Dylan (4 years, 5 months) and Colton (23 Month) Update

It's been 2 months since my last update.  Normally no one would be able to call me on it, but since Autrey broke his wrist avoiding a catcher to score at home plate and has been in a cast for a few weeks the jig is up.  No more Friday night softball games for a while, unfortunately.  The boys loved to watch Autrey and to play with the other kids in the dirt and puddles.  On a related note, I have come out of my yard work retirement for the next 2 months:

Family Home Evening "fishing" (Read: Casting and reeling.  No actual fish were involved.  And nobody cared.  And, yes, that is a Robin super hero tattoo on Dylan's arm):

Surprisingly, no one ended up in the water:

Because you never know when you might encounter dragons on the way to the park:

 We took this picture during the March Madness NCAA championship game for Kristen's family to see.  Too bad they lost the game to UConn:

 My dear friend, Ashleigh, had another round of cancer.  This time it was her thyroid instead of her back. Variety is the spice of life, right?  Two weeks ago they took out 2 tumors, her thyroid, and lymph nodes. Because everything was so close to her vocal chords she wasn't supposed to talk.  Yeah right.  On coronation day I dubbed her The Queen of Silence.  Oh, the irony: 

Matt started working here in Fort Worth a few weeks ago and has been staying with us.  Last week Allyson and the boys joined us to stay until they find a new house and move in.  Dylan and Colton are thrilled to see their cousins everyday.  The cowboy and his trusty steed:

 Watching the movie Frozen for FHE after freezing at the park:

 Cuddle buddies:

The kids are pretty good at entertaining themselves while I do laundry.  On Monday I did 5 loads, so they had plenty of time to be creative as I folded and put away clothes.  Both kids love wearing everyone else's shoes, especially Colton.  I love the football jersey with pink shoes look:

 Dylan's turn with the pink ones:

 There was a scuffle over the yellow flower ones, but then Colton was happy to wear the orange ones:

 Switch, with bracelet accessory.  Autrey always shakes his head when they play dress up with my shoes but I think it's adorable.  Colton also wears Autrey's, Tommy's, Tyler's, Allyson's, and Mimi's when he gets the chance.  If they are left out they are fair game:

 Then Dylan decided to 'read his scriptures':

 Then he built a hospital entirely on his own:

 Today we went on a field trip to Homestead Farm.  Dylan loved the tractor:

 Colton wouldn't get on it:

 Loving on the soft little baby:

 Miss Marissa trying to keep Colton from squeezing too hard:

 Feeding the goats:

 Another tractor:

 With Melinda, Trey, Mason, and Gracie.  She just found out yesterday they are most likely moving in May.  I have had some seriously bad luck with my good friends moving lately:

 Loving on Gracie:

 The dried rain drop on the lens looks like I blurred Mason's face.

 On the hay ride:

 Ever since I decorated for Easter, Dylan and I have had an entertaining OCD battle over the bunnies.  I put them out like this:

And Dylan comes by and arranges them like this:

 Sort of feels like the Sleeping Beauty fairies when they kept changing Aurora's dress back and forth from pink to blue.  At first I didn't realize he was setting them in that position for a reason.  But after the 3rd time I asked him about it and he said they needed to sit by each other.  So that is how they sit.  I, of all people, know it's not a good idea to mess with other people's particular brand of crazy.

Dylan:

*While wearing his Batman cape, Dylan was running around yelling, "Scripture power!"

*Until sometime in March, Dylan continued to breathe how Autrey taught him after his surgery when he pooped even though it no longer was a painful experience.  Sounded like Lamaze every time he had to do his duty.

*He took the broom, started sweeping, and said, "I want to be a momma."  He found a spare key ring circle the other day.  He put it on his finger and wanted to wear it like daddy's wedding ring.

*On March 10, Dylan did a 24 piece Jake and the Neverland Pirates puzzle all by himself.  It didn't have a picture to look at or anything. Miss Marissa was quite impressed

*At the Gaylord Hotel over Spring break Dylan swam all by himself while wearing a life jacket. That is a big deal because he was pretty timid last year.  Colton, on the other hand, has no fear/respect for the water and I had to watch him like a hawk because he would just jump in whether someone was there to catch him or not.

*I dropped Dylan off at his 1st birthday party that I didn't stay with him the entire time.  Kind of surreal.  It was a super hero party and he went dressed up as Spiderman.

*Me: "What did you learn about in church today?"

  D: "How to climb in daddy's truck."

  Me: "Did you learn about Jesus?"

  D: "I'm sure I did."

*Dylan calls his Toms slip on shoes his "slippery shoes."

*Dylan had a Star Wars Yoda shirt.  He kept calling it his "Toyota" shirt.

*While G-ma was here he said, "You look beautiful, G-ma.  I need to take a picture (with his toy camera). One more.  One more."

*G-ma got Dylan some Spiderman Cheez-It crackers to help him be happy.  One day Colton whacked him in the face and Dylan said, "It's ok.  I'm happy.  I ate Spiderman crackers."

*Dylan jumps up on the kitchen counter all by himself without a chair or anything to watch me cook.

