For the Grandmas

Hot Fun in the Summertime

2010-07-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

Wow! Has it really been over 2 months since I last posted?? So sorry! As you know, life has been pretty crazy these days with our future being very unsettled until recently. We have, however been able to spend lots of time outside enjoying the beautiful Colorado summer. This summer seems to be the nicest we've had since living here, and the kids have been loving it! We enjoy different parks during the day, and often get to go for a family walk or find another park in the evening. We've also been able to have playgroup at our house every Thursday to take advantage of the large backyard. One day Truett and Brecken picked an opportune time while both moms were busy indoors, to take a dip in the pool. They had fun bringing every toy they saw into the pool with them.

Last weekend we went to visit my Aunt Julie and Truett had his first and hopefully last experience with calling the ambulance without our knowledge. To reinforce his behavior, he was given several stickers and a cool "Junior Firefighter" tattoo. He feels like pretty hot stuff.

Jayne is getting stronger and more active every day. Each day I think she's about to start crawling, but she still hasn't acheived forward motion. She can do push ups, rock back and forth on her knees, move sideways and backwards, and can sit up on her own from a laying down position.

She's really good at scooting on her back, too, which often leaves her hair in a rats nest when she gets up from a nap. I just have to laugh.
Jayne's also getting much more expression...the one below is one of her favorites.

Eating and being merry

2010-04-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of fun videos from last week. A week ago, Jayne started eating rice cereal. We have captured her first attempt at real food. It was a slow go at first, but she's gotten the hang of it and is a great little eater now.

Truett once again wanted to keep Jayne happy during dinner prep. I just love these times.

Happy Birthday Truett

2010-04-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

This has been a fun week for Truett. He's not really sure what a birthday is, but he's sure he likes it. We decided we'd give him his big present a couple days early since the weather was supposed to be bad on his actual birthday. He got a tricycle, which he calls his "car", and he likes trying to figure it out. Here's a video of his first try.

On his birthday, we met some friends, the Paynes, at McDonalds for his favorite, chicken mcnuggets, then headed over to their house for cake.

Apparently his favorite gift was his Thomas the Train set. He can usually be found walking around this train table, pushing his little engines and box cars. He has slept with Thomas in his hand for the past two nights, and carries him around wherever he goes.

Below is a fun video of Jayne. She's so happy most of the time!

Love

2010-03-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

This is how I like life to be while I'm cooking dinner.

2010-03-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

After a 2 week war with the common cold and a trip to Pagosa Springs, we are now all healthy again and back to our active lives. Today we put Truett on his little bike for the first time. Both legs are about 1/2 inch too short, but he had fun getting on it, anyway, and trying to pedal. We decided after today that we will be getting him a tricycle for his birthday (nobody tell).

Jayne is starting to enjoy the outdoors, too, now that she's not bundled as much as before. I can't wait for the warm days soon to come when we can take some long stroller walks with the kids.

Unfortunately, most of our time is spent indoors playing. I am so thankful that the kids enjoy each other, even though Jayne doesn't interact much. Below is a video of Truett just hanging out it Jayne's crib...she loves it when he jumps around and makes the bed bounce. Please no lectures on jumping on the bed....try spending a winter in Fraser, first.

Here's Jayne just minding her own business, while Truett showered her with his blanket and toys.

Yesterday, Truett discovered that he could twirl strings. Evidently his tongue is a very important part in this skill.

Balmy 20 Degrees

2010-02-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

Everything is relative, I guess. Today was sunny and somewhat warm on the back porch (the thermometer read 20 degrees). My Colorado born boy couldn't get enough of the outdoors this balmy afternoon.

Jayne, on the other hand, hasn't really experienced the outdoors in her lifetime, so she is quite content in her little gym on the floor.

Sibling Fun

2010-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

Just thought you'd want to see some of what the kids enjoy doing these days. Jayne pretty much enjoys anything. She's really starting to focus on things and will reach out to touch the toys on her mobiles. She really likes this chair because she can sit upright and see everything that's going on.

She really likes it when Truett comes around. He makes her smile more than anyone else in the family.
Here is a picture of him trying to put his fist in her mouth...I guess he figures, if she likes hers so much, surely she will like his, too. I'm sure a good mother would stop it, but she thinks it's quite fun!
Truett can often be found wearing a hat. I think he's impressed that he can put it on himself, so anytime he finds one lying around, he likes to wear it awhile. He also enjoys playing with his football. He can't really throw or catch it, but he likes it nonetheless.

