2014

It's the end if 2014 - another year, another year of growth, another year of tears, lots of laughs, lots of love. 

You have grown so much since New Years 2013 - it is crazy how much one year can make a difference. You look less like a baby and more like a little boy with each passing day, you say and learn new things on what seems like a daily basis, you become a little more ornery and a little more stubborn with each passing day :) You continue to sleep in our bed and I am in absolutely no rush to move you out - you and I cuddle every single night and no matter how ornery you can be during the day, you are Mama's little sweetheart. I wake up so many nights and you are holding my hand in your sleep, or just completely and totally cuddled up next to me on my pillow. So yes, it's been another year of co-sleeping and I am more than OK with that.  

Another year without Ma - a lot of tears cried again this year. I know it will eventually get easier, but there will always be that void inside Mama. It's a void that you certainly helped to fill, but I still miss my Mama so much.  We spend a lot of time at her grave - you talk about "Ma's pretty flowers" and always ask for Poppy T's when we are out there - we walk over to my grandpa tino's and you look at his flowers too. 

It was the year where you lost your buddies - We lost Macoy and Rocky.  Mama still comes home and opens the door to be greeted by Rocky - the reality still hasn't sunk in. You still talk about your buddies all the time; you say that Macoy is in heaven with Ma, but Rocky is just at the doctor and will be home soon. For some reason, you don't accept that Rocky is in heaven too - you get really upset and say you miss him and just want him to come home now.  Tears Mama up inside.

It was a year of your tumbling and your little athlete class - even though you never truly learned the discipline for them, you had one heck of a time running like a wild man at your classes.  This summer, You spent a lot of time outside becoming your own little athlete - baseball is definitely your favorite. 

2014 was when you had your first experience as a ring bearer - you did so fantastic. You went to your first movie with Nancy (mama cried because it wasn't with her) You fell in love with Lightning McQueen and the Ninja Turtles, and you realized your obsession with pizza. 

I think 2015 will bring great things - you will be three years old soon, it just doesn't seem like it should be that long a go. Mama is going to go back to school to pursue a masters in healthcare administration - everything i do in life is for you, my baby boy. I want to give you the world.  I think 2015 will be a year of learning for you - you never cease to amaze me with how smart you are...I can't wait to see how much you grow in 2015. 

Thank you for helping me get through another tough year my little love. Here's to you, handsome. I love you. Happy New Years. 

Christmas 2014

Well, Christmas has come and gone - let me just tell you, it wasn't exactly what Mama had in mind. I took off Christmas Eve so I would have six straight days off with you...I had such big plans for us!  We were going to do a little special Christmas shopping at the Dollar Tree (all of Mama's shopping was done, but I wanted to let you choose something special for everyone in the family.  Auntie has always done it with the girls and it's just so cute what they come up with for everyone - I was excited to see what you would think everyone would like.). We woke up Christmas Eve and laid and cuddled in bed for a while until you started to tell me your belly hurt. By the time we had gotten out of bed and headed for the living room for breakfast...you started vomiting. I hoped and prayed it was just a fluke and that you would be fine...but several puke sessions later...I had to admit you had the stomach flu.  We spent all of Christmas Eve pushing fluids and cuddling on the couch. Every time you would get sick, you would just cry and cry. It was so heartbreaking;  you kept saying "mama, I'm so scared!"  It was so sad. By Christmas Eve night, after your bath, your spirit lifted a bit. You were pretty excited to see that Santa had stopped by while you were in the bath tub and dropped off a few early gifts!  You still weren't feeling great, but you had enough energy to tear that paper off of those presents!  You got some neat stuff like a ToyStory remote control car, books, movies, tool box, and helmet with a light on it (for when you're hard at with like Daddy)  before you went to bed, you wanted to set some cookies and milk out for Santa. You told us that Santa loved chocolate milk, Rudolph loved apples, and the dog (the inflatable Christmas dog yard art you chose for the front yard) loved grapes!  You helped set some out on the fireplace for your three Christmas friends. Fingers crossed that we could still celebrate Christmas. 

