away. He refuses to get out of the bathtub until he has returned all his bathtoys into the bag we keep them in.
Tucker also REALLY REALLY LOVES books. I must read 30 books a day. Well 10 different books but several of them repeatedly each day. (Gramma..we need more books!!) Daddy took Tucker to Barnes and Noble last weekend and told Tucker that he could pick out a book. OF COURSE Tucker HAD to choose a CAR book! But as you can tell in the picture of him reading it in his carseat, he was very excited about it! And so surprised that all the cars are 3-D. Needless to say, I have read this book 50 times since he got it last weekend.

2 more things..BABY DUCKS AND GEESE! My boy LOVES his "DUTS!" Our complex has 5 little lakes and a MILLION ducks and geese (which we HAVE to go see EVERY day :)) and now..there are BABY ducks and geese!! He LOVES it! As soon as he wakes up from his nap today, we're off to feed the babies!
And the second thing..parks are an amazing invention! Tucker LOVES the slide!!

Oh!! And we went on an amazing hike 2 weekeds ago that I didn't get a chance to post about..It was wonderful finally being somewhere not flat and concrete!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL and we LOVED it :)

Toddler Time is a HIT!!

Tucker, that dear sweet boy, woke up, crying, at 6:21 this morning. Which might not sound like a big deal to you, but it is. He is an EXCELLENT sleeper. He sleeps thru the night, he sleeps from 8 to 7:30-8:30. So on the very rare occasion that he does wake up early, he is, well, a terror. A whiny, fussy ball of terror.
Today was the first time we were going to go to Toddler Time at the library here in Greensboro. I debated whether I should take him or not since he was pitching horrible fits..but the boy does love his books, so I took him. The first five minutes there, I seriously considered leaving. He would not let me sit him down, he whined constantly, he threw his juice down. But as soon as a few other kids showed up, he turned into a good little boy. Not an angel (he still wouldn't sit on his own and he whined when others did something he didn't like, etc). Then the story time and finger plays started. ANGEL!! He did EXACTLY what he was supposed to. Clapped at the right times, sat quietly at the right times, squealed with laugher at the right times, well you get the picture. He even stayed in the little area he was supposed to! I was very glad that I took him.
However..the moment we got home he started screaming and crying and was so angry. He wanted his blankie (if you know about the blankie, you know how attached he is to it. However, lately it is a naptime and bedtime ONLY item..otherwise he has to leave it in his crib at all times. He is normally ok with this...NOT TODAY! He has cried and whined for it soooooooooooooooo many times today.
When he woke up from his usual 2 hour afternoon nap, drank chocolate milk, and had a cup of goldfish while watching Madagascar and was STILL GRUMPY, I knew it was more than just waking up early.
Little man now has 14 teeth. He had 12 before today, now his top fangs (the canines on either side of his top 4) are barely peeking thru, so thankfully after today, the grumpiness will be over (for a little bit longer anyway!)

We will be going to Toddler Time regularly now!! And also to a bunch of the other awesome activities that the local library has! :D

Stress is Frustrating

I have found myself very stressed these last couple of days.
Not only stressed but frustrated.
And I am only frustrated because I am stressed.
Now THAT is a very frustrating cycle.

If I could stop thinking about things I wouldn't be stressed. Or maybe I would still be, but not as bad! I'm frustrated that I am stressed about stupid things in the first place and frustrated that I can't stop thinking about these things, which only makes me more frustrated.

It is a ridiculous cycle.

A 15 Month Old Teenager

My wonderful little boy..he looks EXACTLY like his Uncle Myles and Grampa Kehoe. Now..not only does he LOOK like them, he is starting to ACT like them. And by that I mean both Grampa and Uncle Myles can be a bit of a smartbutt when they want to be. Sometimes sarcastic. Tucker is normally very sweet and means every bit of whatever he does, but every now and then does something that makes me think of them all over again.

Like today for instance...(I have a video of this but don't know how to get it on here from my cell phone.) Several school buses drive by our place every day and several airplanes go over and several trains go by. For the last week Tucker has been doing this "O" face, like a look of surprise. But the way he does it is just so darn cute. Anyways, a few handfuls of buses, planes and trains have passed today. And almost every time, Tucker has ran to the sliding door and pointed and made his surprised face, giving a small shocked gasp. It is just so adorable that I had to get it on video. After several attempts, I was about to give up and so was he. Then a plane flew overhead. Now he normally does it all on his own but after several video attempts, he was tired of doing it for me. So I was trying to get him to do it. He was IGNORING me and doing a VERY good job of it. The video was rolling and I was trying to get him to do it. He wouldn't look at me. He must of got tired of me trying because he gave me a bored/annoyed look, glanced towards the window, gave me a FAKE "O"face and went to his room, closing the door behind him. My little smartbutt gave me a sarcastic and fake look.

