A Big Day

Tater loved Elmo Live at my grandma's house, she's finally "playing" with someone her size.

Tatum's first swing ride

Gas'n up the car.

Wahoo! Going for a ride.

Tatum and her GiGi

Winter jammies from Grandma Maggie

I tried to get a picture of her clapping

Ty told us he was too big for the wagon and then he wanted Tatum in it.

We had a cozy day at home yesterday, Ty wanted me to wrap him up in a blanket.

We had a big day in the Swapp household yesterday. Tatum decided to start clapping, get on her knees and move herself backwards when she is on her tummy. When we say "Yeah Tatum" she starts to clap, it's so dang adorable. I am not sure that I am ready for her to move. I really like the fact that when I leave the room and come back, she is still in the same place!

It's so fun having a girl and being able to dress her up. My mother-in-law got Tatum 5 Christmas outfits, luckily we have at least five Christmas functions to go to. I got Ty and Tatum's pictures taken today so they wore some of their Christmas clothes, they looked so cute, but of course I am biased because I am their mother! I ended up just going to Target to get their pictures taken in Lake Stevens. My grandma went with...thank goodness. The kids were great but when it was time for me to pick the pics I liked, Ty was all done! I was really surprised that they turned out pretty good. Then we went to "Andrew"s Playroom" in Arlington, a play center for young kids. Ty had a great time, he loved the Thomas the Train ride-on toy the most. I think he spent an hour out of the two hours we were there on it. It was so nice to spend the day with my grandma, we don't do that very often. I am usually so worried about getting my kids and their naps and not messing with their routines but for some reason I didn't care today and everything went great. I guess I should break out of the the mold a little more often.

Sibling Love

We bundled up one day and went for a little hike. Tatum loved it!
Because we took a picture of Tatum, Ty had to be included too!
I was trying to capture a cute moment but it didn't quite work. Ty got the helmet for his birthday. So one day he woke up and wanted his helmet on and he was playing with his kitchen. By the time I got my camera he ran into our kitchen and this ended up being the picture that I took.

It's been a pretty busy two weeks, I just realized haven't added any pictures to the blog in awhile. Then I realized that I didn't even take one picture at Thanksgiving. Tatum wasn't feeling well so I held her the whole time so I just didn't get out my camera. Even though Tatum was sick, she sure looked cute! She ended up having an ear infection with a 102.9 temperature...poor baby girl! She is now feeling better and back to her normal happy self. She is just so precious. Ty has been wonderful this week! He is so dang funny and has started to sing lots of songs. His favorite right now is to sing Happy Birthday to himself over and over again. Ty is going to think that every time someone sings Happy Birthday it's directed at him. Ty just loves his baby sister. He brings her toys to play with and when she was sick, he would say, "it's ok Tater Bug." He told his friend Riley, "Be careful of Tatum" when they were playing on the floor. It makes me so happy that he loves her, I just hope he stays that way and protects her when they are growing up. It has been so nice with volleyball over. I forget how much time we have when Pat gets home from work when I don't have volleyball...it's so nice!

Ty's 2 year stats

Ty now weighs 28lbs which is in the 60th percentile and his height is 36 1/4 inches which is the 90th percentile. I am so glad that he is not on the "little" side any more because at his last appt he was in the 25th percentile. Ty's doctor was very impressed with his vocabulary and said he was very healthy! And he got two shots and didn't even flinch, I was impressed because I got my flu shot last week and it hurt!

Ty turns 2!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Well, actually Ty doesn't turn two until next Friday but we had a birthday party for him today since we will be gone next week at my volleyball tournament on his real birthday. I can't believe that my baby is turning 2. He was so excited and LOVED that all of his family came to celebrate his birthday. I made Ty an Elmo birthday cake. While I was making it, he was saying, "Wow, Oh thank you mommy, Oh thank you mommy."

