Tyler's Turn

When I told Tyler at dinner that I was getting ready to write a blog post about him, he immediately said, "How 'bout you do that now instead of later?" He seemed eager to contribute, so I asked which things about him I ought to share. Here is his list:

• My dancing
• Going to Mt. Hood
• Coloring
• Tomato soup
• Lunch

Pretty all-inclusive, eh? Actually, a couple items on his list were also on the list in my head, so we'll hit those first.

Tyler definitely has a dancing gene, although we are not sure from whose gene pool it sprung. He can bust a move wherever and whenever he's feeling groovy, whether it's the aisles of Target, his car seat, or his Primary class. Today's episode of Tyler TV happened in the front room. I have posted it below for your viewing pleasure.

I have made an effort lately to have more quality time with Tyler. In my quest to build our relationship/save my sanity with this child, we have enjoyed some nice coloring time, story time, marble run time, and silly time. Tyler really loves stories, and could listen to silly Dr. Seuss tales for hours on end. In spite of the "good-Mom" vibe this gives me, Tyler is equally content to watch television all day and constantly begs for "one more show." It's hard not to give in sometimes.

Since our implementation of 1-2-3 Magic, Tyler has fallen into the category of children who immediately test their parents. His tendencies for destructive and aggressive behavior have multiplied, and he also started having frequent potty accidents and being mean to Gavin. Oh, the joys of parenting! We have stuck to our guns and are finally noticing a bit of improvement. This week we began some positive-reinforcement charts that seem to have captured Tyler's interest. He's excited about earning stickers that can translate into an ice-cream date with Mom or Dad. He wasn't excited enough on Wednesday to be cooperative with socks and shoes, brushing his teeth, helping with chores, or being potty-accident free (his areas of focus), but he did better today.

This week Ty enjoyed Smart Cookies at the Lyman's house. The subject of nutrition made for some interesting Discovery Stations. He also made a hilarious comment during lesson time when Natalie was talking about the dairy food group. We now know that Tyler is keenly aware of Gavin's exclusive nutrition source and the apparatus that supplies it.

I also really enjoyed the artistic rendering of Garry that Tyler produced during Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. The purple splotch is Garry's goatee. The yellow mass over to the side is me, according to Tyler. I think he started drawing me and ran out of creative energy. Or maybe I emanate so much warmth and happiness he could only think to color me yellow. The message he wrote (completely on his own, I might add) definitely melted my heart.


Love you back, babe! Even on no-sticker days.