Not only that, but yesterday Tucker and I drove back from Hendersonville. He helped me unpack then we ate lunch together. We played for awhile in the living room then he went to his room and shut the door all but a crack. After a few minutes, I poked in my head to check on him. He was content with his megablocks, so I got a book to read and sat on the couch. I heard him shut his door all the way. I gave him about five minutes and went to check on him again. I cracked open the door. He was sitting in a pile of books, "reading" outloud to himself. He heard me open the door, looked up and YELLED at me with such a little attitude and he sounded pretty mad! He jumped up, pushed me out and shut the door back hard. Guess my little 15 month old teenager wants more privacy...

A Short Visit

Tucker and I came home for a short visit with my family this week. He LOVES all the ride-on toys that Gramma and Grampa have here for him. He LOVES coming to see Gramma and Grampa Kehoe..and Uncle Myles and alllllllll their dogs :)

Right before bed, Tucker loves to snuggle with Grampa. Why? 2 reasons. 1. Grampa gives very good snuggles and Tucker loves snuggling (sometimes). 2. Grampa gives Tucker alllllll kinds of goodies. They are eating potato chips and snuggling and watching cops together here :)
Tucker is VERY easy to change and get dressed at home on his changing table..at Gramma's is a different story. The little bug rolls around and tries to crawl away across Grampa's big bed every chance he gets. Unless you give him something to occupy him...like Gramma's reading glasses (which she has a replacement pair now seeing as how the ones Tucker plays with, are kinda mangled). My little nerd :)

And even though Tucker has some really cool ride on toys of his own at the Kehoe's, nothing is better than riding on the BIG boy ones! He just can't resist scrambling up to ride on the fourwheelers, the mule, the Kubota, or even just the regular lawnmowers. Plus, Uncle Myles gives great fourwheeler rides, he even takes Tucker through the mud! He looks so cute coming back with a huge smile on his face, happy squeals, and well, a splatter or two of mud on him!

I'm afraid it won't be long and this little guy will be driving this around all by himself!

We love coming for visits :)

Pointless Post? Check.

I don't really have anything to say..but I feel the need to write.
So I'm going to brag.
Tuck and I are getting ready for one heck of a kick-butt summer!!! Go ahead, be jealous!
First off..the park Tucker and I go to..is amazing.
Second, we're going to the zoo often.
Third, Greensboro Natural Science Center (really just an awesome park and a Greensville, SC-like zoo) is minutes from our apartment.
Fourth, the pools are getting ready to open up.
Fifth, Tuck and I are taking a trip with my parents and my younger brother to like 11 different states to see a bunch of amazing places!!!!!! (that's right..including the Grand Canyon, whitewater rafting, riding, Colorado mountains, and tooooooonns more!)
Sixth, DARE camp!
Seventh, my BESTIE McBESTIE's wedding!!!
Eighth..well I don't want to make you too jealous, so I'm going to leave it at that :)


Oh and..tomorrow we are going to Hanging Rock..I'm excited!!

NOT

Tucker did NOT figure out that his tractor is not only a ride-on toy, but also a ladder.
I did NOT find him STANDING on my kitchen table.
And he was NOT pouring all the salt and pepper OUT of my shakers into a candle.
Tucker did NOT make fun of me sneezing by laughing and going "asssssckkkbbbbbbb asssssccckkkkbbb."
I did NOT twist my husbands nipple this morning in front of Tucker.
I did NOT laugh hysterically when Tucker reached out and also gave Zeke's nipple a twist.
I did NOT put the same diaper back on my child after he pooped the tiniest little stinky nugget (that left no racing stripes of any kind).
I am NOT that cheap.
Tucker and I are NOT wearing our jammies all day long today.
After lunch, Tucker did NOT proceed to have a blowout in a fresh diaper.
And the diaper did NOT mysteriously come undone inside his jammies.
There was NOT poo all the way up his back, all over his areas, down his legs, and definitely NOT inside his socks even.

No way, NOT today :)

Weekends go by waaaaaay toooooo fast!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Tucker from this weekend. He is SUCH a SWEETHEART!!! Anyways..we were getting dressed to go on a picnic and to the park (actually..we ended up going to 2 different parks 3 times on Sunday). Tucker always helps me pick out outfits to wear..and by that, I mean I open a drawer/door and he proceeds to pull out some of my clothes, holding them out to me. Yesterday, he pulled out this bra and started giggling so hard..so i strapped it on him. He thought it was even funnier then...just wait until he figures out that saggy boobies are no good :) I'm not sure why he finds "Tucker has..aaaaaa...FATFACE!" so funny, but he CRACKS UP everytime I do it.