It was so nice this year because he actually understood the concept of his birthday and what it was all about. He liked all of his presents and told everybody thank you after he opened each one. Pat and I got Ty a play kitchen. I know that people tend to get kitchens for little girls but every place we go that has a kitchen, that is what he plays with. He loved it! It makes all sorts of noises and has a light that turns on. I wanted to get him something that would be a toy that he would play with for a long time and that he would play independently...I have my fingers crossed that this toy will keep him occupied during the lovely cold and rainy days of winter. I didn't get a whole lot of pictures of Ty because he wouldn't stay still for very long but I did get quite a few of Tater. She was so good and didn't make a peep getting passed around from one family member to another.

This was such a fun day for all of us. Ty genuinely loved everything about his birthday party from the Elmo napkins to his new Kitchen. I just love that little boy!

Jungle Playland

This is Kaeden and Kennadi at the top of the slide. I tried to take a picture of them going down the slide but they went too fast.

Lisa and her little boy Connor.

Ty going down the slide on his tummy.

Kendyl saying, "Cheese Auntie" she loves her picture being taken.

Quinn enjoying going down the slide.

Ty looking at the BIG ALLIGATOR on the wall.

Ty and Kendyl going down the toddler slides over and over again. They had so much fun playing with each other.

Balls, balls and more balls

Kaeden, Kennadi, Kendyl and Ty playing in the balls.

Last week I met my sister, her kids, my friend Lisa and her two kids at Jungle playland in Mount Vernon. Oh my goodness...it should be called Jungle Crazy Land. Luckily we went on a weekday because I couldn't imagine how crazy it would be on a weekend. Ty had a good time, he went down the slide once with me but that was it. The slides there are so fast you fly down them and land hard on your butt, even I was a bit nervous. He enoyed the balls and the toddler area.

Tatum's 6 month stats

Tatum had her 6 month appointment this morning and of course she was wonderful as always. She was grabbing the doctor's stethescope and sucking on it and when she got her 4 shots she cried for about 15 seconds and then she was smiling at the nurse. She is just so precious.

Her stats:
weight: 16 lbs 3oz-60th percentile
height: 28 in- a little bigger than 97th percentile
head size: 43.6cm-80th percentile

So, she is long and lean (she obviously doesn't take after her mama) but you wouldn't know that looking at her rolls on her legs. My favorite outfit on Tatum is when she is just in her onesie and socks and you can see her little leg rolls. I just want her to stay this size and age for a little longer, she is just so cute and fun right now. She really doesn't like to roll over very much, she would rather sit and play with her toys or lay and suck on her toes!

Trick or Treat

This is the aftermath. Tired, exhausted and wanting more candy.

Tired from a long afternoon

Getting ready to go trick or treating

Addison and Ty waiting to go

Getting Ty into his costume was a lot easier than I anticipated. I had to do a little coaxing and bribery but it worked and that is what matters. We went to downtown Anacortes for their trick or treating at 2:30. We met some friends down there and it was a lot of fun. The three kids got the hang of trick or treating pretty quickly. Addison was a fairy princess, Grace was a monkey, Ty was dinosaur, Tatum was a ladybuy and Scarlett was a bunny. We got back home and Ty wanted to get more candy, so we went to a few more houses when we got back home. He enjoyed it, until we went to a house that had skeleton that made scary noises. Overall, it was a great day. I think Ty had more candy today than he has his whole life!

Pumpkin Carving

Ty showing off his new Husky coat he got from Grandpa Swapp.


Yes, I know my kid is in his diaper outside when it's 45 degrees, oh well.





We were lame parents last year and didn't carve pumpkins but not this year! I didn't think Ty would want anything to do with getting the pumpkin guts out of the pumpkin but he loved it! By the time Ty was done getting all of the guts out, I just quickly carved the pumpkins just to get it over with. I think next year I am going to get a pumpkin carving kit and make a really intricate pumpkin...or not.

another week

If we all can be so flexible



This week was filled with play dates, volleyball, going to Marysville to visit my sister and my grandma and grandpa, preschool and usually by Saturday I have forgotten what else we have done but it sure did go by fast. Last night Grandpa Swapp watched Ty while Pat and Tater went to my volleyball game. We lost but it was a pretty competitive match. (Thanks Jenn, Corby, Maggie, Tom, Peyton & Kayley for coming!) We don't get Ty McDonalds very often but when Grandpa watches Ty, he brings up a hamburger for Ty and Ty just loves sitting at the big table with Grandpa and eating his hamburger. It's so sweet how the smallest things brings so much joy to a 2 year old.

