Tyler's Very First Christmas...

Lucky for us, Matt and I both had the day off from work on Christmas this year. Usually, one of us has to work. In fact, I think we have only been off on Christmas once or twice since we have been married. This year, in addition to sharing the day together, we got to share the holiday with our favorite little guy!

Checking out the presents:

The first gift that Tyler opened:

More gifts:

This was his favorite. When he opened the box, he immediately wanted to play with it.

I couldn't resist - he is such an easy target:

Surveying the goods:

Despite all of the toys he had, the dog toy also did not disappoint:

When we were done opening presents and after Tyler's nap, we headed over to Matt's parent's house to spend the rest of the day. You will never believe what happened next! Ok...so I know that Santa is very busy, especially on Christmas...but he still managed to find time to make a stop by the house to meet Tyler!

Check it out:

We finished off the afternoon by relaxing and eating. We had Christmas Crackers at dinner and while Tyler didnt partake in that festivity, he did share in the after-celebration by sporting a very stylish hat. He also practiced standing on the gate rails. He does really well initially, however starts to whine after a couple minutes when his knees get shaky and his legs get tired :)

Merry Christmas...from our family to yours!!

Daddy Day Care: Christmas Edition...

Tyler's day-care was closed for a week and a half during the Christmas holiday. Matt happened to be off from work for a couple of days and then took another week off to stay home with Tyler. They had a great time playing and exploring together!

Tyler decided to give his version of his time at home with daddy:

One of the neighbors gave me this toy. Her boys used to play with it. I like it. I'm finally starting to get it. Daddy helped me stand up so I could put the ball in the slot so it could go down the slide. I like this game!

I've got a cell phone! I always want mommy and daddy's phone. When daddy was home with me, he found one of mommy's old cell phone's and gave it to me. I was so happy. I mean, I've got people to call too! I know, I know. Check out that last picture. Mommy says she has never seen me make that face before. I think I am saying, "Really, mom?! Really?"

Daddy tired me out. I wasn't happy one night, and mommy laid me down and rubbed my back. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep for a little cat nap!

Daddy tried to help teach me how to drink out of the sippy cup. I showed mommy when I got home. I drank out of the cup with her this one time, but really, it was just to make her happy. I'm not ready yet. When mommy and daddy show me this new cup, I push it away and don't want to look at it.

This sums up my week and a half at home with my daddy. I had so much fun. We played alot and he makes me laugh!

9 Months Old...

Why yes, yes we did do Tyler's 9 month photo shoot five days before his 10 month birthday.

Here are just some of his latest happenings:

- Tyler is crawling and gaining speed. He loves to crawl over the dog bed and look in his toy basket.

- Tyler loves to eat! Arrow root cookies are on the top of the list these days. I mean, the kid literally squeels and kicks his feet when he gets one for desert. In real food land, he likes bananas, sweet potatoes, pancakes, macaroni and cheese and goldfish. We are working on chicken but he isn't sure yet.

- Gates have taken over the Farrell House. We have a gate around the fire place. Tyler loves to pick up a ball (or really any item), stick it between the gate bars and watch it fall to the other side. He has also discovered this trick in his crib. Instead of using a ball, he takes his pacifier and pushes it out of the crib through the bars. He laughs when he does this in the crib (but only until he realizes that he is without the pacifier).

- Tyler loves trying to get the dogs to play with him. When they are near, he sits up straight and stares at them. Once he gets their attention and they come over to lick him, he turns his face away and starts the game over again.

- Tyler likes to look at his reflection and smiles when he sees himself (glass doors on the tv stand, mirrors, car windows).

- Tyler is not a fan of the sippy cup. We have tried several diffent kinds. He pushes them all away with his hands. In fact, his reaction actually would make an outsider believe that he was being tortured.

- Tyler is still a great sleeper. He sleeps all night (at least 10 hours, somtimes 12 hours if I don't have to wake him up to take him to day-care before work). He also takes one morning nap (at least an hour and a half) and one afternoon nap (at least two hours).

Here he is :)

I want to draw your attention to this photo...his two bottom teeth! You won't see these teeth on any given day. Fighting a wilderbeast would probably be easier than trying to pry Tyler's mouth open to take a peak...but the stars were aligned perfectly in this shot:

December Fun...

Here are some pictures taken in December. Tyler is nine months old in these pictures!

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Play hard, Nap harder :)

Tyler's 1st Christmas Party...

Tyler went to his first Christmas party this afternoon at Ms. Debbie's house. She has been having this annual party for over 19 years. Ms. Debbie initiates a name draw for the kids. They make up "wish lists" for items between $5-$10 and then try their best not to tell eachother whose name they received. Ms. Debbie also gives each of the kids a gift.

Tyler had a good time, considering two very important facts - 1)It was the end of the day, 2)He was hungry. At times, there were way too many people for him. He has entered into a stage of becomming very overwhelmed by too many faces and tonight was no exception. However, he survived and of course, got lots of love from all of his little girlfriends at day-care.

Here is the whole group on the left side. Some of the kids (especially in the back) went to Ms. Debbie's day-care when they were younger. On the right side, Tyler is being held by one of his favorites, Kelsey. She used to go to Ms. Debbies when she was little and still spends alot of time over at her house:

Tyler got his friend, Aiden, for his Christmas exchange. Tyler bought Aiden some Lighting Mcqueen slippers and a Lighting Mcqueen car. Aiden was pretty stoked.

Tyler received gifts from his friend, Dani. Dani gave him a green ball to play with and some other little toys. Ms. Debbie also gave him a blow up toy. When we got home from Ms. Debbie's, Tyler tested out his new toys:

Also, check this out. Tyler has been trying to climb over the dog bed. He starts off feeling hopeful about his mission, however also gets stopped up by the height of the dog bed. He hasn't figured out yet how to crawl over it. Once he continues to push his knees into the dog bed without moving any, he sits down, lets out a sigh and then smiles. Funny guy.

It's Lego Time...

I finally pulled out the legos and I'm glad I did! I mean, let's face it. I had a fun time building with the legos...and Tyler had fun clutching onto one of the lego pieces and chewing it. These will definitely be added into the rotation for play time in the future!



I seriously can't get enough of this little munchkin!

Fun With Flip...

So we got an early Christmas present from my mom and dad...FLIP video! I've been wanting one for a while so they sent it early so that we can enjoy it over the holiday's. Let's face it, we both win. They get to see their grandchild and we make it happen!

"My Work Here Is Done"

Tyler loves his laptop from Auntie Jaime. He doesn't really know what the laptop has to offer because all he wants to do is close it as soon as I open it for him. Open, close. Open, close. Open, close :)



"Jibber Jabber"

I know its a weird shot, but I wanted to capture some of his sounds recently. This particularly teething toy always seems to get him going!



Playing With Snoopy

We went over to have dinner with some good friends, Michael and Wanda. They spoiled Tyler with a variety of goodies for Christmas, but his favorite by far has been Dancing Snoopy. It is his first singing, dancing stuffed animal and let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint!

Hey...I'm Trying To Watch TV!

When we turn on the greatest tv station to ever exist Nick Jr., we always sit Tyler at the other end of the den to make sure he isn't too close to the television. This used to work well, until he started crawling. Now, Tyler decides where he watches television (until he gets caught)...

I Have A Playdate...

Tyler had a play date with his buddy, Wyatt. Wyatt is three days younger than Tyler. Wyatt's mommy and Tyler's mommy met at pre-natal water aerobics and have been friends ever since! It was so great to get together with them!