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Tyler got to do a race of his own this weekend. The Kids Rock Denver race was part of the Rock n Roll weekend. The "kindergartners" ran 1/2 a mile, which is kind of a long way for little people! My friend Randi made the kids AWESOME shirts with their names on them, so everyone could cheer just for THEM. She blogged about the race here, and I confess that I stole a couple of these photos from her blog. :-) 
Tyler was extra clingy for some reason, but I convinced him that even though I could run WITH him, he couldn't hold my hand for the whole race. :-D There were a LOT of kindergartners, although a lot of them were suspiciously small! 
Tyler did a GREAT job running. He ran almost the whole thing, only stopping to walk a couple of times. I was so proud of him! 
Look at that stride! 
Finished! 
Tyler was so proud of his medal that he took it to school with him on Monday so he could tell his teachers and his classmates all about it. And he can't wait to race again! More pictures are in his 4-5 year album here.
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So, once again, the blogs have been neglected. But, I finally got a bunch of pictures from the summer and fall uploaded, so I thought I'd try to do a quick post with some of our recent happenings. First, Grandma Lois came for a visit. In the little bit of time I had outside of school, we tried to get some sightseeing in. 
We went to Michigan to meet cousin Kade and Ohio to visit Grandma Penny and Grandpa Jim. 
It's awfully tiring going to the beach. 
Tyler went back to school (and so did I). 
We hiked a little. 
And we went to the pumpkin patch! 
Our pumpkin booty 
Tyler and Mommy 
And of course, we ran and biked and we both went to school. That's our life these days! Lots more pictures from the summer are in Tyler's 4-5 year album, so check 'em out!
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It's hard to believe, but my baby turned FOUR on Sunday! How the heck did that happen? And when did he get so tall? The only thing that I could get out of Tyler leading up to his birthday was that he wanted a fire truck cake. Hmm, ok. I can do that! Although I had originally intended to have his party at home at least one more year, the thought of the cleaning and all the logistics involved was kind of stressing me out, so when I found out that the Denver Firefighters Museum hosted birthday parties, it seemed like the perfect solution. For a very reasonable price, we could have two hours in the museum, a space to do cake and ice cream, a little presentation for the kids where the birthday boy would get to be the chief and be the first one to slide down the pole, and each kid would get to take home a helmet and a badge sticker. SOLD!
The Cake
Ready to blow out the candles 
Getting his fire chief gear on 
All dressed up, with Taylor and Sage 
I can't say enough about how great the fire museum was. The kids got to dress up in fire gear, slide down the pole, climb all over and in a real fire truck, and more. They had a blast! It really was the perfect party for a 4 year old boy who wanted a fire truck cake. :-) After the party, we had to speed down the highway for Tyler's third swim lesson. Because it was his birthday, everybody in the pool area sang happy birthday to him and he got a free cookie and a birthday ribbon. Hey, don't squirt Mommy!
Tyler's party was on Friday because of the fire museum's availability, but the festivities continued on to his actual birthday on Sunday. I took him out for breakfast, and then we went to meet friends at the swim beach at Chatfield. The weather had been fairly chilly and we weren't planning on staying long, so I didn't bring swimsuits. Oops. Oh well, we just stripped down to undies and had a great time playing on the beach! Fun on the swim beach 
After the beach, we headed up to my friend Jenn's house in Bailey. Jenn's daughter Kellyn is just a couple of weeks older than Tyler and they were having a birthday/Memorial Day BBQ. Tyler was a little confused at first ("But it's my birthday") but had a great time playing with all the fun stuff at their house. He conned my friend Gwyneth into playing baseball with him...little did she know she would be pitching that long! She even taught him how to "call his shot", ha! Calling his shot 
It was a great day with my little man. Well, I guess it was actually a great weekend! Little did I know four years ago how much it was possible to love him. And as frustrating as he can be at times, he truly is a wonderful kid (and I'm not just saying that because he's mine!) and I couldn't ask for better. I can't wait to see what being the mother of a FOUR year old is like! 
