National Hat Weekend

Ironically, looking back at the pictures we took randomly over the weekend- Tyler seemed to be sporting hat in about 98% of them. We got tickled not only at the variety of hats laying around our house, but also at the times in which Tyler felt the need to put on one (none of which were outside where there was actually sun).

One always needs a construction hat when reading a good book (please note the personal sacrafice of posting a less than glamorous pic in gym clothes and no makeup)

Anyone for tea?

It Is Ok With Me If You Want To Carry Blue Bear Until You Leave For College

Just when I was having trouble watching Tyler grow into full toddler stage, and leaving behind more of his "baby" characteristics, he decides to throw me a bone. For some reason over the past few weeks, Tyler has insisted on toting around some object of affection everywhere he goes. He has always been crazy about "Blue Bear" (long story short...a bear that came in a gift basket when he was born and which he sleeps with every night and literally wakes up crying and yelling out in his sleep if it falls from his grip in the middle of the night and also which is discontinued and we live in constant fear of it getting lost), but lately he has also taken up with the letter "T". He knows his name starts with T, and is obsessed in pointing out every T we come across in signs, books, on tv, etc. So while I have rambled in this post, I just
wanted to capture some of his sweet 2 year old phases.

The infamous blue bear and blue blanket

T is for Tyler!

Well, We Always Did Want A House With A Pool...

As the summer days continue to feel hotter- Tyler is finding
new uses for toys. I don't think the water table was ever intended to become a "pool table", who knew one of the main features of our backyard was so diverse?

I Heard Somewhere That Van Gogh Did Some Of His Best Work In The Buff

Animals, Small Children, and the Elderly...Look Both Ways Before Crossing

Tyler officially has wheels. And while he is content to now just ringing the fire out of the bell, we have a feeling in the near future there will be no containing him. So let this be the
official warning to those who value your pets and the back of your legs. RING! RING! RING!

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Hodges, we will be sure to bring this on our next visit!

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

Before his birthday, Tyler was obsessed with his dump truck- if fact, while outside, he wanted nothing to do with anything else (unless of course he could incorporate it with his truck, example- collecting rocks to put in the truck). For his birthday, one of his gifts was a water table. And while he was instantly crazy about playing with it- we watched with amusement for days as he nervously juggled his time between the two. We kind of thought he would be forced to favor one of the toys, since one cannot combine a water table and an over sized truck, or can they?

Shoney Bear Makes House Calls

Tyler had his 2nd birthday party this morning and enjoyed every second of it! And why wouldn't he? He was surrounded by family, friends, and a live Shoney Bear mascot. Yeah, you read that correctly. We had Shoney Bear make a surprise visit to his party and Tyler could not hug the poor bear enough. The party was supposed to be Nemo themed, but we snuck in a Seseme Street cake. And with pizza, BBQ, cake, family, and friends...what else is needed to have a successful party? The majority of the party Tyler spent playing with his cousins in the pool and new water table. We loved having everyone come over to celebrate with us. Thank you for helping to make Tyler's 2nd Birthday so special!!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame (But don't bother with the actual seats)

Tyler's 2nd Birthday was packed full of exciting events. The day started by my mom (G-Ma) treating Tyler and I to lunch at Chilies. And when Tommy got home, we went to a Smokies baseball game. We had time to kill prior to the game starting, so we went to the Bass Pro Shop to look around. I actually took some really cute pictures, but for fear of being made fun of for taking Tyler to pose with a dead stuffed moose- I refrained from posting them this round.

Fast forward past the point in the baseball game where Tyler rubbed his orange Cheeto covered hands all over the guy in the seat in front of us wearing a white shirt on a date. Also skip the part where he turned around in his seat and stuck his same hands in a woman's just purchased Sierra Mist drink (which yes, we did replace). The rest of the night was really fun and Tyler had a blast. We kind of knew this before tonight, but it is definitely confirmed...Tyler loves any mascot. Whether it be Shoney Bear (his all time favorite), or the Smokey Bears'. We put together a slide show of highlights of birthday night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER ANDREW HODGES!!!!!!

My baby's 2nd Birthday is today. It feels like we were just bringing him home yesterday...Where did the time go? We love you T-Bird!

In How Many Posts Is She Going To Mention Dollywood Anyways?

