So Dangerous, He Gets Walked During Batting Practice

We've noticed over the past couple of weeks that Tyler has taken more of an interest in hitting a ball with anything he can find (e.g. stick, tennis racket, broom). So, Jennifer thought that it was time to get him a bat and ball. Tyler and I headed out and got him a starter teeball set. Needless to say, he's a natural. Below are a few of the video highlights.

The Hodges' Family Hit The Court

Oh what a night! My sister Becky and her husband had extra tickets to the UT men's basketball game and we decided to take Tyler. We figured worst case scenario, we could always walk him around the stadium or leave at half time. During the warm up pre show- they did a light flash production with special effects that scared Tyler (remember he is afraid of the dark this month) and forced Tommy to leave our seats and walk him around. When they got back and the game got underway- Tyler was good to go. I can honestly say that we have never seen him so enthralled with any live performance or on such good behavior. Thank you Becky and Hal for the tickets- we had a blast!

First UT basketball game with the three (actually four) of us

Squatting to get a better view of the game

Cheering on the boys with the shaker Aunt Becky delivered during half time

Leapfrog and snacks helped to keep Tyler occupied

Hands up! "UT Go!" was the quote of the night

Take That Charlie Brown

While this is not our main tree, Tyler wanted to have a small tree in his bedroom. And as long as he actually sleeps in there by himself, we were happy to accommodate. Looking a little bare, Tyler and I decided to decorate it tonight- check out Tyler's orange hand print substituting for the star. Oh, and Tyler picked out every color ring that was to go on the tree!

Tyler Gets The Last Laugh

It was brought to my attention last week when my 88 year old neighbor asked if Tyler was adjusting any better to his toddler bed that I had failed to update everyone on how the whole bedtime saga turned out. For those who have no clue what I am referring to, and/or blocked out the ordeal...let me recap.

First-Tyler fell out of his crib and we purchased a toddler bed. He slept like a charm the first night and we injured ourselves to get to the blog fast enough to brag to all family and friends about our seamless transition.

Second- Tyler got out of the bed every second on the hour crying and we went weeks without any sleep, only to drag the full size mattress back upstairs from storage while one of us had to sleep in there for him to sleep through the night.

Third- Well, I will skip third, it only got worst.

Where we are now : We figured out Tyler had two issues. One- he has developed a fear of the dark. And two- he has increased anxiety about where we are going to be while he is sleeping.

Solution: He now sleeps on the full sized bed on the floor (where he got used to sleeping with us (it was in step #3, in which you were spared) with the lamp on. We leave our door open which is directly down the hall within eye shot. After we say good nights, we tell Tyler we are going to be in our room and then proceed to have to sit on our bed until he falls asleep- after which we sneak out. The funniest part to the entire ordeal is how Tyler positions himself on the bed so that we can be seen at all times...this has also bit us when we try to sneak out prematurely.

So go ahead and laugh, but Tommy and I are at least sleeping in the same bed- even if it is really light in the house, and our door is open...

Tyler playing on his toddler bed, which is now a hub for his stuffed animals

21 Weeks And Kicking

As promised, I am trying to post pictures of my pregnancy along the way...unlike other people I know (yes, Sharon- I am talking to you). I went for my checkup today and everything looks great. I have gained 15 lbs (this will be the first and last weight reference that I will be sharing)and am able to feel my boy kick from the outside of my belly. Hope all of my other friends that are pregnant are doing well- we will keep you posted!

A Smoky Mountain Christmas

Today was the opening day of Christmas at Dollywood and we decided to ring in the season with every other family not attending the UT game. Even though we did not stay until dark and get to see all the lights, the day decorations were spectacular. Tyler loved looking at all the trees and listening to the concerts. Tommy and I might go back tomorrow while my mom keeps Tyler so that we can enjoy the shows and walk around among the the 3 million lights.

The Neverending Hike

Tommy finished comps at 2:00am this morning and so we decided to celebrate as a family by spending the morning at the rock quarry hiking. Neither of us had ever been before and we were absolutely amazed at the view and trails- it did not even feel like we were in Knoxville!

After 2 hours of hiking, throwing rocks in the water and sightseeing, we were all pretty exhausted...especially those of us who did not get to take a nap on their daddy 1/2 way through.

I scaled a very high rock to get this picture of Tyler and Tommy throwing rocks- notice how clear the water is! There is about a 20 ft. drop off a few feet from where they are sitting.

Tyler walking down the old railroad tracks by the mines- the tracks have been out of commission for years.

Tyler and I taking a break before starting on the 1/2 mile uphill hike around the quarry.

The view from the trail- right after this picture is when the hike starting getting tough!

Tyler starting to feel the effect of the morning- notice him trying to get comfortable for a nap mid hike.

And...done. Needless to say, Tommy still had about 1/2 mile to walk while carrying Tyler in this position.