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We had some exciting happenings last week. Friday was our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with friends. The pumpkins weren't as great as past years thanks to some hard freezes and snow we've had, but we still found a few good ones to bring home. 
Saturday was the Denver Marathon's Kids race. They have three different races with different lengths depending on age. Tyler was signed up for the Mini-mile for 6 and unders, which was supposed to be a quarter-mile, but was more like a block. Before the race, he got to meet Ronald McDonald and spin some plates. 
Tyler insisted that I run with him, so I wasn't able to get any pictures of the race myself, but luckily my friend Laurie and her husband Jay were there with their daughter Megan, and they got a few pictures for us. 
Tyler was pretty proud of his race (and so am I!). He's been talking about running another race, and he loves the finisher's medal he got! 
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Tyler's first day of preschool was last Thursday, and he had a fantastic time. I was lucky enough to be the helper parent for the day, so I didn't even have to bawl like a baby when I dropped him off. :-D Unfortunately, Tyler wasn't really in a mood to be cooperative with "official" first day of school pictures. He insisted on standing in front of the neighbors' door instead of ours, and he didn't really want to pose. This is the best I got: 
And here's a semi-decent pose in front of his cubbie: 
Because I was the helper parent, Tyler got to be the helper child for the day. He got to lay out the carpet squares for circle time: 
And play an instrument to let everyone know when it was time to come into the classroom: 
There was painting, there was lots of playing, there was playdough. 
We also got to provide the snack, which Tyler picked out: muffins and apples. I made pumpkin mini-muffins and sliced apples. I was pretty happy that the snack went over well with the kids. Some ate the muffins, some ate the apples, and a couple ate both! The only time I got teary all day was after snack when the kids were in circle time with Ms. Leslie. She went around the circle and asked each one what makes them happy. Tyler's answer? "Mommy." Aww.....sniff. 
Tyler had a great time at school, and was really excited to go back today. When it was time to go into class, he asked if I was coming with him. I said "no, not today" and he was like, ok! And off he went without a second glance... See the rest of the pictures from Tyler's first day of preschool here.
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I can hardly believe it, but my little man is THREE today! How the heck did that happen?!? He's not a baby anymore, that's for sure! We had a small party at home today, and thank goodness it was small. Who knew seven two and three year olds (plus a baby, plus five moms and a grandma) could be so chaotic? :-p It was a lot of fun, though, and a good time was had by all (I think)! Here are a few pictures from yesterday and today, with more in Tyler's 3rd Birthday album. Helping Mommy clean house 
 Building towers! 
The cake 
All eyes on presents! 
It's a camera!!! 
Blowing out the candles 
Waiting patiently for cake and ice cream... 
Mmm...cake 
Kissing on the girls already (uh oh...) 
I can't wait to see what the next year brings our way...lots of new adventures, I know, starting with preschool in September!
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Rice. Ok, that one's nothing new. Gyro meat. Just a bite, but still... Salad. And asked for more! Falafel. Mmm... Tabbouleh. Lots of tabbouleh. ALL of my tabbouleh, as a matter of fact! Sometimes this kid just amazes me at the things he'll eat. And the things he likes! Tabbouleh, who knew?! Of course, he STILL won't eat ice cream...
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Even though I was gone for Easter this year, Tyler and I still managed to get some Easter fun in. Our YMCA has a "Breakfast with Bunny" event and we went again this year. Tyler had a great time hunting for eggs and doing crafts. Posing with the Easter Bunny
 Showing off the bunny ears he made at the Y
Since I was gone most of Easter Sunday, Tyler and I had a delayed Easter celebration Monday morning, complete with egg hunting and coloring eggs. Checking out the Easter bounty in his basket
Found an egg!
Showing off the finished product
More pictures are up here, in Tyler's Easter album.
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I took Tyler to Arapahoe Basin this morning for his first-ever time skiing. He did GREAT! I am so proud of him, he really did fantastic for the first time being on skis. All geared up and ready to go!
I think his favorite part of the whole experience was the Magic Carpet. And who can blame him? It's actually pretty fun! 