Christmas morning, we woke up and very excitedly told you that Santa had came and brought lots and lots of presents! You couldn't wait!!!! We ran to the living room, daddy was recording you as you opened your first gift and...PUKE! All over your new "don't spill the beans" board game. Some Christmas video. :( we spent the rest of Christmas just letting you watch movies, drink Gatorade, and eat crackers. Uncle Ezra and Kendalyn had started puking too so Christmas was put on hold.  You are so little, you didn't really understand "Christmas Day" but mama and daddy were pretty upset. I had been so excited and had built Christmas up so much...it was really a letdown. It broke my heart that you were so sick and that we couldn't spend Christmas with the rest of the family.  The next day, we all ventured to Poppy's and celebrated Christmas. No one got too close to each other and mama watched your every move like a hawk ; I must have asked you a million times if your belly was ok, if you were going to go sick, did we need to go to the potty?"  If you started to look a little wooZy we would just take some slow deep breaths and thankfully, no more puking!  You received a lot of really neat stuff!!!  Santa brought you a teenage mutant ninja turtles electric scooter, a Home Depot toolbench, magformers (magnets that you build "castles" with - Nancy has some and you just love them!) you got lots of cool new toys, trucks, etc. You were very happy!  

Even though Christmas was postponed, in the end, it all worked out! :) Mama got some special days of just holding and cuddling you and we were still able to celebrate Christmas with our family - just a little later!  

Christmas season is approaching!  I know I have said this every year since you have been born...but you are just such a blast during the holidays.  Every year you understand it a little more and get a little bit more excited.  You LOVE the frosty the snowman movie - we probably watch it twenty times a week.  You LOVE driving around and looking at christmas lights, singing christmas carols (Santa Clause is coming to town, rudolph the red nose reindeer, frosty the snowman, we wish you a merry christmas, and jingle bells are your current favorites) you LOVE helping Mama wrap christmas presents (pulling the longest piece of tape possible off the dispenser and just laying it where ever you feel like on the already wrapped christmas gifts) and you also just LOVE anything that has to do with "HoHo."  We were at church last weekend for "Hanging of the Greens" and they had a special guest - Santa was there!!!  Your little eyes lit up and you had the biggest smile at the sight of him - you refused to get too close to him though. As long as Mama was holding you, you were able to go give him a big high five.  Tonight is the Brosemer Christmas drawing - Santa usually makes an appearance at that so we will see how you do there also!  We put up our Christmas lights on Thanksgiving and then our Christmas tree the weekend after; you did such a fantastic job decorating it.  You hung every single ornament - carefully choosing the perfect spot and then happily turning around to show us your work with pride.  We hung our christmas stockings, put out all the holiday houses that Ma gave us, and put two very large "Tubs" of christmas decorations all through out the house.  You and I have done several christmas crafts - we did a handprint ornament this morning. Mama certianly isnt the craftiest person alive...but I try so hard.  Seeing christmas through the eyes of a child really puts me in the holiday spirit - I want to make sure that we all have the perfect Christmas!

As I know that you know...Mama just loves you so much.  I love every thing about you... but sometimes I question my parenting.  There is no manual on the wrong or the right way to do things so I am always doubting myself.  I am always so worried that I am not teaching you what I should be teaching you, that I am holding you back by not sending you to preschool, that I should be forcing you to sleep in your own bed instead of with Mama and Daddy, that I should be working harder to give you proper nutrition (even though we try so hard...you are just too stubborn to eat it.) I just question every thing!  You have been super ornery with your behavior lately... I question if I am punishing you the correct way.  I have never spanked you but time outs just aren't working.  You throw bad temper tantrums and hit us in the face if you don't get your way, you scream that you don't like us, for us to go away...and every time you see Auntie, Kambree, or Poppy you scream "I dont like them! Not poppy! Not auntie! Kambree's bad!" etc, etc.  It breaks their hearts because Auntie and Poppy love you so much...I just do not know what to do to make you stop being so ornery.  You refuse to share any of your toys (only child syndrome) and sometimes you are just out and out a mean boy.  Don't get me wrong, you are a total sweetheart though as well; that ornery behavior is definitely not all the time by any means!  Sometimes you are Poppy's little buddy and just smitten by Mama - rubbing my cheeks, holding my hand, cuddling on my lap... I think you just do not know how to properly release your emotions so it comes out as anger.  I know you will outgrow it; I just want to make sure that I am giving you the proper foundation of manners and discipline - again, it's just Mama being a crazy Mama and doubting every thing that I do!

Almost every single day, you ask about Rocky.  You have told me repeatedly how much you miss him, how you want him to come home, how he's your family, how he's your buddy... it just breaks my heart.  I always try to explain ..but end up just saying "mama misses him too, mama wants him to come home too."  Trust me little man, I understand.  I miss Rocky every day still.

Fall Fun

Fall is here but those days are limited as well... in fact, snow flurries are in the forecast for tomorrow. Your days of  outdoor fun are almost over for the year!  We have spent a lot of time driving around in your jeep - you love to drive it up a few blocks to look at the neighbor's cows.  You love to do "burn outs" and drive really fast "like McQueen - kachow!" (McQueen's catch phrase.)

