tyler is 16 months old!

still needed help walking at this point

tyler loves to drink whatever "you're" having...

ok do you think tyler looks like daddy?????

henry and tyler in their hats....with sarah trying to keep them in line :)

going away lunch for sweet jamie with courtney and august...yes margaritas were involved!

my boys....

still loving watermelon as you can see :)

our first weekend of walking...at white rock lake enjoying the beautiful "fall" weather!

walking...

and walking some more...

well, tyler has finally decided to walk...and develop a sense of self....and decide he can make his own decisions...and not listen to his parents...and love on us even more and more...and become cuter and cuter...and learn about new things in this world daily...and bring so much more joy every day to those surrounding him!!!! the list could go on and on. it's just amazing how much he has changed in even the last 2 weeks...physically and mentally. we feel so blessed every day!!! i'm sorry i'm not better at keeping up with this, but i really feel like my time is better spent sharing life with tyler, and not typing away at this computer all the time (no offense :) so here are some recent pictures of him to enjoy!

the beach

the frantzen's and the knutson's on blue mountain beach, florida
tyler's first day on the beach...not sure what to think of it yet. he didn't touch the sand for 2 days.

he was a little scared of the water...i think it was too loud for his little ears :)

finally by day 4 he was alright sitting on the sand

tyler playing with brady in the sand...kind of

my boys

the view from our adagio pool

chad and i finally enjoyed a romantic picnic on the beach (by ourselves) our last night. this was our sunset.

date night. we had drinks at fish out of water, bud and alleys and then a wonderful dinner at caliza restaurant in alys beach. a perfect evening!!!!

well...we survived our first family vacation or trip as i've been told they're called once you have children!!! we drove to destin, florida or to be exact, blue mountain beach, for 1 week of fun on the beach with our good friends the knutsons. not sure what to say about the long drive except that i probably don't recommend it :) but once we got there and settled in, we had a wonderful time. the beach was beautiful---with the exception of several "oil globs" floating around in the water every so often. not a big deal at all!!! glad the oil didn't keep us away. and from what i hear, it was the perfect time to go as the crowds were non-existent and we could drive down 30a and walk into restaurants with no problems. we spent our mornings on the beach and our afternoons in the pool. we also were able to have an "adult only" date night which was fabulous!!! all in all, it was a wonderful trip and i just adored spending an entire week with my boys on the beach and under the sun.

new toys...

sweet baby in his new swing

well...with some major engineering help from grandad...we finally got up our swing tyler received from zuzie & poppy for his birthday. he is loving it!!!

our second new "toy" is tylers toothbrush. he had been enjoying us brushing his teeth until about 3 days ago and it has taken some major efforts to brush them the last couple of days (all 12 of his teeth actually). well, today i was in the kitchen and tyler crawled into his room and then came out with the toothbrush in his hands, looked at me, sat down and then proceeded to brush his teeth. i was hysterical laughing and i'm so glad i was able to take a quick picture of it. so cute!!!

my cowboy

tyler's great aunt holly gave him this cowboy hat for his birthday. she also made this special little book that was titled "tyler's hat book." she had copied lots of images of tyler in various hats he had worn throughout his first year of life...as well as added some "imposed" hats such as a chef hat, a firefighter hat and even an a&m football helmet. it was so special and something tyler will treasure his whole life.

Summer Fun

tyler in his little float

tyler with several girlfriends...including kai!!!

tyler and asher in my backseat....carpooling :)

kailey, tyler, brady and mckenzie - our friends we're going to florida with...supposedly :) tyler and mommy are having so much fun at our "pool parties" this summer. nothing like being a "stay at home mom!!!" tyler just adores being in the water. he will sit AND be happy in his little float for up to 2 hours. can you believe it???? he's a little fish i think. just another situation that shows his relaxed and happy personality. i just love that sweet baby :)

tyler is also really beginning to enjoy being around and observing other children. he is so observant of everything going on around him...he's going to learn some good AND bad habits with all of these play dates we're having i'm afraid :)

birthday party!

the family before the party

guests enjoying themselves

greeting at the front entry. my mothers neighbor made these precious little trains out of marsh mellows for all the guest to take when they left. so cute!

kelli's "tablescape"

tyler's birthday cake made by a dear friend karol. just adorable!

chad socializing with guests...

chad socializing some more with guests...

my friend courtney, her husband dustin and their precious new little boy august. i think that new mommy deserves a sangria :) is that chad NOT socializing in the background...ha!

my friend amber with her son asher

my friend kristen and her daughter audrey

uncle monkey man helping chad out with some yard work---picking up dog poo :) love that he has a beer in his other hand.

tyler received this precious cowboy had from aunt holly. it's just adorable on him...of course

tyler clapping when we put the cupcake down on his tray. seems he was excited about what was about to take place.

going in for the chocolate!

all done...i think!

the family in front of our house with the railroad crossing sign grandad made just for the party. very sweet of him!

this was how we found tyler within minutes of putting him down to sleep that night. someone was worn out!!!

what a perfect 1st birthday party for tyler! so many friends and family came from all over to celebrate tyler turning 1 year old. we felt so special and loved on by everyone. tyler is definitely well loved :)

considering he was experiencing real bad allergies that day (from the picnic at the lake the day before of course) and didn't get an afternoon nap, tyler seemed to have such a fun time and was SO happy the entire day. what a blessing!!! he just loved all of the attention he received.

he got to have his 2nd birthday cupcake and his first peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

everyone was so generous and thoughtful with their gifts for tyler. he received so many neat presents that he LOVES to play with...and that look precious on his cute little body :) thank you so much to all of you that came. it was a wonderful day for tyler and for his parents...a day to remember forever!!!!