Time Lapse Camera

2010-02-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

You remember in science class when you would watch things quickly grow by using the time-lapse camera? Well , you get to experience that again. I realized (after a few verbal promptings) that I haven't updated this blog in 4 month. So Truett's going to look a little older and we now have Jayne, who's almost 3 months old! Instead of trying to catch up on the past 4 months, I'm just going to let you know what's going on now.

We welcomed Jayne to the family on Nov. 18th and she was warmly greeted by her brother Truett when we brought her home on the 20th. He still adores her and can't wait until she's old enough to actually play with him. He takes every opportunity he can to lay beside her or show her her toys in her little gym.

She is such a laid back baby...rarely cries and is more than happy to be toted around from place to place.

She is currently in the spastic phase of baby, where she's trying to figure out how her arms and legs move. She is pretty fun to watch when she really gets going.

Then there's Truett. I'm starting to think spastic is not a phase for him, but a way of life. In December a new Rec Center was built a few miles from our home, so we spend lots of snowy days indoors splashing around. Truett has no fear and would stay there for hours if I would let him.

In fact, a couple weeks ago, he came to me all ready to go (see picture below) and asked if we could go "wee", which means swimming.

Another day he thought it would be fun to walk in Dad's snow boots. He never successfully moved his feet, but it made a cute picture.

As you can see, my life is very easy right now. I pretty much just sit around eating bon-bons. But next time I want to take a break from that, I'll try to put up some more frequent posts.

Playing Hard

2009-10-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Truett loves to play, and more than anything he loves to play outside. We have had a few nice days this week so he has worn himself out walking up and down the street, going to the park, and roaming the back yard. The pics below are of his explorations in the back yard.

Now that we have moved to only one nap a day (in the afternoon), sometimes his morning play time yields some very funny lunch time. The video below shows him trying to make it through lunch, but not really making it. This has only happened a

few times.

Much to say about nothing

2009-10-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to say about this...it just cracks me up!

Phone Talker

2009-07-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Truett doesn't say any intelligible words right now, but he sure can pretend well. He loves acting like he's talking on the phone and can get pretty animated sometimes. I sure hope he's not imitating the way we talk on the phone...if so we need to tone down the intensity a little.

Spoiled Rotten

2009-07-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

I know it's been too long, since my last post, but it makes me feel better knowing that almost every follower of this blog has seen us in the past month and a half, so you all have our updates. We have just finished 3 weeks of either being out of town or having guests at our home. It has been so much fun to see so many people, but since the action stopped on Sunday, we have a spoiled little boy on our hands.

The fun started with a visit from Grandma Rosa from Montana. This is us hiking the Adams Falls trail in Grand Lake.

During that same week, my sister Valinda and her family came to visit. So if he wasn't being loved on by Grandma, his cousins and his Aunt V were his constant entertainment. Koleman let Truett play with his kid's meal toy...it was a big hit.

Truett also experienced his first corn on the cob and LOVED it! He also obviously loved making faces back at Kensey and Karis.

Here are all the cousins on a hike in Winter Park

After that week we spent a week at a Worldview Academy camp in Denver. Unfortunately, no pics from there, but we stayed right across the hall from the Cook family, and Truett loved playing with their children and their Tinker Toys.

That weekend we flew to Indiana for my cousin, Troy Skidmore's, wedding. Almost all the family was there....so once again....spoil city!!! Truett also was able to spend some time with his Great Grandma Helen for the first time, and he clung to her when she was around.

Below is a picture of Aunt Valinda giving Truett chocolate chip cookies during the wedding weekend.

About a week after the wedding, Mamaw and Papaw Dozier came to visit.

I had to put in this picture of Truett playing in the gravel. His favorite thing to do is play with shovels and buckets in sand or gravel. Fortunately, almost all of the parks around here have a sand pit, so he is always satisfied.

The last picture is Truett's life in a nutshell....he's just hangin' out and enjoying every bit of the summer weather and good company.
The past couple of days of no company have been quite a transition for him, but he's slowly getting back into the groove of things.

My First Camping Trip

2009-05-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we took Truett on his first camping trip. We went with a group of friends so there were lots of other kids for him to play with. I knew he loves the outdoors, so I was expecting him to have a blast... and he did not disappoint. We had some rain showers every day, but that didn't stop him from trying to find the mud puddles and the streams of water dripping off the awnings. He was in little boy heaven until mom made him take his naps.

Here he is just chillin' by the fire. I think he was feeling like pretty hot stuff sitting in a chair like everyone else.
He spent lots of time playing with his friends. Don't blame them for the hats, their moms made them wear them!