 Halloween was a lot of fun; Mama took off the entire week (I was only scheduled off for Halloween but due to my broken heart from losing Rocky, we spent the entire week together!) It was a tough week but like always...you can make Mama's worst day better.  On Halloween, I took my little Michaelango to Daddy's job to see all of his work friends - they loaded you up on candy!  You just love all of the extra special attention, so you do tricks, and laugh and just really ham it up.  Next, we picked up Great Grandma Bye and went to Great Aunt Theresa's job at Kansas Gas Services; all of the cubicles choose a theme and decorate and hand out a lot of candy... your bucket was FULL!!  We headed to Poppy's job, and then home for a nap, and then our evening started!  Trunk or Treating at the church, trick or treating, and then just visited with the family at Great Grandma Bye's house.  Kendalyn was your Halloween partner and she would take you up to the doors and make sure that you got candy and remained safe with all of the strangers.  Mama, Daddy, Poppy, Uncle Ezra, and Auntie would stand at the end of the sidewalk and let you and the girls be independent and trick or treat -  if Kendalyn would start to walk off without you, you would holler "Ken! You forgot your buddy!"  She would giggle and turn around and come grab your hand.  They were a superhero family and we were Ninja Turtles!

You had your final "Little Athletes" class a few weeks a go - you played basketball, baseball, soccer, and the final class was track.  Go figure, that was your FAVORITE! You love to play basketball and baseball at home but you were not as interested in learning the rules of it -you just wanted to do tricks and do any and every thing that you were not supposed to be doing. (kick the basketball, dribble during shooting class, etc.)  That is to be expected with a toddler class - none of the children were too interested in following instructions - you all just wanted to play! The coaches actually told us they decided to make the final week track after seeing you and how much you loved to run, and boy are they right!  You were the fastest kid at the "track meet" and you actually got a medal at the end!  You were SO proud of your medal and had to take it to bed with you that night, to Nancy's house the next day, and you told everyone about it; we had to call Poppy, Auntie, and Uncle David to tell them all about it! On the way out of class you told Daddy and I "I beat everybody!" You are obviously such a competitive little guy already - Mama told you that everyone was fast and that everyone won.  (I know that is not the way your competitive dad would have responded...ha, that is where you get it from!)

Speaking of races and running, you had quite the running accident this weekend. You opened the hallway closet door and must have forgotten about it; a few minutes later, you challenged Daddy to a race and took off like "McQueen" and ran right into the edge of the door.  You had only ran a few steps but must have just hit it in the worst spot because it knocked you down to the ground and your forehead had the biggest and ugliest goose egg in just a matter of seconds. It was really really bad - I took pictures to send to uncle David, who had just left to head home to Wichita- to see if he thought we should take you to the emergency room!  He told us to watch for but didn't think the hospital was necessary - mama checked your pupils, and we gave you ibuprofen and attempted to ice it as much as you'd allow. By the next morning, the swelling had gone down drastically. Thank goodness!!!! 

This past Saturday, you were the ring bearer in Kyle and Amber Large's wedding - (Amber is the girl that was your summer nanny last year when Nancy closed.)  She knew that she just had to have you  be a part of her special day after she got so close to you last year;  you were SOOOO cute!!!  They had a vintage style wedding so you wore a little vest and knickers with tall socks -  it was stinking adorable.  We had the rehearsal on Friday, and you started out kind of clingy - you were hiding behind Mama's leg...but you met the other ring bearer and the flower girl, and then you were off.  I must say, come Saturday, the other ring bearer didn't hvae anything on you! :) He was not paying attention and ran down the aisle, but you did fantastic holding the flower girl's hand and walking all the way down until you saw Mama and Daddy.  You then told us how you were such a "good boy" and did "your job good!"  Uncle Ezra, Auntie, and the girls were there too and you all had a blast at the reception.  You danced your little hearts out!

I think the holidays will be a lot of fun this year - I bet you are still going to be terrified of Santa, but you have started pointing out toys and very sweetly saying "Maybe HoHo will buy that for me!"  You have never really put it together like that before...so hopefully HoHo is listening and gets you every thing that your little heart desires! :)

You love to sing!  Your current favorite song is "skinny Ma rinky dinky dink". We have to turn it on as soon as we get in the car. You also love the eensy Weensy spider, happy birthday, and the ABC's. You loved calling and singing happy birthday to Kass yesterday!  She loved hearing it too! I could hear her smile through the phone - that's how happy she sounded. Lathan, you have done amazing with potty training! No accidents at all!  That's my boy!!!!! You still sleep in a diaper at bedtime, but you still wake up dry most nights!  I'm so proud of you. Your favorite "cuss word" is "poopy butt". We are working really hard on you not saying that...although you did thank all the "poopy butts" at Poppy's job for the Halloween candy. I didn't think that was very funny...but all the guys did. 