We spent about 45 minutes riding up the magic carpet and sliding back down again before Tyler decided he was ready to head back in the lodge for some lunch. 
One of the reasons we decided to go today, and to A-Basin, was that one of my friends from the Ski Diva forum is out with some family and friends for a ski trip and we wanted to meet up. Tyler had fun hanging out with Kris, and she was nice enough to take lots of pictures for us (since she's on the injured reserve right now and not skiing herself). 
A few more favorite pics from the day... My big ol' ham
What a face!
A mommy and Tyler self-portrait
Tyler really surprised me when I asked after lunch if he wanted to go home or ski some more and he instantly said "ski some more!" We got all geared up, and as I was packing up our stuff, I looked over to see this: 
He lasted for one more trip up the magic carpet and back down the bunny hill and then decided he was ready to go to the car. :-) He was so sad when we took his rental skis back. He didn't want to leave them behind. I promised him that we'll be back again soon for another day of skiing! Lots more ski pictures are in the skiing album under Tyler's pictures, located here. Check them out!
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As blizzards go, it was kind of weak, but we got our first really good snow of the winter last Thursday. Yeah, March 26. And we've had two more snowstorms since, with more in the forecast. What a screwy winter (and now spring)! We only ended up with about 9 inches out of the storm, but it was plenty to go out and play in. I was excited to take Tyler out to play in the snow for the first time. Not to mention getting the first real use of the season out of his snowsuit and boots! Tyler was really excited to "walk in the snow" so we walked to the playground across the street where we got to build a snowman and make snow angels. I really need to get a sled for next time! Here are a few pictures from our fun in the snow. Ready to go!
Walking in the snow
Mommy and Tyler
Building a snowman...he did it all by himself, I swear! ;-)
Very proud of his finished snowman!
Making a snow angel
And my favorite picture...hat head after we got home!
There are a few more pictures you can check out in the Blizzard album. Enjoy!
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I just posted a bunch of new pictures of Tyler from the past couple of months and wanted to highlight a few of my favorites here! We've been keeping busy, as always. Lots of running, lots of trips to the zoo, a couple of visits from family, and mostly just trying to enjoy life and the really nice weather we've been having (Winter? What winter?). I guess the biggest news it that it looks like we FINALLY found a preschool, two waiting lists and way too much stress later. I dropped off the paperwork the other day, and barring unforeseen circumstances, Tyler will be enrolled in Denver Christian School's preschool in the fall. Whew, that's a relief. I had NO idea getting into preschool was going to be SO stressful! Tyler is talking up a storm these days, which is both good and bad. He's gotten kind of bossy! We've been trying to work on sharing and manners, and all that good stuff, so the other day when he was refusing to sit in his car seat and I tried to force him, he told me "Don't pull Tyler! It's not nice!" Um, yeah. Oh yeah, and he insists on using the third person to refer to himself at all times. :-) He's also expanding his culinary horizons, which is fabulous. I finally got the kid to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a couple of weeks ago, which makes life MUCH easier, since we tend to have lots of picnics with friends during the spring and summer. He's also decided that he likes fruit, since a friend had some apples at the zoo one day. Of course, he tried to tell us that "Tyler only eats apples at the zoo" but I convinced him that he could eat apples anywhere. He's been eating things like asparagus, salad, and guacamole (straight from the bowl, with a spoon!). Maybe he won't actually be a picky eater! Upcoming plans are for more running (mommy's got a half-marathon in two weeks!), more trips to the zoo and hiking, and lots of being outside and enjoying spring. And I'm hoping to get him up to the mountains to attempt skiing for the first time in the next month or so, too! And now for the pictures...it was hard to narrow them down, so be sure to check out the rest, in Tyler's 30-36 month gallery!
With the puppy Grandma Penny sent him for Valentine's Day 
Hangin' with Uncle Kevin at the playground 
Eating lunch with Taylor and Sage 
The family 
And finally, Happy St Patrick's Day!
