Our little leprechaun...

St. Patty's Day isn't usually a big deal at our house. This year, the boys didn't even sport anything green until early evening. The boys' friend, Lainie, is a big fan of St. Patrick's Day (because it is her Mommy's birthday). Lainie came to stay with us for three days and she brought with her some cute little tattoos for the boys to wear in celebration. Ryker and Lainie put multiple tattoos on their hands and arms...Deklan didn't want anything to do with that. So, I talked him into putting one on his belly (because he likes the Belly Button Silly Song from veggie tales). He is kind of shy about showing it to anyone, but he does lift up his shirt and say, "Goodnight Leprechaun" when it is time for bed. Aside from the St. Pat's shenanigans, the boys have been up to fun in the sun. The boys cannot get enough of the outdoors. They love the parks, walks, and the newest adventure: taking their car out for a spin. In addition to time with Lainie, they've gotten to spend time with Brayden on a couple of occasions. We visited Aunt Mimi and baby Avery and got to see Zak, Elizabeth, and Taylor. We've been playing with Brendan and Hay-Hay on their basketball hoop (where the boys like to "shoot it now" and hang on the rim). They also got a surprise park day with Emerson and Sully...and DQ ice cream cones to follow. It really has been non-stop fun for our family!
Here are some pictures from the past week and a half. There will be more to come, too!

D likes his milk.

Daddy started this game where the boys grab their basketballs, run around the room saying "Whoooooaaaaaa!", and then slam dunk the ball in the hoop. They love it. The faces are priceless. See it live here.

Watch D tell you Daddy's other name here.

Spring Cleaning

I forgot my camera (as is becoming the norm) the other day and decided a photo from my cell phone was better than none at all. In doing so, I realized just how many photos I had on my camera from the last several months. So, I did a little spring cleaning of the camera. Below are all the pictures that have been trapped on my cell phone.

There have been so many nice days, lately, that we have been spending most days outside. We've hit up the parks, gone for countless walks, and visited with family and friends. Deklan has been running around everywhere. He had his 18 month check up and he was doing well. He is 22.5 pounds and getting so big. He got over his double ear infection just in time to play with Sully and celebrate Rilei's 5th birthday. Those pictures are below, too! Enjoy!

At the park with Grapes Grandma and Brandon (thank you, Brandon, for taking pictures since Mom forgot her camera).

After a great time at the park with Daddy, Ryker, and Mom, Daddy took us out for ice cream. As usual, D was "messy, messy, messy" as he likes to say.

At Flying Cupcake a while ago.

While on our way to Toys R Us to make a return, D was eating a pouch of applesauce. He got a little carried away. Once again, "messy, messy, messy".

Playing at Jolly Days with Taylor.

The one day it stormed last week, the boys went stir crazy. Glow sticks in the bath tub kept them busy for an hour. 

Despite the double ear infection, Deklan was cheering on the Hoosiers. 

Visiting Grammy & Papaw was fun! Grammy took us out for ice cream and Deklan was thrilled!

Pizza party for Rilei's birthday.

Skee ball with the birthday girl and Owi.

Papaw teaching D the proper form.

"I don't think you guys are doing this right. Why don't I just walk right up here and put it in?"

"See, that was much easier!"

Sweet boy with a sweet tooth...

Deklan is a sponge. He is soaking up new things every second of the day. He is learning colors (he seems to like green the best), letters, and words. He is reading more. His favorite is "Go dogs, go!" He asks for it by name and then he waits (sometimes patiently, sometimes not) until we get to the "Stop dogs, stop!" and he shouts STOP! Then he turns the page and shouts GO! He loves to point at the light and say green. He is a hoot.
Deklan loves going on walks. He looks so unstable as he toddles down the sidewalk, but he stays on his feet somehow. Ryker rides his tricycle while we walk, so Deklan will squat down and say, "Ready, set, go!" to start the race to try and catch up to his big brother. His giggles are awesome! One thing that gets him giggling is when he runs up someone's driveway (he only does this on the ones that have a slight incline from the sidewalk) and then does his ready, set, go and races down hill. What a speedy little guy!
Deklan has put his fine motor skills to use lately on light switches and doorbells. He realized that he was strong enough to move the chairs, in our kitchen, over to the light. So he does that, then climbs up and turns the lights on and off, all the while saying "On! Off!" Ryker taught him how to ring the doorbell, so now he likes to run to Robert and Kim's and do that, too. (If we'd let him, he would ring every doorbell that we pass on our walks through the neighborhood.)
Mr. Robert is one of Deklan's favorite people. He talks about him all the time. He started saying "Hay-hay" for Hayley and he says Kim and Brendan very clearly. It used to be tradition for Ryker and Robert to go through the "see you later, alligator" routine each time Ryker would leave. It has been lovingly passed on to Deklan, who now shouts "Baboon!" each time he leaves Robert's house. We love having such great friends for neighbors!
We went to a baby shower for Avery, my cousin, who will be arriving any day. The spread was impressive and Deklan skipped past anything that was remotely healthy or of substance and went straight for the dessert table. When it was all said and done, he ate maybe half a meatball, a bite of a carrot with ranch dip, and multiple sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, m&ms, cheesecake, and a brownie. As much as he likes cookies and cake his favorite is candy. Chocolate, suckers, sweets...you name it and he will devour it! It goes without saying that his Valentine's Day was pretty sweet!

Milk mustaches for Mom and Dad, sweet treats for the boys.

My favorite valentines!

Basketball with Daddy

Hello, blue eyes!

I don't eat just junk food. I like apples and cheese, especially if I wash them down with Chocolate milk  (emphasis on the chocolate).