Tuesday, October 28 we had to ua goodbye to Rocky. Mama's "first born" son. It was incredibly hard. For three weeks - on and off - he was in the best office. Originally, they treated him for pancreatitis and he got better - but it only lasted a week. I won't go into the heartbreaking details...but our buddy had a brain tumor and there was nothing mama could do to save him. I tried everything. We said goodbye and he's not hurting anymore. You do not understand - for days mama has bawled. You just tell me not to cry anymore bc he will be home from the doctor soon. I try to explain that he's with Ma, but you just tell me "no he isn't". One time( you cried and said you wanted your buddy but you just don't understand. My heart hurts for you...you've lost two pets in the last six months.  It's just not right. 

We have had a few setbacks with bowel movements in the big boy potty. You are so devastated whenever you have an accident but it's been four times now that you haven't told us. Hopefully, you catch on soon because it really breaks your heart when you "poopie in your pants." 

We are currently listening to you potty train your ninja turtles!  So adorable!!!!! You told "Mikey" that he needs to set on the pot and not poop in your pants because that is nasty!!!! :) 

It does not seem like that long a go that Mama was holding you and cuddling you every free second of the day. You were so small and could not even support your own little head up - I would cradle your head and just breathe you in. Such a sweet baby smell. I just can not believe we are now potty training you - my heart slightly hurts at the thought. I don't mind changing your diapers, I don't mind being able to be there for all of your needs... You're growing up so fast and you don't need Mama as much as you used to.  I know that's a crazy Mom thought - we all want our children to grow up and thrive - become independent, be able to do things on their own. I want all of those things for you (of course!!) but I just am not ready for them yet. I still miss Ma so much ; she used to tell me how fast we grew up on her, I just laughed at my over protective mom... Goodness; how badly I wish I could tell her how right she was.  How badly I wish I could ask her if what we are doing is right - I googled potty training on the internet ... I just want to do things right, I want to be the best Mama possible for you - sometimes I just feel lost without my Mama though. You'll learn someday...mothers truly do know best. ;). 

You did have an accident today at Poppy's house - you peed in the potty but pooped in your big boy pants. Poppy said you were pretty devastated ; you cried and cried about it. He explained to you that accidents happen and it'll be fine. Besides for that one little goofup, you have done fantastic with potty training!!! I know there will plenty more "oopsies," but for now...I'm just so proud of your progress! 

We started a Tiny Athletes class yesterday - the focus of this class was soccer. The teacher asked if we gave you Mountain Dew for dinner ; oh lathan, you just never slow down!!! We just said nope! This is our boy...all day, every day!!! I never really think you are too wild and crazy until other people bring it to our attention about your energy level - it's never anything negative, just that you don't really slow down much.  Haha, you just love to ruuuuun. On a not so cherry note- You didn't really listen in class - which is frustrating - the "Coach" was trying to get you to kick the ball and you completely ignored him. You were too interested in doing "tricks" rather than doing what everyone else in the class was doing. Your tricks were mighty cool, but still. I am hoping that with time, you can learn to follow directions a little better... I don't really know how to enforce it except making you leave? Ugh, parenting isn't all kisses and cuddles sometimes!! 

You were upset with Kambree and said "Kambree Rush!!!!!" (Someone must hear Lathan Rush a lot) ;). Your vocabulary is so grown up,.. You crack us up. Grandpa Bye got the biggest kick out of you last week when we were visiting - she just kept talking about how smart you are and how impressed she was with you. Yup! Baby Genius!!!! 

