Pump It Up!

Today (Wednesday), I went to my very first birthday party. My friend Emily turned 5 years old. Happy Birthday, Emily!!!


Her cool parents had her party at Pump It Up not far from our house. It's an awesome place full of fun bouncy slides and stuff. When Daddy carried me in at first, I was very fearful. This picture shows what I looked like...(Mommy took 58 pictures...yes, 58 pictures of the party).

Even though I was scared, Daddy and I took our shoes off and went in the bouncy basketball court. It was all enclosed in netting, so the pictures didn't turn out that well. I was pretty terrified but I held on tight to Daddy's shirt.


Then, Daddy took me on the big slide! He was the only grown-up going up the ladder with me...that's how cool my Daddy is! We went down the slide together and I was scared. Then, by the third time down, Daddy let me go by myself. How fun!!!! I had a happy/terrified grin on my face. Mommy was trying not to wet her pants she was laughing so hard.

We did the obstacle course together, played bouncy basketball again and did all these awesome father-son things together. Boy, did I have fun with my hero.

We played for nearly an hour, but I got so tired, I couldn't wait for the pizza. So, we headed home.



Mommy and I bought Emily a Pound Puppy for her birthday. It was so weird for Mommy to buy that for her because she remembers getting a Pound Puppy for HER birthday one year.

Her Uncle John and Aunt Nanette got it for her. She remembers the day exactly. She was in 4th grade and had to wait until after school to open it...it was a loooong day! : )

Know where that Pound Puppy is today? In my room. Yep, right next to the one Daddy had when he was little. Cool, huh!


Well, I gotta go take a nap.

I'm tired!

Love you! TJ

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Doe-Doe!

Hi Everybody!
My new words are really starting to flow lately! Mommy was making cookies for Daddy today and she said "no touch, TJ. hot" and pointed at the oven. Right away, I said 'ot. ot. ot'. And then, went ahead and touched the oven. So...I can say the word, but I don't really care what it means yet. : )

(Please note: I am wearing Spiderman slippers! Hoorah! My Grammie got these for me back before my feet were in this world and I finally fit in them! I'm a big boy now!)

I'm also saying doe-doe everytime I see or hear a dog. Even if I don't see a dog...I'll say 'doe-doe' a million times in a row if Mommy or Daddy says it. Ooof ooof is still my favorite noise though, and "dada" is my favorite word.

At the park today, Daddy pushed me in the babyjogger and Mommy ran alongside us. Daddy was nice enough to run slowly with Mommy...and she was really happy to be able to run 2 1/2 miles. Normally, she wouldn't count those few miles, but at this point after surgeries and rehab and the other annoying things and injuries she's been through, she'll take it. Day by day...until she's back up to the mileage she's used to running.

I am getting packed up to travel to Ohio soon. My Aunt Carey's shower and bachelorette party are this weekend and I don't get to go to either one. Boo hoo. But I do get to see the snow again. I'm excited about it!

Love, TJ

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE BEN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE BENNY!

Monday, February 25th is my Uncle Ben's birthday. I know I'm a day early in posting this but I don't think he'll see this til tomorrow...and I got a little too eager to show him this picture. Mommy wrote the card out, I admit. But I did do some of the squiggly lines and stuff.

We love you, Uncle Ben! Can't wait to see you soon.

Love, TJ (and my Mom and Dad too)

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Cavs, geese, teeth and more!

Can you believe the changes the Cavs have made? Gosh, I miss my "guys" who left, but I admit I'm pretty pumped about seeing what this new team can do. In honor of the Cavs and my cuteness, I am sporting a new headband from my Grandma and Grandpa. I'm wearing it proudly, don't ya think? Thank you! GO CAVS!!!

Mommy and I have been going to the park on warm days and I fell asleep in the babyjogger this time. I tried not to, but it was so comfy! Actually, I have a plastic cover over me because it was sooooo windy it was taking my breath away. People who saw us probably thought I had a medical condition or that I was a boy-in-a-bubble, but I liked it. We even saw two geese fighting in the water at the pond in the park. But once Mommy realized that one of the geese was about to actually die, she turned the stroller right around and headed the opposite way. Kinda spooked her...and she didn't want me to see "such violence". What a goober! : )
I have 3 upper teeth coming in, and I just can't stand it anymore. Can you blame me for whining? I'd like to give a shout-out to God for giving my Mommy extra patience for me lately. I admit, I've been very crabby and whiny lately and I have been waking up crying around 11pm every night for an hour or two...and yet, my Mommy and Daddy have felt for me every time. I'm glad they understand. And they help each other out so much that it makes it easier. Thanks, Daddy, for helping Mommy!!! You're the best!

Here I am wearing the outfit my GG gave me! (My great Grandma Betsy..."GG" for short) Mommy was so excited when she got it for me...thought it'd be awhile til I was big enough to wear it. Well, Mommy, that's what you get for wanting me to grow up fast...it happens!!!

Well, I gotta go now. We're going to Home Depot for some guy-stuff. (Mommy's allowed to come too...even though she's a girl!)

Love, TJ

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Chipmunk Boy

I am a chipmunk boy! Lately, I've been holding food in my mouth and saving it for later. I pack it in my cheeks and then I have something to chew on later if I get hungry. It's cute but my Mommy and Daddy just want me to swallow my food for crying out loud! : )

When I'm not saving food in my mouth for later, I'd rather throw it than eat it. I did eat nearly a can of green beans today, so that's good!

Can you believe I'm 15 months old already? I weigh 24.5 pounds too. Wow. Time sure does fly! I finally got to see my friends at small group tonight. We missed a bunch of them but I was happy to get out again. My medicine must be working because, although I've been hyper and a little crabby today, I'm still acting like I feel better. Go away ear infection. Go away sinus infection.

Don't try this at home! Daddy surprised Mommy by putting me up on the window today. (he was right there, of course) It sure is cute, but take a good look because it will never happen again. Ever! Mommy is terrified of windows. She thinking about putting bars up on the windows for the summer so we can have them open, but she won't have to worry about me falling out. haha (sort of). I look like Curious George again, don't I?

Love, TJ

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Sit back, relax...

...this is gonna be a long one! : ) To start off, watch this video of me at night. I get hyper and excited at night...and this is what I like to do with the vertical blinds. Seriously, I love this game!

Well, today Mommy and I took a trip to the doctor's office. I have been hanging onto this "cold" for over a week now, and Mommy's had enough. It makes her sad when I don't feel good so she took me in. I had a bit of a temper tantrum in the waiting room when Mommy stopped me from playing with the drinking fountain. Grrr. I was having so much fun! Anyhow, the doctor said I have both an ear infection AND a sinus infection. DOUBLE WHAMMY! No wonder I'm miserable. So I'm taking medication that tastes like bubble gum. Mmmm.

My newest word is "hot". Only, it comes out like "ot" the more I say it. But gosh, it's cute. I also have been playing with my bellybutton a lot. Our friend Ben came over the other day, and I showed him my bellybutton a few times. He thought it was cute too. My Mommy and Daddy have bellybuttons! Did you know that? Well, I like to push on theirs because they makes noises when I do. And I laugh really, really loud!


Now it's time for a shameless plug! My Mommy's book is now online!!! The official release date is April 14th...meaning that stores will be carrying it then. She'll get her copy in 4-6 weeks and she is SOOO excited to read it to me. If you want to see it online, go to http://www.publishamerica.com/ and click on the bullet point "this week's new releases". It's there!!!! The title is Ebenezer Flea and the Right Thing to Do. Hoorah! Okay, shameless plug is now over. : )





I absolutely LOVE to put things in bins and boxes...and take them out again. Today, Mommy forgot to put my laundry bin out of my reach when she was doing my clothes...and when she turned around, I had put Cookie Monster, my camera, and a few other of my toys in there. Then I dumped it. Then I filled it up again.




I also like to hand toys and other things to my Mommy and Daddy. For a treat, I'm allowed to tear toilet paper apart...and as a thank-you, I give it back to my Mommy or Daddy. Piece by piece. I bring them books one by one. And stuffed animals. And things like that. Mommy is proud that I like to help put toys away.

Speaking of toilet paper...I am not very patient when my Mommy is in the bathroom putting on her makeup...or whatever. This is a picture of me trying to break in. hehehehe. : )

Love, Ear-and-sinus-infection-boy

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mommy calls this...

mommy calls this my "abercrombie and fitch" pose.

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The Inside of my Hat

i wear many hats. no, it's not a metaphor. i really do wear many hats. and today, i learned how much i love the inside of my hat. my mommy and i were driving home from a very fun morning trip to ray's splash planet (i'll write about that in a minute...) and when she peeked at me at a stoplight, she laughed because i'd pulled my hat down over my eyes. she fixed it...and i pulled it over my eyes again. we did this 3 or 4 times until mommy figured i just wanted it over my eyes. i had a big ol' grin on my face as i was admiring the inside of my hat. it had pretty blues and some black and the knitting was very well done. i liked how much darker everything was with my hat down.

so, back to this morning. mommy and i were invited to go to ray's splash planet for some fun. i have been sick with a bad old cold for awhile but we figured we'd give it a try. mommy was so very excited to do this with me and our friends. we went with alexia and kate, then chrissie and ali met us there a little bit later. i wasn't very daring at all. i surprised mommy a lot by being so shy of the water. i think it was because i still felt kind of yucky.

i just clung onto mommy like a little chimp the whole time. but we had fun anyway! alexia and kate went on a raft down the lazy river, and so did we! i had a big frown on my face most of the time, but i really had fun. honest! after going around a few times, we got out and went in the deep end. i didn't really like that either, so we went by the slides and colorful water sprayers. i just looked and watched the other kids have fun. that was fun enough for me!

when ali and chrissie got there, ali and kate played together like brave little girls. i will be like that one day. (hopefully the next time we go!) but today, i just needed my mom. she was pretty disappointed but she had a great time anyway. i'm posting some pictures of my friends playing...but there aren't any of me because i was stuck to my mom. like glue. crazy glue. that's me!

love, crazy-glue tj

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Not AGAIN!

Look, Ma! More headbands!!!

How can I be sick again? HOW? It's my 3rd day of sickness...green snots galore...and I'm sick of it. My Mommy and Daddy feel so bad for me. All I do is cough, smear my nasty nose all over the place, and whine every once in awhile. I can't help it though. I have another cold and cough! At least it's not croup, but I'm really starting to wonder about that church nursery... : )

Will bubble wrap protect me? Daddy thought so when he took this picture of me. Awww, I'm so stinkin' cute!

I know, I know. Being exposed to germs is good for me. I hear that all the time. But my Mommy isn't happy about it. Not one bit. I am her life! She does not like me being sick. And Daddy too. He hates to hear my cough and then groan. He puts me on his shoulders to make me feel better and tickles me til I can hardly breathe. He's the best Daddy in the world...and I love it when he's with me.

I have GOT to be better for my week! I've got story times and playdates and stuff like that. I'm already gonna miss my best friends at small group tonight...I can't miss my fun week ahead too!

I love you! TJ

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The Young and the Restless

Mommy signed us up for another storytime on Mondays at our library. It's called The Young and the Restless. I don't really get it, but my Mommy thinks it's hilarious that they named it that. This means I am a part of two storytimes each week AND play at church on Sundays and Tuesdays. My Daddy says he's gonna get me a Blackberry so that I can keep track of all my social engagements. When do I get it, Daddy? By my next birthday?

Love, TJ

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I have arrived!

Today was the day my Mommy had been waiting for months! : ) She couldn't wait til I could actually play on the playground ... and today I did!

Last summer, Mommy met some friends at the park once in awhile, but I was too little to play. I'd just lounge in my stroller while she carted me around...


But today, I PLAYED! Mommy and I met our friends Alexia and Kate at the library for storytime. We were both very well-behaved and we just watched as the million other kids ran around like maniacs. Afterwards, we went to the playground because we couldn't pass up a 71 degree day! Kate and I rode together on the blue airplane and, although we don't look like we're having any fun, we really were. Seriously. We also went down a few slides (my first time!) and climbed up the stairs all by ourselves! We did the see-saw too...with a little help.

I want to be like Kate and say lots of words. I am enamored with her. She said my name a lot and I smiled back at her. I like being her friend.

When we got home from the park, Daddy was taking his lunchbreak to mow the lawn. He saw my dirty legs and clothes and KNEW I had a great time at the park. I think we'll be going this weekend so I can show him all my new stunts! Needless to say, I ate a huge lunch, had a great bath, and took a super nap after all my morning fun!

Tell you more tomorrow! Love, Crazy TJ

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Cutest Video Ever!

Here I am, walking along on my sound-making footprints...when I realize that crawling actually makes the noises come faster. Now how smart is that!?!?! Love, TJ

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Emeril vs. the NBA

I like to cook and grill, so I'm not sure if I'll be a chef like Emeril...








But I also like to hoop it up, so I may just be the next LBJ. I wear a headband like him (as we've seen in earlier blogs hehehe) so maybe with a lot of practice, I'll eventually even make a basket! : )

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Red

today, we watched annie while we ate spaghetti-o's and squash (my newest and oldest favorite foods). no wonder i have red hair!

i was extra sweet to mommy today. she doesn't feel good in her throat. but the weather was rainy so it made it extra cozy in our house. we snuggled a lot.

oh, and i got to eat a hot dog today. i never had a hot dog before. i ate the whole thing!!!!! funny thing is, mommy cut the pieces so small i could hardly see them! daddy was better at it. he knows i'm good at chewing. especially with my 10 teeth i have now!

this picture says: hahaha mommy! i got into the laundry room! silly mommy left the door open a crack and i am always so curious about this room! mommy and daddy always keep this door closed...because the trash is in there. i like the trash can. it's what bein' a boy is all about!

oh, and know what else? i can reach door handles now. it's only a matter of time before i can turn the handles. yikes!

love, growing tj

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