you're the best mommy in the whole white world

That's what Tyler told me this morning. He is so precious when he first wakes up in the morning. It's my favorite moment of the day. Lately he wraps his arms right around my neck and hugs me really tight. He lets go for a quick kiss on his little puckered lips, then wraps me up again. Then he lets me lay dozens of smooches all over his cheeks. That right there is worth it all, folks. I love being a mom.

We are at such a great stage with both of our boys right now. They are so much fun. Granted, we have our fair share of tantrums and fights to deal with, but they play very well together, for the most part and have become quite good little friends. The other day, Johnny was asked who his best friend was. He said "my brother." I was surprised how proud and happy that made me feel. Not long ago we left the boys at the Walker's house while we went on a date. We had given them a bath and dressed them in their matching pajamas and Brian had given them both a nice comb over - signature Brian move. They looked so cute. When we arrived, the Walker boys announced that they were just about to start a movie, so we left Johnny and Ty sitting very close together on the couch and said good bye. When we returned to pick them up 3 hours later, we found them in the exact same spot on the couch. They hadn't moved the entire time we were gone! I found it so sweet that they found comfort sitting next to each other while we were gone.

Tyler is a little over two and still surprises us with his command of words. If he's not talking, he's singing. He always answers questions with full sentences. You never get's just a yes or a no from Ty. It's "yes, I did" or "no, I didn't", "yes, I can" or "no, I can't", etc., etc. He comes home from nursery on Sunday singing songs I didn't know he knew. My favorite is "If you chance to meet a frown." He sings it with all the right expressions. Such a little love. Tyler is also quite a momma's boy. In his world, moms make everything better. In addition to being very attached to me, and not letting me too far out of his sight, he is also very sensitive to babies, children or creatures of any kind who are sad or crying and thinks that the solution to every problem is a mommy. "He/she wants his/her mommy!" is a phrase I hear many times a day.

Johnny sure knows how to make this pregnant lady feel good. He notices everything. "Is that a new dress mom? I like it!" "Did you paint your toenails?" "I like the way you fixed your hair!" This isn't something Brian or I have taught Johnny boy. He just came that way and I love it. He is a kind-hearted, observant and quiet boy who loves his family and friends and is always thinking about other people. He is learning at such a quick pace right now. Its like he's a little sponge soaking everything up. For family night we talked about coming to earth and I was explaining that Lucifer had another plan for us- he wanted to take away our free agency or choice. Tyler, who doesn't quite have the attention span to pay attention during our lessons, approached us and Johnny said, "Memmy, Lucifer didn't want us to have any toys!" He has also been learning in Primary that we chose to come to earth and gain a body. The other day he did something he shouldn't have and I asked him if he had made a good choice. He said, "No mom. It was a bad choice. Do I have to give my body back?" Johnny is also has a very good memory and will catch me if I vary the words of a favorite story book. "Maa-um, you forgot to say..."

A few things other things I would like to remember about my boys at this age:
-Ty successfully accomplished his (my) New Year's resolution of ditching the binky (no more binky kisses. sad!). He is now also sleeping in a big boy bed and doing great.
-Johnny's most f.a.q's are "Mom, why isn't your baby coming out for a long time?" and "Can we watch a show now?"
-Favorite shows at the moment are the Wonder Pets, Cinderella, Micky Mouse Club House, My Little Pony
-Ty can't pronounce his c's - instead he makes a "t" or even a "tw" sound. Okay is "otay" cow is "tow" cream is "tweam" Clark is "twark." etc, etc.
-Johnny is still holding onto a few funny pronunciations from his babyhood - "tink" instead of think and shmarshmallows instead of well, marshmallows!
-Ty's favorite babysitter Autumn is lovingly called, "Ottoman."
-The boys go upstairs to Dad's office every Sunday after church to get a piece of candy and a kiss