By now I am sure that you have realized that we have family Gold passes to Dollywood, not just Dollywood...but Splash Country too! This turned into quite the "Dolly-themed" weekend. Dollywood Friday and Saturday, Splash Country this morning. If I had to pick what I thought was one of Tyler's favorite days ever- today would definitely be up there. It was funny because typically around 12:30pm, he starts getting whinny-a foreshadowing of the nap in the near future. It was almost like he was trying to be on his best behavior today, hoping we would forget about nap time and just ride water slides all day. He loved the kids slides and the lazy river- Tommy flopped him over his lap and Tyler got to slap the river and float on his daddy- best of both worlds. Before we left, we even rode the big family tube ride- he just met the height requirement. Luckily, it was not a repeat of the River Rampage at Dollywood. He did not exactly laugh throughout the ride, but he also did not cry...and in our house- that is deemed as a success! I left my camera at home for the Splash Country trip, but below are some pictures of our trip to Dollywood last night.

"Tyler, how old are you?" (Car ride over, you can just make out the 2 fingers)

In the Friendship Gardens.

Officially walking unassisted.

Before You Call DHS, Let Me Have A Chance To Explain...

So in the first post of Dollywood, I might have left out a few pictures. You see, after Tyler had such a great time mastering the Lucky Ducky and the Busy Bee, Tommy and I decided we should kick it up a notch. Kind of like Emeril...only more bang. (Looking back, we probably should have realized that almost 2 year old's really don't require alot of bang for thrill seeking adventures). Since Tyler is nuts about anything water, and we felt he was close enough on the height requirement...well, we felt it was time to introduce him to the River Rampage. We pictured him breathlessly laughing as we glided down the turbulent waters, his face covered in a gentle mist. Not so much. I think the pictures accurately paint how the adventure went. At least he was a sport enough to give his daddy a high five at the end of the ride.

This Is Your Mission, If You Choose To Accept....Dollywood. You Have Exactly 2 Hours.

Tommy finished his 1st semester of summer classes today and we felt the need to celebrate. How does one properly celebrate when living in East Tennessee? Dollywood of course! Now keep in mind that we arrived at 6pm and the park closed at 8pm. Sufficient to say- we were under pressure to cram in fun- I think we managed.

Family, Food, and MORE Food!

It will be tough to beat this Fourth of July celebration. My sister hosted a family"Low-Country" shrimp boil at her house last night. Along with the shrimp, potatoes, corn, and sausage- we feasted on spinach casserole, grilled chicken, sauteed squash, and a slew of homemade desserts (including peach ice cream). It was wonderful getting to visit with family and enjoy about the best food in the world. Thank you Becky for all of the wonderful cooking and planning!

Walking...Err...Rolling Miracles

Before Tyler's break, he was OBSESSED with his dump truck. All he wanted to do was push it around the yard all day. After the break, it became too hard for him to see it on a daily basis and not be able to play with it, so the truck became temporarily retired to the shed. Out of sight, out of mind. Since being out of the cast, Tommy and I have been racking our brains on how to get him to start walking again. Due to half discomfort/half fear, he just has not been willing to walk on his own yet. So tonight at about 9:05 pm (our best ideas appear after 9 pm in case you had not figured that out by reading the "Night Turtle" post ),Tommy runs to the shed to retrieve the truck. Not really believing Tyler would start to walk just to be able to push his truck, we decided to give it a shot anyways.

Turns out a boys favorite truck + water = walking miracles.

Fridged Turtle

Update...Tommy put Tyler in the pool with water (what a novel concept) today while I was at work. He LOVED the pool, not so crazy about the water temperature. Next time we will have to add water more than 30 minutes before he wakes up from his nap.

Night Turtles

Favorite summer past time? That would entail taking turns sitting in a giant inflatable waterless pool shaped like a turtle at 9:15 on a Sunday night. We obviously like to live on the edge. Thank you Aunt Brenda for the pool!

Thirty Going On Thirteen...

Yesterday my mom kept Tyler while Tommy and I went with our friends Kevin and Michelle to Splash Country and Dollywood. Being kid free for 9 hours was very liberating. We mastered every ride Splash Country offered, and then- only because we are this wild and crazy...we went to Dollywood for more fun! It is sufficient to say that after a day of hiking 1,000 steps and negotiating the hills of Dolly's theme park- Tommy and I were rubbing sore legs and in bed by 10:30pm. I guess the heart of a 13 year old still translates to the body of a 30 year old.

Not to feel sorry for Tyler- he did not exactly spend the day cooped up in the house. No, G-Ma and Tyler hit the town. Literally. They met up with my sister and niece and nephew for day at the mall (which included a cookie stop and getting to pet rescue puppies), only to be followed lunch at Silver Spoon Cafe.

The day was fun for all. Kevin and Michelle- we had a blast! Mom and Becky, thanks for making sure Tyler also had a blast in our absence.

The boys catching up on reading this morning