Today we went to my best friend Lianna's son Xavier's 2nd birthday. It was a lot fun. They rented a bouncy house and the weather was perfect, so the kids just played outside and had a great time. I forgot my camera so I was bummed I didn't get any pictures. Ty came home exhausted! Then there is our little Tater Bug. She loves to eat food and she even likes her vegetables! She can sit up by herself now for quite a long time. She showed off her sitting skills to the volleyball team yesterday. She loves her jumparoo, she bounces so much I think she is going to give herself shaken baby syndrome. The more you look at her in it, the harder she jumps. She is so dang cute with her crazy curly hair.

Parenting...it's not easy

You don't know how hard it is being a parent until you are one. Ty and Tatum are so young and innocent and I just want them to stay that way. Ty gets excited over everything and doesn't know that there is evil in the world. I just want it to stay that way, why does he have to grow up so fast? I know every parent wishes this for their children, I just hope their innocence lasts awhile.

I am "that mom" and Pat is "that dad." This past week Pat took Ty to the Harvest Party at the preschool. It was pretty chaotic and a little boy went up to Ty for no reason and two-handed pushed him. Ty just looked at him and didn't know what to think. I know that kids push, shove and hit each other at this developmental stage of their life but when the parent of the kid who shoved my kid doesn't say anything and just stands there, that ticks me off! I wasn't at the party so Pat told me about the situation, I was so upset. I know this is a typical situation but it broke my heart that my little boy was shoved for no reason. It took every ounce of me not to say something to the kid's parent the next day at preschool. I am so over protective of my little ones, I am not sure how I will handle a "real" situation.

I don't ever want my kids to get picked on, but they will. I don't ever want their feelings to get hurt, but they will. I don't ever want them to be sad, but they will. No matter how sad they get, I think I will be even more sad for them. I know this is just the beginning, but geez, it's hard being a parent!

Squash...it's what's for dinner

The last week or so Tatum has been grabbing and reaching for everything. If I am holding her and eating, she opens her mouth and tries to grab my fork or my food. So last night I decided to try some food. I have read a couple articles about starting kids on baby food and both of them said that you don't need to start with rice cereal, really have you tried the stuff...it's not very tasty anyway. I wanted to start her off on a vegetable because we started Ty on the fruits and then he wouldn't eat any of the vegetables but I don't blame him, I don't think they taste good either. Trial and error with the first and with the second kid we hopefully have it down. Tatum didn't do to bad with the food. As I was bringing the spoon to her mouth she was grabbing the spoon and shoving it into her mouth. So hopefully feeding her real food will go well since she still won't take a bottle.

It is so fun now with both kids. Tatum loves playing with all of Ty's toys and he is doing a pretty good job of sharing them with her. She can sit up for a little while on her own and she still doesn't like tummy time to well. Also, is a picture of Ty helping me make bread last week.

Terrible Twos???

I knew this would happen. I told my sister last week that Ty is such a sweet good boy that he won't go through the terrible twos. I guess I spoke too soon. The day after I said that, Ty has been testing our patience. No is his favorite word. He will ask for something, we go and get it for him and then he doesn't want it. He has to do EVERYTHING himself. We are hoping this doesn't last for too long because I miss my sweet little boy.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I was in the living room feeding Tatum and I knew Ty was in my bathroom but he was quiet. I got done feeding Tatum so I went in there to see what this little mischievous almost two-year old was up to. He had somehow got my make-up bag off the counter and it was spread all over the floor. But the cutest part was when I walked in he was lifting up his shirt and putting my deodorant on. It was really cute. I took the deodorant away, and he said, "No mom, other one." He wanted to put deodorant on his other armpit just like mommy! I wish I would have had the video camera to capture the moment.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!

Today for Pat's birthday we surprised Pat at work and brought him doughnuts for him and his class and balloons. Ty loved going to Pat's class. I thought that he would be scared of all the kids but he walked in the room like he owned the place.