*Dylan has always called out for me to get him when he wakes up in the morning until recently.  Now he just hops out on his own and comes in to snuggle in my bed with me for a while.  I enjoy waking up slowly.

*Me: "What would you like to drink?"

  D: "Ice cream.

  Me: "No way, buddy."

  D: "When it melts it turns into milk."  Nice try.

*Dylan could identify President Uchtdorf during General Conference.

*Dylan and Colton are great play mates now.  We still have battles over toys, but they generally have so much fun together.

*Dylan eats his toast into shapes: Batman symbol, plane, boat...

*The Young Women had a babysitting night as their Camp fundraiser the weekend before Easter.  Autrey took Dylan to the church bathroom to go potty before we went home and the following conversation took place:  

Aut: "Did you have fun with the kids?"

D: "Ummm...sure."

Aut: "What did you do?"

D: "You're not supposed to talk during this part."  (One time Papa told Dylan not to talk so he would focus on the task at hand.  It made an impression.)

*Dylan saw a commercial for light up shoes and he said, "I wish I wanted those light shoes."  (I wish I had... + I want those light shoes)

*In traffic Dylan told me "Focus, mommy."  As if I wasn't.  Then on the way to San Antonio he asked Autrey, "Are you going as fast as you can?"

*As a Primary Presidency we made and handed out each family a CD with the Primary program songs on it.  Dylan asks to listen to "the Jesus songs" when we get in the car and sings as loud as he can on the parts he knows.  Melts my heart.

Colton:

*New things he said: "E see dat?" (You see that?), "Dant you...Oh elcome" (Thank you...You're welcome.  He responded for me.), "Ah-camy" (Academy...makes the Duke family proud), "cimin roll (cinnamon roll...which he loves), "Where G-ma go?" (After she flew home), "ba-da-baw" (basketball...he is very sports minded, always throwing and hitting balls)

*He uses "I": "I do it." "I hab it." "I wan it." "I help you."

*"Milk pease, mom"  I smile, then he says for me, "Ah mannahs" (Good manners.)

*Autrey tooted and Colton said, "Toot toot (ma) g(r)oot."

*On March 5, Colton went pee pee in the potty twice after asking to go over and over again.  He loves to flush.  On March 18, he asked to be taken to the potty 10 times in the hour before nap time.  He went or tooted all but a few times.  On April 2 Colton asked to go potty and did his one and only poop on the potty thus far.  The next day I figured he was ready for official potty training with a pull-up and a timer every 15 minutes and an M and M treat.  That lasted a couple of hours before failing miserably.  It became a battle of control.  He never went when it was my idea and told him to go and we were home bound during the experience.  It felt like Maria refusing to respond to a whistle in The Sound of Music.  So, to avoid a negative experience, I gave up and we went to the park for the rest of the afternoon.  He goes when he asks me to help, which is usually 1-2 times a day.

*He knows "hot" and "cold."

*Dylan and Colton both love to play "Ah Osie" (Ring Around the Rosie) with our parachute.  Both boys also like "High-Seek" (Hide and Seek) and Colton will cover his eyes and count 1-2-3-4-5.

*Colton is particular with which book he wants to read.  I picked up the one I thought he wanted and he pointed to a different one and said, "Boo one" (the blue one) and it was blue.  He has said something was "oh-wange" when it was orange, but he is not consistent with either one.

*Colton is obsessed with hamburgers.  We drove to the library and as we passed a Five Guys Burgers and Fries looking for a parking spot he started yelling "Ha-buh-geh!" We went their with Mimi and Papa once the week before and it clearly left an impression.  He will eat anything inside a bun (ie pulled pork).  I have to hide buns before we are ready to use them because he will start demanding to eat a hamburger if he sees them.

*When I kiss an owie he immediately gets happy and says "aw bedda" (all better).  Magic.

*We forgot to say a prayer before eating.  Colton folded his arms and said, "Say it...Hevy Faddah...Dis day...Ah-meh." (I want to say it.  Heavenly Father, thank you for this day.  Amen."  Any time anyone else prays he repeats words along with them.  It is adorable.

*We saw the movie Frozen and Colton liked the scary "mah-steh" (monster).

*Colton loves wearing hats and sunglasses.  He put on his sunglasses in the library and said to one of my friends, "Wook ah me!" Repeatedly.

*Colton has a soft blue sheep pillow to travel with.  On the way down to San Antonio for Easter he kissed it and said, "Night night.  Go to seep."

*Me: "How old are you?"

  C: "2!" (I figured it was easier to skip 1 and go to 2 since he will be next month.)

Random:

*My endocrinologist saw that my TSH level was low and switched me off of Levothyroxine to the name brand Synthroid and increased my dose from 137 mcg to 150 mcg.  It helped me a little bit, but not as much as it should have.  He ordered more tests to see if there are other underlying deficiencies.  The results should be in soon.  I just want to be able to sleep, have energy, stop losing hair, and be my happy normal self again.  I realize that almost every update I say I am starting a workout and then I rarely have time/energy/motivation to keep it up during the time I am not blogging.  Hopefully Allyson can be my live in workout buddy while they are here.  I haven't lost any more weight since I went off the cinnamon roll diet.