Here's my little lumberjack early in the morning.

You may wonder how he liked his first night in the camper. Well, this is after he woke up the first morning....ummm, a little excited for the day ahead!

A whole new world

2009-05-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

Now that the snow has melted, Truett is getting to experience a whole new world that he never knew existed (or didn't remember existed). He loves to walk now, so the big yard is full of endless things for him to discover. His favorite things are playing with flowers, playing on the back steps, and eating dirt. For these reasons, mom is super vigilant during our outside times and he is often annoyed with the restrictions I put on him.

Our living room is desperately lacking in space compared to the backyard, but Truett has found a way to get his alloted steps in for the day, while staying in the room with mom and dad.

Warm and "the cold"

2009-05-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken just about a week and a half ago. Since then, all the snow has melted and the grass is starting to turn green. Truett has always loved the outdoors and we are both excited that he can actually get out and play in it now. He loves walking up and down the little sidewalk and eating the rocks beside the sidewalk (not with mom's permission, of course). I think his rock eating may have led to the next week of his being sick.

This is the day before he got sick, just sitting with dad and watching TV. I got this picture because it was a rare moment of him sitting still. That should have been my clue to what was going to follow in the days to come.

He loves playing with dad when he gets home from work.

Last Thursday Truett woke up with a fever and just laid around like this all day. I felt so bad for him, but I must say I enjoyed getting to hold him all day and letting him fall asleep in my arms three times!

The fever only lasted a day, but then the runny nose, cough, and FUSSINESS kicked in. The next few pictures are more of what he has looked like the past few days.

This morning he woke up feeling much better and played without fussing for hours. It was wonderful! Now we're going to get out and enjoy the beautiful day again!

Fun in the Crib

2009-04-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Now that Truett can stand, walk, and control his movements, he's learned that bed time doesn't necessarily have to be sleep time. Fortunately he knows that it's time to go to sleep when I put him in his crib, but when he wakes up, he no longer has to cry to get mom's attention. I usually let him play for a few minutes before I go get him. He's usually in a great mood when I get him out.

The Big Day!

2009-04-13T20:35:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated Truett's One Year birthday! I can't beleive how the time has flown by! One of Truett's favorite things is being outside. Luckily, the weather cooperated and we were able to let him live the dream today. He took his first Chariot ride behind dad's bike as we rode to Winter Park as a family. He was smiling and chatting the whole way. He also spent quite a bit of time just playing in the back yard, going up and down the stairs at the back door.

In the evening we had a few friends get together to watch him experience cake for the first time. He did not disappoint. By the time we were done, he was covered in chocolate.

Here he is just figuring out what he's supposed to do with this mass of goodness.

Looking at the Bright Side

2009-03-16T08:52:00.001-07:00

This past week has not included Truett's happiest times. He has another tooth that has started to come in and it has been very painful for him. He's been loving the Tylenol and Orajel, but they only last so long. There is, however, a bright side to this sad story....he has been willing to cuddle a little (over 1 minute, at least) which has been soooo fun for me. This is the first time in 11 months that he has been content to just lay on my lap.

Latest Trick

2009-03-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

So, today Truett learned to stand up without holding on to anything.

While I was uploading this video I guess he decided to do some walking, too. Luckily I ran into the living room and got a video of that. How fun!

More Milestones

2009-03-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

It's crazy to me the amount of growth that happens to babies during their first year of life. This time last year, Truett was squirming around in my belly, and now he's about to walk! This past week he hit a new milestone...he took 4 consecutive steps on his own. Each day he gets a little more brave and stable. He still prefers the crawl because he is pretty speedy, but occasionally he likes the challenge of taking a few steps to get somewhere.

He also had his first tooth break through 2 weeks ago. It didn't seem to give him much trouble, in fact I don't think I would have known if he hadn't bitten my finger. He doesn't really like to show the tooth off right now, so it may take awhile for a good picture.

Below are some fun pictures from the last week.

We have had some beautiful days lately, so Truett has been able to play on the back deck some. He loves going up and down the stairs and trying to eat the snow. He doesn't really seem to mind that his hands are freezing! (another way he is NOT like his mom)

He gets to spend alot of time with his friend Brecken. The Paynes (Brecken's family) and us often have a babysitter system that allows us both to ski some!

Yes, travel shampoos are Truett's bath toys right now. He prefers them over his rubber ducky, so I'm not going to go purchase toys anytime soon.

Truett also cracks me up everyday with his facial expressions. This is his favorite right now.

