Happy 1st Birthday!

Our birthday boy!

On his birthday, Tytus and I went to MOPS that morning and then headed out to run some errands. We ended up being right by Mighty Fine burgers in Austin. Tytus is a great eater but has always surprised us anytime we've eaten there. He LOVES their burgers and fries! So, I took him on a little birthday date in the middle of running errands. We do things as just the two of us a lot, but this time seemed extra special.

burger, fries, and cheerios...can't beat that!

happy birthday lunch

That night we were planning on eating dinner as a family of three and then getting things for the birthday party together with Aunt Amanda and Lilly spending the night. Ian worked late and we got invited to eat at the Gristmill, so we changed our plans and went out for a birthday dinner as well. Talk about a lot of celebrating! The food was good and Tytus looked so handsome, but I think he liked exploring and getting others' attention more than anything.

Grampa Dude and the birthday boy chatting while we wait for a table.

Wow, they brought a big dessert for a one year old!

The birthday party was so much fun, and Tytus played such a great host. We had a house full of neighbors, friends, and family for him to check up on. He would go out to the backyard and play with the other kids, then come back inside to each room to see what else was going on. I've seen this side of Tytus' personality come out enough to say that I'm sure he enjoyed all the hustle and bustle of everyone who came to celebrate his first year. Here's a quick recap of the day:

A quick picture as the first people arrive. You can tell Tytus has more important things to do!

Tytus checking on all the guests.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you....."

We blew out the candle, but Tytus wasn't too interested in his sweet treat.

Ashley, Mary Claire, and so many other friends came to celebrate!

Yum! Atticus and Brandi enjoying the cupcakes.

Aunt Amanda was our great photographer and SO helpful the night before.

Uncle Byron is still trying to talk Tytus into wanting that delicious cupcake.

All the kids playing outside and taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

Time to open presents!

It's kind of funny trying to have a one year old open his own presents. Hmmmmm.....

After the party, family stuck around to relax and visit and Oliver and Tytus got a photo shoot on the front porch. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but the fourth one looks like they're on a roller coaster. Then we got to take some extended family pictures. A great ending to the weekend of celebrating. 

The Carroll group

The Schwarz group

It's been almost a year!

our 11 month old!

Here are some things an almost 1 year old likes to do:

eat dirt

explore outside

Go for rides in the wagon....or long walks down to the mailbox and back

save the world

put magnets on the fridge and then back into their box

go head-first down slides
or
climb up to the "big slide" to go down it alone

Making it Work

In my opinion, we have entered toddlerhood. Tytus is his own person with opinions, free will, and the ability to accomplish just about whatever he needs to. He is the best! But we're also learning a lot about being parents of a little boy rather than a baby. Praise God that He gives us patience when we have run out and the ability to gain wisdom and learn about our calling as parents through His word!

Tytus's walking has become more and more steady so it's becoming his main mode of transportation. Man that was a quick transition! The wheels are turning big time as he tries out new things such as stacking things, knocking them down, and leaning/stretching/climbing to new places that look interesting. This morning he spotted one of his favorite puzzles behind his xylophone, but he couldn't quite reach the piece he needed because it's up too high. He carefully pulled the xylophone downto the floor and managed to crawl up on top of it to reach his destination. It felt a little funny underneath his feet and maneuvering around was a little rough, but he got what he needed and found his way back down. Success!

"Ah hah! I can use this!"

"Here we go...."

Chewing on the cow's feet are his favorite

We have also tried out using a spoon while he eats. Most of the time is spent playing with it and chewing on it, but we had some progress today. Yesterday I noticed him pointing over toward the counter in the middle of eating not knowing what he wanted. Today he was doing it again at breakfast and lunch, and I wondered if he was maybe pointing to where I get his spoons out. I handed it to him and he got a huge smile! I helped him scoop up some food by guiding his hand and he could put it in his mouth all on his own. What a big guy!

What an Imagination!

It's so amazing and fun to see Tytus using his imagination and mimicking things he has seen. Today after we finished breakfast, he went straight to the cabinet that keeps all of his cooking utensils. He stopped before he opened the door and looked at me with a face full of both excitement and anticipation (almost like he was saying "Do you remember what's in here?!"). As I worked on the dishes, Tytus was placing all of his things out in a meaningful order. He would take things in and out of the pot and bucket only to put them back in a few seconds later. His favorite activity right now is taking things in and out or opening and shutting things. He would act like he was stirring and tasting whatever dish he was making. I sat down with him to see what he was up to and he made sure to give Mia and I a taste of what it was he was so busily making.

Of course this didn't last too long before he had to go check out the backyard and help put some things in the dishwasher that I'd forgotten. :) He's become so intentional when he plays and he's always discovering something new!

Ten Months and Walking (sometimes)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

10 months

This is what I get trying to take his picture at 10 months.....busy, busy, busy! 

His mobile is still one of his favorite things :)

"hello"

Playing peek-a-boo with the curtains

"Where's Tytus?"

"Peek-a-boo!"

Tytus has been perfecting his walking skills for quite some time. He took his first steps right after nine months, has been cruising for several months, and now will take himself short distances alone. Crawling is definitely more efficient at this point, but when necessary he'll stand up and go for it. He's also figured out how fun it is to climb up and down things. At church we have small steps leading up to where we sit, so they provide some great entertainment when the time is right.

