My Little Toddler

Kolton has grown up SO fast! Ever since he has started walking, he has become more of a toddler than a baby. I still call him my "baby", but every day he learns to do something new and reminds me that he is a "big boy". I love the stage that he is in now (walking, talking more and showing more personality), but it also makes me sad. I know now why women have more than one child! (But don't worry, no 2nd child for us just yet).

Kolton is almost 14 months and is definitely a chatter box. He will talk up a storm with his hand moving and finger pointing, especially if he is on some kind of "pedestal" (he has a toy that he stands on and talks away). I always wonder what he is "talking" about. He will have full on conversations with you, pausing as you talk back to him, and then continuing on. It is the cutest thing ever. Although most of his words are in gibberish, he has learned quite a few words. We have counted 22 words he can say (if he choses to). A lot of them are just part of the word or sound, but he definitely knows what he's saying. Here are the words he has said (or attempted to say):

momma

dada

no no

juice

bye bye

night night

ball

doggie

shoes (shh)

banana (nana)

dance (dan)

eyes (I)

teeth (te)

belly button (bell butt) :)

cheese

light

bubbles

applesauce

hot (ot)

up

please

Elmo (his new LOVE)

He has also gotten a lot better at understanding what we say. If I say, for example, do you want to eat, he will run to the refrigerator or pantry. If I say, lets go bye-bye, he will run to the door. If I say I have to go potty (I know...), he will run to the bathroom. And there's many more.

It's so fun to see him grow and progress. Of course, I think he's way smart! :) I am so grateful to have him as my son and that he chose me to be his mom. I hope I can give and provide him with all the love and necessities that will help him grow up to be a loving, smart and responsible man. But I hope the "man" part doesn't come too soon....it's already going way too fast!! I love him with all my heart!!

Plays hard, crashes harder

See...he used to look so small in this thing....!!

Gotta love him!

Definitely a boy!

End of Summer

Well, the summer has come to an end for the Waters family. Ryan went back to work this week which has forced me to remember what it is like being home with Kolton by myself. Kolton is a great and fairly easy baby, so it's not horrible, but it was nice having dada home to help entertain him as well (and dada is very helpful!!). I am blessed to be able to stay home again this year with Kolton. I will be watching a little boy from our ward, who is a few months older than Kolton, on Thursdays and Fridays. I am also hoping to help out at the elementary school where I last taught for a few hours a week. So between the two, I will be bringing in a little bit of money for the family, and still get to be at home for the most part with the little guy. I'm excited to see how this year ("school year") goes for our family!

Our big vacation this summer was to San Diego. We went with our good friends, Rory and Lindsay, the last week in July. I was a little nervous on how Kolton would do with the drive, sleeping in the hotel (since he usually only sleeps well in his crib and we were sharing a room with Rory and Lindsay), and the busy schedule we had planned. But lucky for all of us, Kolton was a trooper and did great! While in San Diego, we went to the zoo, the Wild Animal Park, Sea World and a Padres game. It was a busy couple of days, but it was a ton of fun! I wish we lived closer to San Diego, not only for the fun things to do, but for the nice weather! Although it was a nice trip, there's nothing like coming home to the comfort of your own house and bed. We didn't scare off Rory and Lindsay, so hopefully there will be more trips like this in the future! Here are some pictures of the trip:

Liked the merry-go-round at first, but not when it got "fast"

Waiting for the Shamu show

GREAT family pic...thanks Ryan!

After getting sunburned the day before, he got sunscreen in his eye...poor guy

LOVED the Elmo ride!

MUCH better picture!

The whole gang

Fourth of July

We had a very relaxing Fourth of July this year. On Saturday, we had a BBQ at some family friends house. Then on Sunday, Drew and Megan came over for dinner and fireworks. Because Kolton goes to bed around 8:30 and it isn't quite dark by then, we had to do our fireworks a little early. Kolton did really well with the fireworks at first, but then after one of them went a little crazy, I screamed, and it scared him. After that, he had had enough of the fireworks and was ready for bed. All in all, it was a great weekend!

Your next American Idol is..

KOLTON WATERS!!

Kolton's First Birthday

Kolton turned ONE on June 28th. I cannot believe it has already been a year! I have truly LOVED watching him grow from a tiny baby to a walking and independent toddler. I always say that I now understand why women have more than one child...he's no longer my little baby boy!! I look forward to the many more years and memories we will have with him. Here is a little bit about Kolton at one year old:

--Weight: 20 lbs. 12 ounces (25%)

--Height: 29 & 5/8' (50 %)

--He has 5 teeth and 3 on the way.

--He sleeps completely though the night (usually goes down around 8 or 9 and wakes up around 6:30).

--He LOVES his bed and will only sleep well in his OWN bed....with it completely quiet and dark. If we are lucky enough to get him to fall asleep while we are out and about, it will only be for 30 minutes.

--He is a very alert and curious child. He LOVES to be outside "exploring". He won't sit still for very long and is ALWAYS on the go. It's no wonder that I can't fatten him up...he burns so many calories during the day!

--He figured out walking right before his birthday and has not stopped since! I'm in real trouble when he figures out running!!

--He is a picky eater (taste buds must have kicked in). He stopped eating vegetables around 7 months. He gags every time I try to give him some. I try to get him to eat new things, although it usually ends in me throwing it all away.

--He does like to eat: yogurt, cinnamon bread, cheese, fruit, gerber cheetos, fruit roll ups, goldfish, and ice cream.

--He LOVES to talk. He will talk forever, and usually gets his finger pointing and shaking if it's something important.

--He can say/understand: momma, dadda, uh-oh ("uh"), no no and night night (which sound the same). He is close to saying shoes and eyes.

--He loves his blankie and paci. If it is nap time and you ask him where his paci or blankie is, he looks around for them until he finds them and gets a huge grin on his face. He has recently started carrying his blanket around the house with him.

--He pushes a little toy car around while saying "vroom", tries to roar like a lion, dances (really shakes) anytime music comes on, and has tried to "fake" snore like daddy.

--When he does something he knows he's not supposed to do, he usually looks for you and gives you a huge grin while doing it. He usually laughs/smiles when we say "no".

--He LOVES wrestling with mommy and daddy. We have had to be careful because when he goes up to other kids, he a little rough. In his mind, he's probably just thinking that he's playing!

I could go on forever sharing things about this special little guy! We truly are blessed to have him in our lives and love him a ton!!

For his birthday, we had a Toy Story themed party with a few family and friends. We had originally planned on having it at a local park, but we moved it to my in-laws due to the fact that it was the hottest day of the year (106, I believe). My mom was able to fly out to celebrate with us!! Here are some pictures of his big day:

Ema!!

Present from Ema and Papa

Present from Grandma and Grandpa Waters

He LOVES his present from Momma and Dadda! :)