Hot Diggity Dog

Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog...anyone with a child knows exactly which song I'm talking about :)  It gets a lot of air time at our house, and it has become Ayson's favorite song to dance to.  While I'm in no way claiming to be even a decent dancer, this child clearly gets his moves from his dada.  

So here's your Sunday night treat.  Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.  The one and only Ayson "Little Man" Wilcox, performing the "Hot Dog Dance."  ENJOY!

New, New & New

 We've got lots of new things going on around here!  The past couple of days have been busy for our little wild child.  First of all, bath time is a lot more entertaining (translation...WET!)  Ayson likes to spin around, stand up, put his face in the water...basically everything that makes me a nervous wreck, while he's in the tub.  

Speaking of sticking his face in the water, this would be the result...a perfect bubble mustache!  This was all his own doing, trust me, he would never sit still long enough for me to strategically place those bubbles. 

And  for his newest bath trick...he has decided that it is super fun to splash as much water as possible, outside of the tub.  Fun splashy time = more cleanup for momma, which = cleaner floors ;)  It's a win-win...right?!

He has also decided that he wants to feed himself now.  We are lucky if he lets us anywhere near him with a spoon.  So, mealtime is now teaching us PATIENCE!  He wouldn't eat anything I tried to feed him yesterday, so in a desperate attempt to get him to eat, I cooked up some chicken nuggets, peas and macaroni & cheese.  SUCCESS!  He loved it!  So, now finger foods are an essential part of our sanity. 

Tonite it was spinach artichoke dip...he couldn't get enough.

In addition to stacking blocks, he has also learned how to put the fishies in the penguins mouth!  He got this cool little toy from his Aunt Alli and we have been working with him on "feeding the penguin."   He's really trying to figure it out here.

Everytime you insert a fishie into its mouth, he counts!  So cool :)

And his most exciting new skill...clapping!  For whatever reason, this child has refused to clap.  We have been working with him for MONTHS on this, but he just wasn't interested.  All of the sudden yesterday, he started doing it...and he hasn't stopped since.  A big round of applause for Aysman!

Here we go...

Well, my goodness!  I have so much to catch you up on.  It has been over a week!  I heard from several of you this weekend about how my lack of blogging over the past week has just devastated you (ha), so I will try to not let it happen again :) I don't want you to have to go through withdrawal any longer, so here you go!   

We have been busy, busy, busy (thus the lack of posts) over the past week.  Little man has been stacking blocks, saying new words, going to football games, picking out pumpkins, learning about zoo animals, throwing tantrums & playing with friends.  

First, the football games!  Last Friday we went to cheer on Uncle Jesse and the Foyil Panthers.  Ayson literally did not sit down the ENTIRE game.  He had a blast sprinting around in the grass behind the end zone.  He let us hold him long to snap a picture with dada.

Then on Saturday, Ayson and I went to cheer on Michael and our other favorite college FB team, the TU Golden Hurricane.  It was such a beautiful night, and Ayson was super good!  Thanks for the football Maria & Michael :)

And the last football game of the past week was yesterday!  Thanks to Grammy and Pops for watching Ayson so we could go cheer on the Pokes.

Even though we lost, we still had a great time with great friends and family.

Now on to stacking blocks.  We have been working with Ayson for quite a while on stacking blocks...and it finally clicked!  He used to knock them over immediately after we stacked them, now he can stack them two high!  We are so proud of him :)

And just so you know that this kid isn't always smiley and perfect (haha), he has recently discovered tantrums.  Not fun.  He was in the process of a good one here...threw himself on the floor and everything!  What did I do?  Grab the camera, of course, take a pic, then let him work it out.  How do they know to do this when they are only 14 months?  CRAZY!

And now on to the pumpkin patch & zoo.  On Thursday Ayson got to hang out with the ladies all day.  We had an all day playdate with Avery, Karie, Isa & Diane.  We started out our day at the pumpkin patch.  Again, Ayson could have cared less about the pumpkins, he just wanted to run around.  He stopped long enough to point at this huge pumpkin!

This cracked me up...Every time he ran past this scarecrow, he would stop and stare at it for a few seconds.  He really couldn't quite figure it out.  Haha!

Just hanging out in the pumpkins with his friends...and of course he's trying to escape.

The whole crew.  I just love these girls and their cute little babers.  

After the pumpkin patch, we headed to the zoo.  I know, crazy, right?!  We would soon discover that we crammed too much into one day:)  But, the kiddos were sooooo good and enjoyed SOME of the exhibits at the zoo.  I'm sure it will be much more interesting when they are a bit older. 

Our little monkeys...

 And another group photo.  Such a fun day!

And today, we are just hanging out recouping from the weekend.  Such a sweet boy, giving goodnite kissies to dada.

Remembering Avery Dean

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.  

We just wanted to take a minute to let Avery Dean know that we will always love you.  Your spirit lives on through your twin brother.  We are so blessed to be able to have a glimpse of what you would have looked like and who you may have become, through Ayson.

We will always remember. 

1 Year Adjusted Birthday!

Happy one year adjusted to our favorite ornery little man.  Dishwasher doors are kid tested...right?! 

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday was a beautiful day & Aaron had a much needed day off, so we decided to take Little Man to the Pumpkin Patch!  It's funny the things you become interested in doing once you have kids...I can honestly say, I don't think I have ever been to a pumpkin patch, but I couldn't have been more excited to go.  Mostly because I was certain we would be able to get some great pictures :)  You know, the one's where babies are smiling and surrounded by a sea of orange!   