Right after we got back into town after Thanksgiving, Tytus and I pulled out our Christmas decorations and put up the Christmas tree. He mainly played with the box as I assembled things but then watched very carefully as we hung the ornaments. I'm sure he was wondering why we seemed to be hanging toys on this weird fake tree. That kind of triggers the thought of "Why do we do this every year?". Ian and I have started to talk about our traditions, why we celebrate, and how we plan on teaching the importance and real reason for the holidays we celebrate. What a gift and responsibility we have to pass on all of these things to our son!

This year we put up Christmas lights for the first time. It was a whole family project as it took us several trips to Home Depot, Lowes, and Hobby Lobby to get the right number, kind, and size of lights. Who knew there were so many choices? We all sat on the floor to put the clips on and then Ian did most of the hanging with a little bit of help from me. They looked so good once they were up, and it's been fun to have a lit up house at night.

Mia and Tytus are being so helpful

Figuring out how to help daddy

Now we're really workin'

Now that Christmas is over and we're starting the new year we'll need to take down our lights and decorations and clear a path for everything before us. We ended up being out of town for the holidays a lot longer than we'd planned, so once we got back we desperately wanted to get settled in and get things in order. We ran several errands, did some much needed grocery shopping, bought and sold a car, and started to clear out the garage. With home projects, storing various things for friends, and all the in's and out's of the year (including a large collection of teaching supplies/papers from my classroom last year) it is in need of some reorganizing. Most things have a place, so we started putting things back where they belong. In the meantime I managed to work on painting a side table (almost finished!) and Ian fixed/worked on various things inside and outside the house. We make such a great team!

The guys of the house working together. 

So much has changed in the past year, and we're praying that this coming year will give us just as many opportunities to listen closely and follow what the Lord is leading us to. He reveals things in perfect timing and always brings to completion what He starts. I hope that we all find comfort and energy from the promise that He has numbered our days and has a specific plan for each of us.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Playing before bedtime in some new pj's. Thanks Andy and Renee!

Just gettin' smarter and smarter for what's to come this year :)

Eight and Nine Months Recap

8 months

Not really interested in taking pictures

Nine month picture with Leonard

It's hard to just sit still when you're nine months!

"......now how do I get Leonard up here with me?"

Man, time is flying and I can barely keep up with the all the things Tytus is learning and things we're doing as a family. I've been wanting to write down some of the funny Tytus moments that have happened recently as he becomes more and more like a little boy and develops his personality. In early November, during his playtime by himself in the morning, I could hear him going on and on about something. I peeked in to see what was so amusing and saw this...

He LOVES music. He loves to dance, bobble his head, squeal, and kick his feet even if it's just a beat, someone humming, or a song on the radio. He would spend a lot of his time right in front of the CD player, but it didn't take long for him to figure out how to open it, take the CD out, and move the volume controls. One day he turned it up so loud that I walked in to find him under the table sucking his thumb and looking at the doorway for me to come save him. Since then, we've moved it where he can see it but can't reach it for now. 

The best way to describe Tytus and his everyday activities right now is to say that he's an explorer. He likes toys, but he LOVES exploring. He'll freely crawl in any room in the house to check out what's in there. Sometimes he likes to be in the same room that I'm working in and figure out what I'm so busy doing (laundry, making the bed, sorting mail, making dinner, cleaning up/organizing things), but then other times he'll just leave the room to find something more interesting. He's learned what the "no no's" are and tends to stay away from them, and most the time when I go check on him he's just hammin' it up. I think if he could take Mia everywhere he plays, his life would be complete. 

One Saturday, we were just taking it slow around the house and Tytus was just cracking up at Mia. She was letting him pet her and pull up on her (which is pretty rare) and he was loving it. I caught some of it on camera...

Two peas in a pod

"petting" Mia

We've let Tytus start disciplining her.....
not really, but it's hilarious what this picture captured

Mia's trying to escape before Tytus grabs a hold again

 Tytus and I got to go to the park together for the first time. He was still only 8 months old but loved swinging, sliding, and playing around the equipment. It just seemed like the perfect day to get out and play even though it was almost Thanksgiving. Funny how Texas weather is.

Waiting under the beautiful tree while mommy unloaded the car.

First time swinging in a real swing. 

Loving it!

One day soon he'll be big enough to climb those steps!

We had a great Thanksgiving with family and spent the month leading up to it reflecting on what we were most thankful for. We decorated a simple Thankful Tree a little each day to share with each other what stood out most to us in the last year. From the smallest things to the big blessings we've experienced this year, we are SO thankful for the way God lovingly leads us, protects us, and shows us himself in all things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Once we got back into town from celebrating Thanksgiving, we had to unpack and put everything away to get back into our groove at home. Tytus came back from the holiday ready full of good ideas he'd learned from watching his cousins, aunts, and uncles. As I put things away in our bedroom he found a deck of cards that he could open and began imitating how he'd seen the Schwarz side of the family play. He would shuffle through the cards, find one that was just right, then look around (like he was playing with a group) and hold it up in the air and exclaim that he was the winner. Then he would repeat it all over again. He also wanted to act like his cousins Caedmon and Isaac and use his own spoon while he ate. We're not quite there yet, but man would he love to be big like them!