Tonight for Pat's birthday we are going on a date! Yes, that's what I said, a date! We haven't been on a date since before Tatum was born. Pat's mom and step dad are going to watch the kids while we go out. It will be nice not having to entertain a two-year old at the dinner table, wipe up spit up, or try to breast feed discretely while trying to quickly shove food in my face before they both lose it. I am looking forward to it and so is Pat because that is all he wanted for his birthday was dinner with no kids.

Life is Good

With three volleyball matches last week (2-1), the week went by amazingly fast. We had our last Messy Me class on Wednesday. I am a little bummed because it was nice having something to do in the middle of the week so we don't get bored. On Wednesday, my sister and her family and my dad came to my game. Ty just loves it when his cousins are there to play with them. Grandpa Swapp usually goes with Pat to help out with both kids at the game, thank goodness...otherwise I think Pat would have a nervous breakdown at times. When Ty has his mind made up there's not a lot you can do to change it. We love him for it! Friday we had preschool as usual and Ty had a great time. He tends to play by himself a lot and likes to play with the kitchen and the little doll house. I think it's great, so I told Pat that I was going to get him a toy kitchen for his birthday but I don't think Pat is going to go for it. Yesterday I went to MVHS to watch volleyball all day and then Pat, Tatum and I went to new Japanese restaurant in Burlington called Sakura to meet my sister and brother-in-law for dinner for his birthday and Grandpa Swapp watched Ty. It was so much fun and the food was great, we highly recommend it!

Today was the perfect day to go to the pumpkin patch! The weather was perfect and both kids were great. Ty loved the big pumpkin painting and seeing the animals. He fed the chickens and talked to them. He kept asking them how they were and then he would answer for them. We ran into some friends and their daughter Grace, so that was fun for Ty to have someone to pal around with. There was the huge blow up pumpkin bouncy house with balloons inside that were being blown around. Ty said he wanted to go in but when it came down to it, he was screaming and didn't want to go in. I know my son, and there was no way he was going to go in there. I always forget about the little Tater Bug when I write on the blog. She is perfect as usual and loved checking everything out at the pumpkin patch. She is drooling like crazy and has rash or excema on her little chin that won't go away but we still think she is adorable!

Then we went down to Marysville to celebrate Pat and Shawn's birthday at my mom's. We had fried oysters and steak (at Pat's request), my mom makes the best food! Ty had a great time playing with his cousins, he just loves them. My parents live near a school so Kayla and I brought the kids over there to play on the playgrounds. They had so much fun going down the slides and chasing each other.

I think that is it for the week. I just can't believe how busy we stay with me not working. Hopefully this continues because I don't want to get bored being at home.

Hanging Out

Staying at home and not working is great, especially when the weather is nice. This week we went to my friend Lisa's house so Ty could play with her little boy Quinn and Tatum and her baby Connor just hung out, we met Cari & Riley at the park, Messy Me class on Wed and Preschool on Friday, I had two matches this week (1-1), we went to my cousin's baby shower on Saturday, then went to Aunt Mary's for dinner last night where Ty played with his cousin Charlie. Today Pat and I wanted to take the kids to the pumpkin patch but it was windy and rainy so we stayed home and watched the Seahawks...not so fun watching them lose badly.

Both kids have horrible colds. Poor little Tatum has had a hard time eating since she is so stuffed up but I think she is starting to feel better. She normally sleeps through the night, but this week she has been waking up to eat because she wakes herself up coughing and gagging on her snot, I know...gross!

So, I got Ty and Tatum their Halloween costumes yesterday. Tatum is going to be a Lady Bug and Ty is going to be a Dinosaur, well actually it's a Dragon costume but what matters most is that he thinks it's a dinosaur. I brought it home and he said, "Oh mommy thanks, dinosaur jammies! I was relieved that he liked it until it was time to try it on. He was screaming and wanted nothing to do with it. So, at least I have about a month to try to get him to try it on. I am sure he will be the only kid not wearing a costume on Halloween! Speaking of screaming...Ty has needed a haircut for at least a month but he hates getting his haircut so we have been putting it off. Yesterday morning we gave him a haircut, oh man was that fun. He screamed the entire time and now he has a haircut that is so uneven, but what do we do?