Well, our little trip taught us several things...

#1 - We may quite possibly have the fastest 14 month old on two legs.  As a result, we have mostly pictures of the back of his head.

#2 - Trying to pose a 14 month old for pictures is nearly impossible.  So, family pictures this fall will be a challenge to say the least.

#3 - This kid smiles on the run!  I managed to catch one while he was running through the pumpkins.

#4 - Ays wants to be just like Dada.  So cute!

#5- Ayson is Mr. Independent & strong too.  He wanted to do this by himself.  He pushed around that heavy pumpkin for a long time!  

#6 - Pumpkins are expensive!  Forty dollars later, we walked away with 3 pumpkins and the realization that I have no cute place to put them...oh well, maybe next year!

#7 - And finally, we have one fantastic kiddo who keeps us on our toes and teaches us something new everyday...such as, the "dream pumpkin patch picture" will remain just that, a dream, until next year...maybe!  Haha, god we love this kid! 

14 Months

The months are flying by!  And with each new month comes so many new things that Ays is learning.  Aside from teething, he is at such a fun age right now!  He is really starting to develop a vocabulary...of course, only Aaron and I can decipher it, but he can say...mama, dada, Elmo, Sophie, ball, up, and bye bye.  He can say a lot of other things too, we just haven't figured them out yet ;) Sophie is the most hilarious one, because it sounds like "oooeeee."  




Here are a few videos of Ayson's latest skills.  The first one is him steering his walker around the house.  When he was first learning to walk, he would push it into a wall and get mad because it wouldn't move.  Now he has figured out how to steer it, so he has taken a whole new interest in his walker.  You better get outta this kids way when he's behind the wheel...he's a crazy man!

Ayson is also doing a great job learning his shapes.  We have been working with him on this for awhile now, and he is a pro at manipulating the shapes into the holes.  It may seem easy, but its tricky to hold it the right way so it will fit.  We are so proud of him!

I just thought this was super cute.  He does this ALL the time.  He loves to sit on the floor and flip through books.  This particular time, he was "reading" his book and giggling the whole time...so funny!  This book has different textures with each picture, and the dog has a patch of fur on it, which he always has to put his face on.  

A Happy Birthday Wish :)

Ayson wants to wish his BFF Asher a very Happy 1st Birthday today!  We went to Edmond on Saturday for the big party :)  Here are a few pics from that day...ENJOY!
 

The only picture that I got of the two boys together...testing out Asher's new ball popper. 

Ayson helping open presents

Wrapping paper bandit on the loose!  He took off with some of the wrapping paper, and had some tissue paper stuck his feet :)

The birthday boy and his new OSU chair.  Ayson would LOVE one of these (hint, hint).  Come'on crafty grandparents, I know you could make one of these ;)

Kisses from dada.  He loved the fish tank!

Such a sweet picture...Ayson was playing with Uncle Kelly!

 

Tulsa State Fair

Every year around the beginning of October, we have to come up with creative new ways to get to our house because of all the traffic...which can only mean one thing...it's Fair time!  I've decided the fair is one of those things that you either love or hate or tolerate, and we happen to fall into the "love/tolerate" camp.  Mainly because it is such a cultural experience :)  Haha!  So, we definitively had to take Ays and show him all that the Tulsa State Fair had to offer.  

We hit up the petting zoo first.  Ayson was so excited to get out of the stroller, that he just wanted to run around.  After getting out some energy, he stopped long enough to check out a few animals.

Immediately after this picture was taken, he grabbed a big chunk of hair from this poor animal...and we very quickly moved on to the next pen :)

The two A's checking out some more animals

Being a nice little boy :)

And then...the batteries died.  Boo :(  But we had a great time!  Ayson stayed awake the entire time we were there, just taking in all the sights.  And he even got to try some fair food!  He liked Indian tacos and fried beer.  Just kidding on the fried beer.  We didn't let him try that; we didn't even try that; in fact, I'm not sure how you make that!  But it was there, along with fried butter...ahh, gotta love the fair!

Welcome Fall

Holy Moley!  We are all still trying to recover from that crazy game last night.  Way to pull out a win Pokes...it was ugly, but we did it!  A big thanks to Papa Doug for driving all the way to T-town to watch little man so we could go to the game.  I must say it again...we have an amazing family!!!!  Every single one of you!

Ayson has just been taking it easy the past few days.  He is getting over a cold, so we haven't been up to much recently...Except enjoying the cooler weather!  And of course, a change in the weather means a change in the wardrobe too.  I have been dying to put Ayson in all of his cute new fall clothes that he got for his birthday and also some that we bought a few months ago.  But, since this kid doesn't like to play dress-up (he is a boy, I guess) we have been trying out one new outfit a day.

All decked out in his OSU gear for the game :)  Ayson was given this shortly after he was born and I remember thinking, "he's going to be three before he can wear that!"  Wrong!  Fits him perfectly, just at the right time too.

I can't get over how pants and long sleeve shirts make him look like such a big kid.  The track pants are hysterical and his shoes have got to be my favorite part...baby shox?!  Yes, please :)

Fresh out of bed, morning hair and all.  New clothes, mama's phone and his burpy...all is well in Aysland.

And finally, Ayson is completely weaned from sippy's with soft spouts and handles!  Now, if that doesn't scream "big kid" then nothing does.

We have a busy weekend planned.  So, stay tuned for Ays's first trip to the fair and Asher's first birthday party. YAY!