I've gotta say, this is the first time I've noticed the expression below.

Fun Videos

2009-02-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of fun videos from the past week. Truett gets really tickled at many things, and we are always surprised by what it is that makes him laugh. This week it was a highlighter and dominoes.

Action Shots

2009-02-04T14:54:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few fun photos from the past few days.

Truett loves to run around with only a diaper on, so he was so happy when we let him eat his meal like this. This picture was taken right after dinner....full and free, what could be better than that?

Today we went to the thrift store to see what great finds we could come home with. We came away with a new hat and goggles for Truett, so we went and celebrated at the tube hill.
Below is a demo of Truett's newest trick...walking with the push cart. He loves it, but gets frustrated when he runs into stuff. Oh well, that's life in a small house.

All Over the Place

2009-01-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry Grandmas, it's been awhile since I've posted pictures. Last weekend we all went on the Youth Retreat near Eagle, CO. I am waiting until I get pictures from Cheryl Ragan (the self proclaimed photographer for the weekend) to write about that. Until then, here are some pictures from this morning. Truett is becoming such a busy and curious kid. Everyday he discovers new things that he hadn't ever explored. He's also started to show alot of expression.Below is one of his favorite new faces....smiling and squinting his eyes.

Sticking out his tongue is another fun one.

How he got himself back in this corner, I'm not sure. Anything to try to take a sip from dad's drinking cup...thankfully it was empty.

Look, Mom...No Hands!

2009-01-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Truett is becoming such a speedy little crawler. This picture below was supposed to be taken at a much further distance, but by the time I turned on the camera and waited for it to focus (probably 2 seconds total), Truett was already in my face trying to grab the camera.

He also loves to pull himself up on things and walk around the house going from couch to chair to bookshelf, etc. Having a small house, it's very easy for him to find things within reach to hold on to. See the small blue ring in his hand? For some reason yesterday he decided it was his new favorite toy and he took it around with him everywhere he went until we put him to bed last night.

Probably his favorite trick that he worked on yesterday was letting go and trying to stand by himself. He made great improvements yesterday.

LOL

2009-01-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite moments from our trip to Texas last week. I think this is the hardest I have ever heard Truett laugh...he went on and on for several minutes. What could be causing so much joy? A tape measure....of course!

The Big Boy Crawl

2008-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

I finally captured it on camera! And it's a 2 for 1 video...you can also see his latest climbing skills.

In a Pickle

2008-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Now that Truett is crawling and climbing all over the place, he often gets himself in quite a pickle. Today would be a great example. He really thought he could maneuver his way through the kitchen chairs. It was all fun and games until he reached the end of the table and he found himself royally stuck. It took some thinking on my part to get him out without any bruises.

8 Months

2008-12-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Truett turned 8 months old yesterday. I thought about taking his picture all day, but never actually did it until he was about to go to bed. Truett is soooo active now, so it is difficult getting him to be still for his birthday photo shoot. As some of you know, he started crawling (the right way) the day before he turned 8 months. Chad had a perfect video of it, and I accidentally erased it. I will try to get a good one to put up soon.

Happy Boy

2008-12-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

Once again, sorry I have been delinquent in updated photos for Truett. I'm having a hard timing keeping up with mom's request of a picture a day. I came down with a terrible head cold this weekend and the last thing I have wanted to do was anything that didn't involve my bed and my pillow. Truett was such a cutie when he woke up from his nap this afternoon, so I had to take a pic. He loves hanging out in his crib after his nap, because he can hang on to the railing and walk himself around.

The Wool Hat

2008-12-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Some friends of ours came to visit us last year and we had a nice little ski vacation. At the end of their trip, they decided to do some laundry before they packed up. It was rather unfortunate that they didn't realize they had washed and dried their nice wool cap. We all know what happens when wool is washed, but just in case you are unaware, I have a demo below. Their ruined hat is on the left, and a normal size hat is on the right. We joked that Truett would be able to wear theirs when he was born. Well, it turns out it is the perfect little cap for him... and soo warm!

Just a Swingin

2008-12-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with another beautiful day...a little cold, but very sunny and gorgeous. Truett loves to be outside, no matter what the temperature, so we bundled up and went swinging at the park for a few minutes. Truett had a big smile on his face the whole time, and he would start laughing every time the swing would bring him close to me. Of course my funny faces probably helped with that.

No Toys Required

2008-11-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Usually, Truett is having the most fun when he is playing with anything other than his toys. He is starting to really like playing a form of peek-a-boo. Basically, if his face is covered with something, he gets extremely excited until he figures out a way to get it off. It's fun until I try to cover his face to go outside when it's really cold. He just thinks it's a game and flails his arms until he is no longer covered. Maybe that's why his cheeks are always rosy.