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Tyler, like most toddlers, is a pretty picky eater. Or maybe I should say WAS a pretty picky eater. I don't know what's gotten into the kid, but he's eating pretty much everything I've put in front of him lately. Lentils. Cauliflower soup. Chicken tikka masala. Goat cheese quiche. Who IS this kid, and what has he done with the picky kid I used to have? Not that I'm complaining, I just hope it's not a phase! He's also going through a major growth spurt, so maybe that has something to do with it. Heck, as long as he'll eat the stuff, I'll keep putting it in front of him!
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As I sit here typing this post, Tyler is crying because I had the nerve...the audacity (!) to tell him that I couldn't sit in his room (in the dark, no less) any longer and that he needed to close his eyes and go to sleep. I swear, they make toddlers so stinking cute for a reason...if they weren't, they'd probably get left on the side of the road or put up for adoption! :-p Oh, but when they're cute...they're REALLY stinking cute. Like this: 
One of Tyler's favorite things to do lately, help Mommy cook. He loves to mix! Tyler is talking up a storm these days. It seems like whenever we're in the car, he just does not stop talking. And he's quite bossy about telling us to "GO" whenever we have to stop. At least he's fine with it as soon as we tell him that it's a red light (or a stop sign, or whatever). Of course, then we have to listen to him telling us that it's a "red light! red light!" over and over and over. :-) He also likes to make up little songs. We recently got a new webcam on the crib that has sound and we've been told that when I put him down for his nap, before he falls asleep he likes to sing songs, about the camera and about sleeping. In the car he sings songs about green lights and bus drivers. We went to Breakfast with Santa at the Y last weekend. Tyler was a little hesitant about Santa, but was willing to let Mommy hold him next to Santa because he figured out that he was going to give him candy! We also got to make crafts, and get our faces (actually, our hands) painted. 
He made the snowman all by himself! Really! Ok, a little help with placement, but he picked everything out and glued it himself. Yesterday, we made a trip to the mall Santa for the "official" Santa photo. I was shocked that not only did Tyler sit on Santa's lap all by himself, but he didn't even cry. Ok, he wasn't thrilled about it and wouldn't smile, but he didn't cry! 
I've been a good boy this year, I swear! 
The unofficial official Santa pic! (as opposed to the official one I had to pay for but didn't want to scan) Coming up over the next few weeks: a trip to the zoo to see the lights, a Christmas party with friends, and a trip back to Ohio for lots of fun with family and friends!
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We've had some absolutely gorgeous fall weather recently. Tyler and I have been trying to take advantage by getting out and doing some hiking and biking. We met some friends up at Reynolds Park a week or so ago. Reynolds Park is one of my absolute favorite spots, and while the fall colors weren't quite there yet, it was a lot of fun with some picture-perfect weather. I went up a little early to test out the backpack and see both if Tyler was still willing to be carried and if I was able to do it. Good news, the backpack still works, at least for now! I got a good hike in carrying Tyler and then we met up with our friends for some toddler hiking. The kids did great, we actually had to call it quits because the MOMS were hungry! Checking out the leaves with Abi
Hiking! 
Last week, we hiked at Meyer Ranch, which is just drop-dead gorgeous when the aspens change color. I got a great hike in carrying Tyler, but unfortunately our toddler hiking got a little curtailed by an unexpected storm that blew in over the mountains. Aspens at Meyer Ranch
Fall hiking rocks! 
Yesterday we visited Rock Creek Farm up in Broomfield. This is a great place to visit the pumpkin patch. They also have a hay bale maze for the little ones, a great photo backdrop setup with cornstalks and pumpkins, and farm animals for the kids to see. Tyler had a great time running through the pumpkin patch, although he wanted me to pick every single pumpkin there. Every time I would cut one off the vine, he would move on to the next one and tell me "This one!" He and Carter and Tana had a fantastic time chasing each other through the hay maze. There was lots of giggling, some hay throwing, and just a general good time. Thanks to Hillary for organizing, and for making the yummy caramel corn. :-) Picking out our pumpkins
Some serious pumpkin bounty 
Hangin' with Carter
Tyler, Carter, and Tana running crazy through the hay bale maze
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