Potty Training

This weekend has been dedicated to POTTY TRAINING!!!! Yesterday, we woke up and headed right to the store for you to choose your big boy underwear!  You chose a package of super heroes, Lightning McQueen, Thomas the Train, Mickey Mouse, and Ninja turtles! You were so excited about all of your new underwear and you were even more excited to run around the house wearing those without pants. Within about ten minutes, we were cleaning up Lathan pee off the carpet. You did not like how your big boy pants felt while they were wet - you grabbed another pair and said "change me!"  We took you to the potty every thirty minutes - you hesitated at first, but eventually you went in your Lightning McQueen potty! Daddy and I made one heck of a celebration out of it - we screamed and hollered, threw you in the air, told you how proud of you we were, and rewarded you with candy. The look on your face was priceless - you were so excited and so proud of yourself!! We called everyone and you very proudly told them that you went potty in the toilet!!! You had one more accident yesterday, but that has been it! The first time you "poopied" in the toilet sent you into a panic - you started to shake and said "I poopied in my toilet, oh no! I poopied! That's gross! Clean it!" You must have thought that you weren't supposed to do that or something because you were very upset that there was poopoo in there. Mama kept telling you that you were supposed to do that and that we would just clean it up - then you were fine!  Today, you have told us every single time that you had to potty; you have done absolutely fantastic!  We are so incredibly proud of you and how quickly you have caught on to it - I know that you will probably have accidents again, but this potty training weekend has been a total SUCCESS! 

You came home from daycare the other day and told us that you went potty at Nancy's house in the blue potty. Of course we didn't believe you. "Uh huh! Yes I did!" So mama called nancy and sure enough... She said you've used the potty a few times at her house. I acted happy and excited on the phone and then hung up and burst into tears - I wasn't there the first time my baby used the big boy potty. It literally broke my heart and I was pretty down most of the night. You have no idea how badly I would love to be home with you ...Mama doesn't choose to go to work, Mama HAS to go to work.  I hate that you spend your days with other people - I want to be the one that cuddles you and takes care of you 24/7. A mama can dream, I suppose.  I always try and make our weekends memorable though - even if it's just something at home like reading or having a picnic in your clubhouse...I want to do things with you that you'll remember and enjoy. 

You start a Tiny Athlete's class next week - you will focus on different sports. You really enjoy soccer, baseball, and basketball so I think a variety class will be perfect for you! Hopefully you behave a little better than the days of tumbling. Yikes. 

Your movie of the week is "Puss in Boots."  An animated movie about an outlaw turned hero Hispanic cat - you love to quote it. Hearing you attempt a Mexican accent could possibly be the cutest thing I have ever heard in my life!! You also have a new fascination with the Ninja Turtles - Michaelango is your favorite. In fact, you told me you wanted to be "Mikey" for Halloween... So I'm currently trying to find the cutest costume I can find. You have also mentioned SuperMan and Lightning McQueen so we will actually see what you end up being. (I do know you're having a McQueen birthday party though this year - the planning has started!!) 

You counted to eleven!!!! 

We work so hard on counting, but you just say 123,123,123. You won't go any higher than that!  You're so smart and have such a fantastic memory...but you're stubborn. You typically refuse to count higher. Well last night, you were counting your cars and went all the way to to 8!  I looked at your daddy and said "what in the world just happened??" Then you wouldn't do it again! You little stinker!!! 

We had a wedding to attend last night, so we dressed you and you ran to the mirror and said "ow ow!  I'm a nice looking guy!!" Confidence is not something that you lack! 

Summer is coming to an end - the days are still steamy but the nights are getting cooler. It's getting darker a little earlier, and I know our days of long sunshine are limited. You are such an outdoor boy! You have gotten really great at driving your jeep - you jump in there and take off!  You can steer and get around the neighborhood streets really well; of course, we are walking beside you, but it is obvious you feel really independent in your little jeep ;). Daddy worked really hard and got your swing set done in a few days - you're in love with it. The look on your face when you saw it was absolutely priceless - poppy helped daddy so the three of us covered your eyess and showed you your big surprise. When we leave for Nancy's, you say "Bye swingset!"  ;) 

We still have you in our bed and we still change your diapers. Those are two big changes that I know we need to address very soon.  Life is just passing by so quickly...you're growing up way too fast. You don't like to be held or carried as much as you used to, you talk in full sentences, you won't sit in a high chair or booster seat, and you call yourself a "big boy."  It makes Mama so sad. I just want to slow down the time.  

We were outside playing the other day while Daddy was mowing and you wanted to do every thing he was doing. You drove along side of him in your jeep while he rode the yard tractor the entire time. He stopped to work on his mower, so you ran and got screw drivers and "worked on your jeep."  He stopped and put his hand on your hip, so you jumped up and mimicked him - you did every thing he did...it was stinking cute. 

