2010 Year in Review

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed and it’s time to take a trip down memory lane! What a great year it was, though, and we’re thankful to have so many wonderful moments to look back on.

In January we took a cruise to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. It was a heavenly, tropical escape from the blah-ness that is Ohio in winter. It was also special because it was our last hurrah as a family of three.

In February we got our first glimpse at Baby Hickle, Version 2.0. At the time, we decided not to find out the baby’s sex, but we were plenty excited to learn that he or she was looking healthy.

In March we enjoyed the little things, like a sunny day when we could play ball outside…

…and the big things, like finding out that we were having another baby BOY!

In April we celebrated Wyatt’s second Easter. He enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs at the local Methodist church.

In May we took our first trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. Despite the balmy temperature and endless uphill walking, we had a good time showing all the animals to Wyatt.

And just a couple weeks later, the month of June was defined by the birth of sweet Colby Wayne.  He arrived at 9:59 a.m. on June 6th, weighing 8 lb., 2 oz. and measuring 20.5 in. in length. We marveled at his dark hair and bright eyes. He was and still is a little bundle of joy.

July was filled with family moments, mostly watching our boys get to know each other. Wyatt liked holding his brother for a few minutes at a time, and then he was off to take care of the important business that toddlers do.

August was a hot one! We were stuck inside most days, but we had fun getting used to a new normal. One of our favorite things to do was make muffins!

In September Daddy took Wyatt for swim lessons at the YMCA. They had a lot of fun in the water, and it was good for Wyatt to get some one-on-one time with Daddy.

This was a busy month for Mr. Colby, as he began to come out of his newborn haze. He played with toys and made big smiles. We knew he was going to have a sweet personality, but seeing him grin made him infinitely sweeter.

In October our little Wyatt turned two years old. We celebrated with a Sesame Street party, and we thanked our lucky stars for the privilege of watching this funny, bright little guy grow up.

 

We also celebrated Halloween! Colby was the cutest lil’ pumpkin ever, and he enjoyed riding in the stroller while his big brother the pirate  trick-or-treated.

In November we were shocked to see our five-month-old raising up on all fours. He just seemed so tiny to be on the path to crawling already!

December brought our best Christmas yet. Our joy was doubled because we had two sweet little guys to celebrate with. Wyatt really seemed to understand the concepts of presents and Santa Claus this year. Colby really seemed to understand the concept of having more fun with his brother’s presents than his own. :) 

 

It’s impossible to look at these pictures and not feel excited to see what the next year brings. We hope our boys grow closer and stronger, and we hope to make many more sweet memories together. Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday, Kaitlyn!

Today is Kaitlyn’s birthday, and we want to wish her a wonderful day! 

Wordless Wednesday

Who’s the Big Boy Now?

Lately Wyatt has been insisting to Mommy that he is little, or as he says it, “Yit-tuhl.” Mommy asks if he is a little boy or a little baby. “Yit-tuhl bay-bee, Mommy!” is his quick reply. Apparently, Colby has been eavesdropping on these conversations, because today he went from this…

 

to this…

to this…

 

Guess Mr. Colby has decided that he is Mommy’s big boy now. Aw, slow down there, Colby. There’s room for two yit-tuhl babies in Mommy’s world. And you and Big Brother will always be yit-tuhl bay-bees in Mommy’s heart.

Snow Day

We awoke this morning to a fabulous snowfall! Our yard was covered in a blanket of white, as was the road. Little Wyatt was worried that the gawbage man might not come, leaving all those poor gawbage cans sitting by the side of the road with no one to empty them. Never one to let us down, the gawbage man showed up at long last, and Wyatt was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

We watched Nellie go out and frolic in the snow, and we watched Tony the neighbor give his driveway two passes with the snow thrower (pity he didn’t come do ours, too!). After a while, Mommy could tell that Wyatt wanted to get his hands on some of that snow, so she had to get creative. Enter the storage bin of snow!

We spread out a waterproof barrier (vinyl Thanksgiving tablecloth) and brought in an array of digging apparatuses (apparati?), and Mr. Wyatt was suddenly at play in an indoor winter wonderland.

He filled up his dump truck.

He scooped snow in cups.

He gave Colby some snow.

And some more snow.

Colby wasn’t too happy about that.

We built two mini snow people.

It was a lot of fun bringing the outdoors in, especially with a nice cozy roaring fire to keep our noses and toeses warm.

We’re definitely looking forward to a few more snow days as winter wears on!

  

Wordless Wednesday

Six Months

Or shall we say HALF YEAR!? Little Colby Wayne seems to be growing up way faster than his big brother did. Where did the last six months go? Mercy!

What is the little guy up to these days? Well, right now he has a cold and is getting over his first (and hopefully last) ear infection. His voice is scratchy and his nose is congested, poor thing. He’s taking it all in stride, though, and seems just as interested and curious as always.

One of Colby’s favorite things to do is hang out on the floor with all his toys. He likes to shake toys that have bells inside them. Sometimes he’ll prop himself up on one hand and shake the toy with his other hand. Now that’s coordination!

Recently, Colby started playing ball. He’ll grip the ball, push it away and army crawl toward it. He sure can cover lots of ground with his little army crawl. In the playroom, he likes to stalk Wyatt’s toys, especially Brushy the vac. Colby will scoot all the way across the room to touch that toy. Uh oh, maybe that vac obsession is genetic!

We’re working on learning our first word and sitting up. We’re also planning to give him solid foods next weekend after he finishes up his antibiotics. Mommy is debating whether to give him avocado or sweet potatoes. Don’t worry—we’ll post lots of pictures for your amusement!

Happy Monthday, little Colby! Mommy, Daddy and Brudder love you so much, and we can’t wait to see what the next month brings!

Your Three Words

Today we’re linking up with the Your Three Words party at Jenni From the Blog. Our three words for this week, or maybe month, are:

THANK YOU, GRANDPARENTS!

 

Our rental house became vacant on Nov. 2, and since then we’ve been busting our behinds trying to make repairs on it, including new carpet, new paint, new toilet, new vanity, new pipe for the kitchen sink, new vinyl flooring in the bath, etc. It has been a lot of work, and Brian has shouldered the brunt of it, but on several occasions we could not have gotten work done if not for the assistance of the grandparents. They babysat our rugrats for us, keeping them entertained with coloring and shopping, eating and playing. It made our work so much easier knowing that the boys were being cared for, and we are so thankful to Nana, Papaw and Mamaw!

And the best news of the day? We’ve found new renters! Woohoo!

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

While hanging out in the playroom yesterday evening, Wyatt exclaimed, "No twash in Wyatt's twash can!"

Mommy reminded him that he and Daddy had taken the trash out the previous day. "Where's the trash now, Wyatt?"

"It in the big people twash can!"

"Then where will it go?"

"Gawbage man will get it!" This was said with an air of seriousness, as if he were discussing the destiny of the world, not just his trash.

"Where will it go then?"

"To the laundryfield!"

Mommy tried not to bust out laughing. "Oh, to the landfill. That's right. You are a trash expert!"

"Yeah."

Kids really do say the darnedest things.