Another Day in the Life

2008-11-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

Truett and I are having a great day so far. Tuesdays are my day to stay at home and get things done. Sometimes it's a challenge with an active boy who is starting to get where he wants to go, but fortunately he was having a great time waiting patiently for mommy to get done with the laundry.

The weather is sunny again, so we were able to get out for a walk around town this morning, and Truett had some time to explore the back yard this afternoon. If I took my eyes off of him for a second, he would try to eat the leaves. He loves the great outdoors!

Truett Turns 7 Months

2008-11-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

Today was Truett's 7 month birthday, but we didn't feel like doing too much celebrating. He went to get his immunizations yesterday, and it left him feeling pretty crummy today. We were able to temporarily get some smiles out of him for the brief photo shoot, but most of the day he looked like the second picture.

2008-11-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

Truett learned a new trick today. He can now sit up on his own and go from a sitting position back to laying down, without slamming his head on the ground.

Johnny Jump Up

2008-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

OK, after I loaded this I noticed that I had deleted the wrong video. Usually he jumps a lot more than this. Never mind his outfit....daddy dressed him. He wanted to make sure Truett was warm, so he had on long johns w/ sweat pants over them, socks pulled up to his knees and a t-shirt. He certainly was warm enough. Go Dad!

Bath time is fun time

2008-11-10T13:18:00.001-08:00

One activity that is guaranteed to put Truett in a good mood is bath time. He loves the feel of the water and likes to kick and splash constantly. Today he found out that if he turns sideways in his bath, he can just hang out and play without sliding around. This is one of my favorite times with him.

Just a fun pic from today

2008-11-06T13:30:00.001-08:00

Truett's other face

2008-11-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

Truett's Grandma Rosanne is in town this week and she caught this shot on her camera. I thought it was so funny. I guess I'm usually not in the mood to take pictures when he's making this face. So the secret is out...he has many other faces besides smiles.

Failure to Communicate

2008-11-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

Mom wanted me to get a video of Truett eating real food. So we set up the pose and I started the video. Chad, however, though I was going to take a snap shot and interpreted my sitting there with the camera pointed at him as me waiting for the perfect pose. No, we don't usually withhold food from Truett when he has his mouth open and ready, but Chad was trying to set up the perfect shot. You'll notice Chad has Truett's arms tucked in beside him...that's because at this point Truett's arms work against the whole feeding process....yes, this is another thing I learned the hard way.

Truett is eating lots of different foods now, and I have yet to find something he doesn't like. So far he's tried oatmeal and rice cereals, peas, greenbeans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots, pears, and bananas.

Enjoying the last warm day

2008-11-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

A cold front is expected to blow in today, and I believe our days of warmth for the season are numbered. I don't know what we are going to do when we can't go outside to play or go on walks. Truett loves being outside. We spent some time in the backyard this morning while it was still warm. Who knew pulling grass and trying to get it in your mouth before it gets swatted away by mom could be so much fun!

Newest Accomplishments

2008-10-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Below are some of Truett's newest tricks that he has learned. He can now do a one legged push up....but he still can't crawl. He often gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but just can't figure out how to move the arms without doing a face plant.

We have also been working on sitting up by himself. We can now leave him sitting there for several minutes before he loses his balance. He loves being off of his back and tummy, and all is fine and dandy until his head leans over a little too far and he falls over.

2008-10-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Truett is a very social little boy. He loves being in a crowd of people or playing with anyone who will give him attention. His friend, Brecken, came over to play yesterday. When I say friend, I don't know if either of them really acknowledge the other as a person, but they have fun playing anyway. Truett was nice enough to let Brecken play in the saucer, however he wasn't so nice when he pulled Brecken's hair a few minutes later. Brecken didn't just sit idly by, though, he gave Truett a poke in the eye to teach him a lesson.

The saucer is one of Truett's favorite toys. He loves putting the toys in his mouth and most recently loves to jump up and down in it. See what I mean:

Truett's Blog

2008-10-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

I set up this blog primarily for the grandmas and whoever else wishes they could be here to see how Truett is growing and learning. I didn't feel like overwhelming our family blog with pictures and videos of Truett, so this is just a site for those interested in the little things.

I wish you could see Truett when he first wakes up in the morning. He is generally in a great mood and and he will play quietly in his crib until I come to get him. Here's a video of what I'm talking about: