Viva la Vida

I couldn't help feeling younger and cooler this week than I have in a long time. As part of Scott's anniversary present from me, we went to the Coldplay concert at the Walnut Creek Ampitheater. It turned out to be an incredible night, with a beautiful sunset, cool temperatures, and some awesome music.

We rode with our neighbors, Rod and Anthea, and sat just a few rows away from them. They are expecting their first baby in just a few weeks. Aren't they so cute???

We enjoyed Mellow Mushroom pizza at their house before heading out to the concert. What made us feel EVEN younger was that my parents kept both boys over night! Thanks Mimi and Dudaddy for giving us a great night away!

National Night Out

Every year, our neighborhood participates in National Night Out, a program put on by Neighborhood Watch organizations. Ours includes free ice cream, balloons, glow bracelets, fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars. Is this not every little boy's dream??? Needless to say, our boys had an amazing time hanging out at National Night Out! Here's the proof:

Tyler was super excited to see a fire truck up close!

An attempt at a brother photo with the fire truck.

Carter even got to spray a real fire hose!

And Tyler's addiction to steering wheels continues. Can you see the sheer joy in his face??? We had to PRY him away from it to let other kids have a chance.

Carter even got arrested! A cop put handcuffs on him (look closely in the picture) and put him in the back of his cop car! All of this with Carter's and our consent, of course. I don't think he really got it, but we certainly got a kick out of it.

The night ended like so many summer nights end around here...playing outside SOME MORE!

It has begun...

The terrible twos that is.

My sweet little Tyler is a mere 16 months old, but I believe he is crossing over to the dark side already. I remember this tough time beginning around 18 months for Carter, but then again, Tyler has seemed to reach these "milestones" a few months earlier than even his "advanced" brother.

He is into everything he knows he's not supposed to... and he really does know now. He gets a little smile on his face, looks at you, and then continues with his devious behavior. He doesn't want to sit in a booster seat at the table anymore...evidently, he's too cool for those now. He doesn't want a lid on his cup...too cool for those, too. He DESPISES having his clothes changed for any reason, and will even rip off the clothes that you just put on. The kid can also throw a mean tantrum and hit and kick with the best of them. Some of the tantrums have been so good, I've just had to document them on camera and video. See for yourself.

Here, he's climbing in my seat at the table and trying to get into my breakfast (which, by the way, I happily share with him on a normal basis...but I didn't want him grabbing the breakable bowl off the table and spilling it all on the floor). I told him to stop and to get into his seat.

He got mad.

He got even madder.

Later that same morning, he threw a huge tantrum and wore himself out so much that he fell asleep on the door mat in the kitchen.

Now, 18 months to 2 and a half was a very difficult year for my sweet Carter, so I'm bracing myself for possibly worse with this little man. But I've lived through it, and survived, so bring it on!

But please don't start to think that this Tyler Man (as we like to call him) is not quite possibly the sweetest, cutest thing you've ever met. He is! I guess this is part of the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde complex that comes with being a toddler. When he is happy, his smile can absolutely melt you. He blows kisses and has the cutest good-bye wave ever... with his arm extended straight to the sky and pressed against his ear and his little fingers opening and closing. He gives hugs out of the blue, and has an incredibly contagious laugh. Sometimes, in the midst of a tantrum, I just look at him and think, "It's a pretty good thing that you are so darn cute!"

Here was one of his cute moments, at the pool with Gigi and Papa, exploring the plants.

Tyler Man, we love you! Tantrums and all!