Peeking at Daddy thru the tunnel. Too bad it is so slippery with his pants that he can't get half way up without sliding back out the other end. He keeps on trying tho :)

Tucker loves to swing with his mommy. I pick him up and he just relaxes against me. Its an amazing feeling :)

These pictures (believe me, there are millions more of him doing these things) don't even come close to doing justice to how happy the slides make him. Not even videos can capture it properly..you just gotta be there in RL to see it. The squeals of terror and delight all bundled, the smile that lights up his whole face, how he stands up and immediatly tries to get back up it to do it all over again. Tucker is definitely all boy and enjoys every second of life :)

Needless to say, the park has become a favorite hang out of ours. Once we're up and dressed, he is heading to the door, practically begging to go out and to the park (or to see the DUcks). And the squeals of delight coming from the backseat when he can finally see the park out of the window make every second of the traffic and jerk drivers completely worth it. Oh and after seeing this mom at the park last night battle with her 3 year old over her paci, and another battle with her 2 year old over a sippy cup verses his bottle, I feel the need to mention how thankful I am that Tucker uses neither! (Only used a paci for 3 weeks when he was first born and was off the bottle COMPELTELY!! by 8 months) AND he doesn't suck his thumb.

I am also VERY VERY happy to announce that his blankie is now for sleep times ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! It NEVER leaves his crib now, which is AMAZING!!!!!!!! Which I think that he could even sleep without it, but why should he have to? So all in all, I love the fact that I don't and won't have to battle with Tucker over these issues! It is wonderful :)

Now on to potty training...I'm seeing a lot of people with children around Tucker's age are beginning to potty train. And if your kid is potty trained at this age, CONGRATULATIONS!! That is AMAZING! But I don't plan on starting to even try with Tucker for at least a couple more months. Don't get me wrong, to be diaper-free would be simply wonderful, but I am positive that for Tucker, it would be a losing battle at the moment..and I am okay with that. He does not seem ready to even try, so I don't plan on forcing him to! He is doing better than excellent for his age, so I'm not gonna force him to try to grow up even faster than he is already doing.

As for talking, I'm seeing more and more words beginning to come out. Which both thrills and terrifies me. Him being able to actually TELL me what he wants/needs would be great, but I am NOT looking forward to him being able to tell me to leave him alone or anything like that. He said "there" this morning while looking at the window. Many other things are starting to bubble out of his mouth as well..I don't understand the majority of them, but soon I think!

He never ceases to amaze me..even with the simplest of things :)

Treasured Moments

I can't narrow it down..everything stage and every memory has been my favorite so far. I love every picture and every video of Tucker, but these pictures stand out :)

Tucker at 22 weeks in my belllllly!
Hours old

1 day old

1 day old

one week old. i like this picture because Tucker cried so little as an infant (and even now) that geting a picture of him crying was very rare.

Mr. Smiley

about 1 month old

Tucker's first dog..Sheeba

Tucker's first Easter..smiling at his mommy!

sleepy little man

a big little boy

after bath time

apple juice at the Davidson River in Pisgah

BEACH bum

LOVED the ocean!

Tucker loves ALL animals..looking at fish at the Charleston Aquarium

hippie baby in the hammock :)

dumped out and tried to eat a basket of shredded papers

Tucker's first time touching snow. We went up on the parkway and it was waaaay too windy for us to get out of the car..so we brought snow into the car to play with :)

cake batter!! he loves licking the beaters!

His John Deere tractor..it cracks him up!

Biggest snow! he LOVED sledding!

conked out after a long day of playing and helping mommy

I had a stick of candy in my mouth..I guess I didn't give him a taste fast enough. He reached right up and just latched on!

These are just a few pictures that I love..there are about 10 billion more, but these are some of my favorites from sea monkey stage to little monster stage! This little boy is my life :)

More Easter Weekend Fun

I had an amazing time with my family both in Greensboro and in Etowah. I am very glad that they came down for a visit :). These are some of my favorite pictures from this past weekend. Just a few of my many many favorites haha.

Tucker had an amazing time dying (sp??) Easter eggs. He LOVED the taste of the dye..I'm not sure why, but he did. I guess he likes vinegar. Gross. As you can see, his hands were also dyed, along with his arms, his legs, his mouth, my hands and my jeans. Lesson learned-(even tho the dye did come out!!) Don't let a 14 month old dye eggs on your lap when you are wearing your favorite jeans :)

My little ladies' man! Already likes to show off his body..if it were up to Tucker, he would be wearing even less clothes than in this picture at all times!

Tucker LOVES to ride on the fourwheeler. He hears either of the fourwheelers or any of the other ride-on "toys" my daddy and brother have and he wants to be right there with them! But Tucker's Grampa, Uncle Myles or Daddy were there to give him a ride on Sunday..so "Uncle" Justin stepped in to give rides. Tucker LOVED it!!

He thinks he can drive! And..well he proved to us he can. I didn't get a picture of it (maybe someone else there did??) but we went to the Sok's house for a Easter egg hunt Sunday afternoon. Kuntea's daughter, Adrienne, has a small battery powered fourwheeler for toddlers. Fearless Tucker, climbed right on and went all over the place!

This was taken Saturday afternoon at the Greensboro Nature Center. Tucker thought it was hilarious to be on a turtle. Although that was a short experience..because there were soooooo many "DUcks" (although there was a handful of ducks, they were mainly geese..but of course, all birds at "DUcks" at this point.)


Anywho..we had an amazing time with my family. I am very thankful for them and all that they do for us. I don't know what I would do without them. They simply are wonderful! :-)

just some Easter weekend pictures