Notre Dame...

Joe got a trip to South Bend, IN home of the Fighting Irish and Wyatt and I decided to tag along. It was fun to get away, go out to dinner, and get some time in the pool. But Wy guy apparently decided that he will no longer sleep in his pack-n-play while being in the same room as Mommy and Daddy....So Mommy packed up the car at 4:30am and headed home so both of my boys could get a little shut eye!!! I was just a little bit sleepy. : / I guess from now on we will be getting a suite so Wyatt can have his own space to sleep! : )

Eating an orange at dinner and loving it!

Trying on his new trunks for the first time!

Loving the pool!

14-Months-Old

Our little man is sure growing up in a hurry. I can't believe he's 14-months already.

Wyatt's becoming more independent by the day and "needing" his Mommy less and less. : ( But he still loves to snuggle at bedtime, so I'll enjoy the sweet time while it lasts. I'm noticing so many things that Wy guy used to do but doesn't do any longer...How can the seasons be so fleeting? Karen Kingsbury says it perfectly, "I've watched you grow and barely noticed seasons as they pass. If I could freeze the hands of time, I'd hold on to your lasts." I've tried to be very intentional in soaking up the moments but they do pass so quickly...

Is this a boy pose or what?

Much to Daddy's dismay, Wy loves to try on Mommy's jewelery.

Our lil monkey loves to climb into anything and everything.

Such a ham.

He knows when the camera is out!

The best gift ever...Daddy came home from AZ to celebrate.

Hey, Wyatt's hat almost fits Daddy's head...What does this say?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fun Facts about our 14-Month-Old: WYATT...

• loves to open and close doors. He especially likes going into a room by himself, closing the door, and not letting anyone in...He enjoys his sense of independence and to hunt for mischief.
• was intentionally "naughty" for the first time yesterday...He took the cap off of a green marker, went behind the kitchen table where he wouldn't be seen, and colored the table while Mommy was on the phone! : )
• always wants to be the one to give Gabbi her treat after she goes potty, but then Wy cries when Gabbi actually eats the treat because he wanted to eat it!
• loves to get into Mommy's jewelery box and string the beads all over the house.
• loves reading books...We always read one book and one Bible story before bed!
• added a new syllable this month--"Ka" for drink.
• is very FAST on his feet now
• loves to EAT but is getting a bit more particular!!!!
• ADORES his daddy and wants to be just like him!

North Mahaska in Chicago...

Wyatt and I ventured to Chicago to hear Joe speak to a group of high school seniors from his Alma Mater. The group was in Chicago for the senior class trip and stopped in to see Joe at work. Well, I didn't get to hear much of the speaking, as Wy guy thought it would be more fun to play football in the hallway, but it was fun anyhow! Wyatt got to see his second cousin Jake who is getting ready to graduate, and have lunch with Daddy!

Cousin Jake, Joe, and Wyatt

The North Mahaska Seniors... Yep this is the whole gang... It's a very small town!!! : )

Doesn't Jake make the rest of the group look like a bunch of runts?!!!

Mommy's Day!

Today was a fabulous day celebrating mommy-hood with my favorite fellas.

Wyatt truly is my precious GIFT from God. I'm still so humbled that the Lord gave him to me! He fills my heart with joy and my days with laughter. There have been so many "favorite" memories over the past year...I just wish I could hold on to each of them a little bit longer! Speaking of gifts....My hubby spoiled me with a spa package on Saturday and a trip to Chicago over Memorial weekend! I wish everyday was mother's day!! : ) Wyatt made mommy the sweetest hand print picture at daycare that is up on the fridge and will definitely make the scrapbook!!!!

Tulip Time with Opa and Oma!

Oma, Wyatt, Opa...

A little bit of "Dutch-ness" in Pella.

We made a road trip to New Sharon, Iowa last weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa McCulley! On Saturday we all drove about 15 mi to Pella, IA (a very quaint Dutch town) for their annual "Tulip Time". The flowers were in full-bloom and just magnificent to see!!! The weather couldn't have been any more perfect either. We toured around the gardens, stopped at a few shops, visited the bakery, grabbed some coffee, went to the park, took lots of pictures : ) and then we sat down to have dinner. It was a very full day and so relaxing to just be outdoors!!!! What a great way to spend a day together and make memories as family!

Little Dutch Boy.

My very favorite tulips were the bright orange ones!

Oma and Wy guy hand-in-hand. Isn't this a precious sight to see?

Caught in full stride. Where did my baby go?

Aren't the flowers just gorgeous? Love this one! Wyatt really is a Daddy's boy right now. I think these are the 2 most handsome boys in the world (No bias attached!).

And Wyatt is also a Grandpa's boy right now too! Grandpa went into Wy's room (Grandpa's office!) to get him up both mornings. Wyatt would reach with both arms during the day for Opa to pick him UP!!!

First ride on a tractor!

First tune on the piano!

Wyatt also got to see both of his Great Grandmas and meet his Great Aunt Phyllis...Picture to come!

An Expanded Vocabulary!

Wyatt now has 4 words in his vocabulary which includes:

1. "Dada"
2. "Mama"
3. "Ba" (Translation-"Ball" with a deep husky grunt!). Wyatt says his new favorite word about 500 times a day and Mommy loves to hear it every single time! : )
4. "Bye" (As soon as Mommy shows up at daycare, Wyatt runs over to me and begins waving to everyone and saying "Bye".)

Wyatt also has his own word for Dog which sounds something like "Ga" and I think he might be saying "cool"...this has been his response to everything the past 2 days!!!! : ) It's so fun listening to him communicate (with exception to the high pitched scream when Mommy and Daddy just don't understand what Wy guy is trying to say!)...

Another passion of the week...Getting inside of the toy box!

e-i-e-i-o!

We visited the Fair Oaks Dairy Farm today with some friends of ours. We were a bit concerned that we picked the wrong day for a farm tour because the the sky turned dark and the rain came pouring down during the drive. But the sun quickly came to the rescue for us to meet all of the cows!!!!! We even saw a calf being born and watched how cheese is made. This city girl learned a lot!!! My lesson of the day..."Nothing goes to waste on a farm...Everything is put to good use, and I mean everything!!!"

Down the ice cream cone slipper slide.

Eyes glue to the window during the bus tour.