You are pretty indecisive right now - I do not know if this is part of your age right now, or what's going on. For example, Daddy was going to get gas tonight, you said you wanted to go with him...so I walked you over...you started screaming that you wanted to stay home. So lame e went to leave, so you screamed you wanted to go... It went on like that for several minutes. Obviously it's not just a game you're playing because you get really really upset...but we just don't know what you want? I hate making you upset, but at that point I don't think abything would make you happy. You were fine a few minutes after he left though but the whole thing just confuses me. 

You love The Lion King!  You sing the songs and get quite a kick out of Pumba. I always fast forward the sad scary part though - you're too young to see that violence! You still love the jungle book, Cars, and Disney's Lucky Duck! (A short movie about a Rubber Duckie that doesn't squeak and is actually extremely unlucky!) We went to Huff and Puff this weekend (a hot air balloon rally at shawnee lake) and you had your face painted like Lucky Duck. I have never seen a cuter face!! Aunt Sheena's mom had a face painting booth out there and you were fantastic while turning into Lucky Duck! You sat on mama' slap perfectly still.  You really enjoyed seeing all the balloons - we watched them

Full up with air and then take off. You waved at all of them and just ran through the rally quacking and flapping your duckt wings. It was such a cute night. We spent the rest of the weekend visiting uncle Dave and Sheena - they don't get to come to town very often with his school schedule so we take advantage of any time we can get with them.

Kambree is your current little BFF...but you two are quite the duo. I just know that you'll be quite the ornery pair over the next few years. You're little rascals :) of course you love all of your girls, but as Kambree gets older...you two love to play together. You actually torment her...haha, but she tolerates it.  They love their little Lathan...everyone does! :) 

First Vacation

We are on our way home from Omaha, Nebraska!  It's not very far away, but it was the perfect first vacation for you!  We left Friday morning and arrived about ten am. We started off at the Omaha Zoo - it was just voted the number one zoo in the world!  You really enjoyed it - they have such neat exhibits and it's HUGE!!!  We rode on the Skyfari which takes you across the zoo by a sky tram. I was afraid you would be scared, but like always... You had no fear. Mama was the one that was terrified the entire time... Not because of heights, but because I was terrified you were going to fall out. I had the death grip on you. In typical Lathan fashion, you told me you were a big boy and to let go of you. Can you stop growing up so fast??  After about five hours we headed to the hotel - Coco Keys Water Resort!  We just did a little walking around downtown, did some shopping, and grabbed dinner. You did ok in the hotel; at first, you told us you wanted to go home and you didn't like that bed... But eventually you fell asleep. You didn't nap that day so we knew you were exhausted. 

Saturday was the Children's Museum!  You were on sensory overload there!! That place is absolutely amazing.... It's a place for kids to run around and explore. You were amazed with the mechanical working room - it was a series of pipes, cranks and levers that would shoot balls out of them. You loved shoving the balls in and watching the air push them through - we spent a lot of time there. To also really enjoyed the miniature grocery store, and the special dinosaur exhibit they had. There was a free picnic outside so we sat outside and are hotdogs and played on their swing sets.  After your naptime, we went to the water resort in the hotel (which was also huge and amazing) and ended the day at the Amazing Pizza Machine. It is similar to a GIGANTIC chuck e cheese - large dinner buffet, a lot of arcade games, rides, and your surprise at the end - go kart racing!!! Any arcade game that involved racing, you always found your way to it - that's your obsession right now. You were really surprised when we took you to race go karts at the end :) 

Today, we went back to the zoo. You said you wanted to see the lions and monkeys again, and you wanted to go for another ride.  (Skyfari) so we went for another three hours and then hit the road and headed for home!  We couldn't have asked for a better weekend - the weather was perfect, the places were not too busy, and you were such a well behaved little boy!  You told us "I like this vacation!" "Fun day!!" "This vacation is neat!" "I like this hotel." It made us so happy to know that you had such a great weekend - that was exactly what we wanted. :) 

I still find myself staring at you in awe sometimes... Or watching you sleep and feeling my heart just fill up with love. I do not know how I fall more in love with you every single day, but I do. I can not get enough of your cuddles, hugs, and kisses. My heart melts when you put your hand on my cheek and tell me you love me or ask for me to hold you. I know there will come a day when Baby Boy will outgrow Mama; the thought of that day immediately brings tears to my eyes.  You are my world and I just can't fathom the thought of losing my Lathan snuggles.  You're laying beside me on my pillow and the sounds of you snoring fill up the room... My perfect little boy. I wish I could keep you little forever. 

