Tyson - August 2012 - 8 Months

Oh Tiger, how we love you in our family.  You are such a twerp about 80% of the time, but that other 20% makes up for it all the way!  I'm not sure how that works, but I was never very good at math...

We decided to try another camping trip with you after Uncle Dusty and Aunt Sylvia invited us to go with their family.  We left Thursday, and your dad had work off clear until Sunday, but we were taking bets on how long we (as in YOU) would make it.  I'm happy to say that you did awesome!  Much, MUCH better than our last camping trip.  It still wasn't very easy by any means, but you definitely felt better and slept better than the last time we had tried camping with you.  Good call bud.  I'm pretty sure if you were a camping dud the second time around your dad might have tried to talk me into finding a good home for you ;)

One of the days we were there all adults and the big kids went for a long 4-wheeler ride while you and I stayed back at camp.  We had such a nice time!  You took a nap and then I tried to take a nap (stupid dogs kept barking!), then we got up and ate lunch....

... and then the clouds started to move in.  I thought, Oh a nice little sprinkle will feel good!  It's been too hot out here in the afternoons...  Well that nice little sprinkle turned into a downpour REALLY fast!  I tried my best to get all the camp chairs under the awnings while holding you with one arm, and then we sat down under the awning of Uncle Dusty's trailer to watch the lightning and listen to the rain and thunder.  That didn't last long, because this was the look on your face...

You really weren't as scared as that picture makes it look, but pretty soon the rain was coming in sideways under the awnings (and soaking all the chairs anyway), and the lightning was starting to hit a little too close for comfort, so we went into the trailer to listen instead.  Even with the rain we had a nice time hanging out at camp together.

You still don't have any teeth yet, so my options are still limited as far as what to feed you, but boy do you love your solid food.  This is what happened one morning when I wasn't shoveling your pears in your mouth fast enough...

It's not very smart to smack the spoon from the lady who is trying to feed you.  I borrowed a food grinder from Meridee, and your favorite thing to eat for dinner is spaghetti.  We ate it for a few meals last week (Dad left for Idaho, so we had a bunch left over), and you liked it so much that I made it again tonight.  You also love your fruit for breakfast and your cardboard (oatmeal) cereal at dinner.  You would eat an entire container of puffs in one sitting if I would let you, and Cheerios (baby crack) are right up there at the top of your list too.

Logan and Tessa still LOVE to love on you.  I caught this picture the other day.  It doesn't do the look on your face justice because I could read in your eyes that you wanted me to help you.  Yep, you are wearing Tessa's pink tutu.  Instead of helping, I pulled out my phone to take a picture.

For the most part you've been a decent baby when we try to go do fun things this summer, as long as you aren't tired, or hungry, or just cranky for no reason....  I really have to time things just right!  Here are a few pictures of you being cute and not cranky while we were out having fun...

At the Ranchos park.  The big kids played, you tried to figure out how to keep the flies off your arm.

At home after swimming at the Fredonia pool.  I threw on Logan's T-shirt to cover you up for the ride home.  Then you slept like a rock for your nap and woke up just as adorable and wide-eyed as can be.

At the splash pad in Hurricane.  We stayed and Grandma and Grandpa Hillier's house for a couple nights, and you thought the splash pad was okay.

On a walk in the stroller after a summer storm.  You are kind of glaring at me in the picture, but you really did enjoy our walk.  They have become my secret weapon to stop you from being cranky for 2 hours before your bedtime.

You haven't stopped growing, and the last time I weighed you, you were over 19 pounds.  It's about time to break out the bigger carseat!  I had you in the infant carrier today as we were taking some papers in to the elementary school.  I walked about 5 steps with you that way before I turned around and put the carseat back in the truck and just hauled you in on my hip.  It's WAY to heavy to try to carry you in that thing these days, and you are sure trying your best to break my back.  You haven't really gotten too far in learning to crawl, but I can't say that I'm surprised.  Tonight you were on your belly and I put a couple puffs a few inches away from where you could reach to see if you would squirm your way up to them, and as soon as they hit the floor Logan and Tessa each reached for them to put them closer to you!  You have no need to learn to crawl - you've got 2 slaves that will DO anything for you so you don't have to move.  It's so cute to see you stretch and reach and wiggle your legs to try to move around when I do tell them to make you get things yourself.  You're just adorable.

We love you Tiger,
Mom