We had your 2 1/2 year old check up- no shots! Yay!  You are in the 85th % for height and 21st for weight - the same trend since birth... Tall and skinny!  Just like always, the dr was very impressed with you and said you're way past your milestones. Your speech is amazing and range of vocabulary really pleased them - again, just like always... GENIUS!  We talked about potentially starting potty training and she gave us some tips. I'm still very concerned how you will do with that because you do not handle change well at all. We will probably start that fairl soon. If you're reading this, and still in diapers, obviously we failed. :)

You really love the movie CARS and still want to race any and every thing you can race. You want us to race cars that we see while driving, you race your toys, you race Rocky, and so on and so on. You're just a little racer! :) Another one of your new favorite movies is The Jungle Book - I knew you would love that movie because of all of the singing and the different animals - specifically the marching elephants. You get down on your hands and knees and put your "trunk" in the air and "march" while chanting 123123123 (You won't count past 3... So that's as far as you will go with your marching chant.). 

You are always singing and dancing to any and every song that is on TV, the radio, my phone, etc. You just love your music. You have a special dance you made up consisting of just tapping your toe different ways. Pretty fancy! Haha. You still love baseball, pizza, and your buddy Rocky!  

Your vocabulary is amazing these days!  You can actually form several word sentences - I just love listening to you talk.  You love the Sherriff Callie cartoons (a cartoon about the Wild West - Sherriff Callie is a cat and her friends are all different animals) Anyhow, so you picked up "western talk" and you have re-named your Daddy "partner". I think it is just the sweetest thing ever - when he picks you up from daycare you scream "my partner is here!!!" Something special with you two! (You've called me your best friend...so mama isn't jealous) ;)  you still call Mama "Baba," it's a cute little name that you came up with yourself - I don't exactly know how, but I like it. 

You also are really big into Disney CARS - specifically Lightning McQueen - a bright red racecar who is super fast - we have bought you several of the cars and we race them all the time. You like to re-enact the movie, specifically where King Car wrecks and McQueen says "the King has to finish his last race" and pushes him to the finish line - I couldn't tell you how many times we play that scene out daily. It's so cute to see your imagination and creative mind play - you use your memory to remember the exact lines from the movie and interactive play with daddy and I. I just love it. 

We celebrated the 4th past week - you had such a wonderful time. A wonderful week actually! Poppy took off most of the week and wanted to hang out with you, so you didn't go to daycare. You guys went toy shopping, fishing, swimming, and just played and played. July 3rd is our traditional shooting of fireworks at the lake - you really had a good time watching every thing, and just being outside in general! We kept you up late that night but not nearly as late as the actual July 4th celebration. We had our while family over for a BBQ and to swim, and then went to the cemetery to shoot fireworks off for Ma. It brings mama peace being there - I know that's only her body and not her soul, but I still feel closer to my mama being there. Afterwards, we all went to the lake for the big firework show - the whole family was there and the show was fantastic! You were kind if sleepy and asked to go home around 930... But the show starters at 10 any then you were asking for more! :) just like mama knew you would.  We met up with a bunch of family - poppy, auntie, Ezra, the girls, David and Sheena, great Gma pat, great aunt Debbie, great uncle Rodney, and distant cousins Jonny, crystal, Maria, Tyler, Connar, Austen, Trevor, and Malachi. It is always fabulous being with family! You cuddled up on mamas lap and watched the entir firework show.... At 1030 we headed home, by 10:32 you wer out cold! I knew my baby was sleepy. There was so much traffic it took us over an hour to get home... You slept the next say until 930. We even had to wake you up then! The rest of the weekend was spending time with David and Sheena before they had to go home to Wichita.  It was the cutest thing when you saw hem on the 3rd - we pulled up to the lake and you wer naming everyone you could see and Hahn you screamed Sheena!!! And even louder "and David's here!!!!" You loooove your uncle David. Or course you love everyone, but you just don't get to see him as much. 

You are really enjoying summertime - you finally love riding around in your Fisher Price jeep and your truck - we still steer for you though... You have driven into trees, ditches, Daddy's car without assistance.  As I said earlier, you love Lightning McQueen right now - so naturally you love to pretend your jeep is a race car. You rev the engine up so the tires just spin and you scream "I'm racing!!!" You also are auch a waterbug - you love swimming in your pool in your "swimming soups." We also bought you a lightning McQueen life jacket that you love to float around while Mama or Daddy holds you.  Daddy built you an outdoor chalkboard and hung it on the fence - yet another outdoor activity Little Lathan loves!  We play lots of tag, go on lots of nature walks, bike rides, and you help daddy pick up sticks and work in the garden.  We picked our first tomatoes yesterday and you took a big bite...then immediately spit it back out! :) 

Your temper tantrums have calmed down a lot... Thank goodness.  We started putting you in a booster seat rather than a high chair at restaurants and hat seems to help a lot.  You actually behave yourself now (for the most part) ;) We Are still working on insid voices and not hitting and punching whn you get angry.  I just remind myself you don't know how to express your emotions and I try and cqlm you down.  You're only two,.. You are ornery, loud, rambunctious, but in mamas eyes...youre Perfect. 

Sometimes you make me question my parenting. I love you with every ounce of this large body :) but sometimes...I just don't know what to do!  You are in the wonderful toddler years - so full of excitement, eager to explore, your vocabulary is amazing, you are stinking adorable... But you are also incredibly stubborn and just ornery. You do not like to share your toys (understandable of an only child) you have this demonic little yell when you don't get your way, and you're really bad about hitting. You slap us in iur faces all the time - it's so embarrassing. You slapped me so hard while shopping at Lowe's that my sunglasses flew off m face. The worker across the way gasped and shouted" oh my gosh! Are you ok???" I hurriedly said "yes" and ran out if the store. I don't know what to do. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed. I panic that you are becoming unruly and if we don't stop the behavior now- it will it get so much worse as you grow up. I just get so nervous that I'm doing something wrong. I don't agree with spanking - I don't think hitting my baby when I'm mad at him will do anything but teach you that it is ok to hit when you are mad. I'm trying to stop that behavior... Not encourage it!  We try time outs but you scream and hit during them... I just don't know. I remind myself that you are oy two and you are in fact a little sweetheart... These are just phases. When you caused the biggest scene EVER at Applebee's and we had to get our food to go... Through clenched teeth...I took deep breaths and reminded both myself and daddy that this happens to parents constantly. Everyone goes through it. Breathe in Mama, Breathe out!!!! 

We lost a good buddy this past weekend. Little Macoy went to join Ma with the angels... The dr thinks he had a mass in his belly. We knew something was wrong when that fat little doggie stopped eating... Four days later, he was gone :( mama and daddy was very very sad... We cried and cried. You don't understand, you tell us everyday that Coy is sick or that Coy is with Ma. You talk about him every day and you've told us several times that you miss him. The day he passed away, I told you that Coy wasn't coming home from the vet. He was going to be with Ma. You said, in a very sad little voice, "no! I want him!" So I told you that he was sick and wanted to play with angels and you said "ok, it's just rocky now." Talk about heart wrenching! :( 

Hi little buddy!  

Today was your last tumbling class of he session... You really love going to those. You still do not listen very well during them but your motor skills have grown drastically - you can walk on the balance beam and do front rolls - two examples of thinks you could not do at the start. You actually do the stations and enjoy it rather than just aimlessly run around. They had a bounce house for a surprise today but you were too scared to even get near it ; that was frustrating because I know you would have loved it. You just are so scared of new things and it takes you a while to warm up to them... So we sat and watched the others jump and play.  Someday, you'll love things like that...but for now, you're still leery. 

We celebrated Mother's Day last weekend ; thank you for making my day so special!  You bought mama a Ross bugs and you and daddy carried it in and you were yelling "surprise!!!"  You also got me some wireless headphones for when I exercise. We went to a BBQ at grandma bye's and the whole family was there ; they all get such a kick out of you and the girls... You all can always make anyone smile. (In fact, just last night... Great aunt Theresa was having a bad night so she stopped by for a lathan hug. She said you can always make things better)  Mother's Day was nice and I'm so thankful for you- you are the reason I can celebrate that day so it's just as special for you too. It was obviously a sad day as well because I miss my mama so much... But spending special time with you makes me feel semi-whole again. You are my world. 

You are so stinking funny.  The things that come out of your mouth these days - the expressions- they're hilarious. You were rough housing with daddy the other day and accidentally bloodied his nose... You look at him and said "gross!!! Gross daddy!"  Haha. "Oh I'm so sorry you are grossed out by my bleeding nose that you caused."  You are loving Disney jr "sheriff callie" it's a cowboy-like cartoon about a sheriff cat and her horse "sparky". Naturally, Rocky has became sparky and you ride him all over the place!  You say "getting up horsey!" "Move it sparky!" Poor rocky just tolerates it. Your best little buddy. 

Your other obsession is baseball. You absolutely love going to Kendalyn's games ; we play catch with you a lot and you hit the ball off the tee. Next year, we will get you signed up for tee ball. You will be so thrilled... So will your daddy!! You started saying "baseball rocks!" (Kendalyn taught you that). You sure love your girls.