A blogging dilemma

Well, I obviously wasn't thinking past the present moment when I created this blog. You see, I named it "Tyler's Times" which pretty much limits its content. Now that wouldn't really be a problem (since so much of our life happily revolves around him right now) except for the exciting fact that we'll have a new family member joining us in early December. So, will there be another Schmidt blog? Hard to say right now. For the meantime, Ty will have to share...

Here's the early picture of our new friend (taken a couple of weeks ago during the ultrasound):


PS: Place your vote on whether Baby Schmidt #2 is a girl or a boy at the top right corner of this blog :).

A week with a holiday and a trip to the Potty Train!

It's been an eventful week for Ty! It started out with a neighbor's party and the fireworks on the 4th of July and ended with a much-deserved trip to the Potty Train (named by Ty--see the last post). Ty's had about 10 days (and 4 nights) completely free of diapers and he's doing really well. I'm sure we'll still have accidents, but it's nice that we'll at least have a 5 month break from diapers before we start all over again :).

Ty wasn't quite as thrilled with the fireworks as he was last year...in fact, he was pretty terrified when we were outside, but he enjoyed them when we went inside and watched them from his window. And we weren't sure if he was going to go through with the ride on the Potty Train once we found out that neither Mommy or Daddy were allowed to ride with him, but he was a brave kid and even though he didn't look like he was really enjoying it, he talked (and sang) about the 3 minute ride for a good while afterwards. To see some photos and videos from this week, click here.

All aboard the potty train

We've been working on potty training with Ty for quite a while (he went for the first time on the potty about 16 months ago). We've tried not to push it too much, but always give him the opportunity and encourage it as much at possible.

One day when we were at the mall last March, he saw a little train ride that you could pay like $2 to ride. I didn't let him ride it that day, but I told that when he was 'potty trained" and wore underwear all the time, we would come back and he could ride it.

Well, we've been having lots of success during the past couple of weeks which makes me very happy in itself, but my smile gets even wider when Tyler turns to me after he's had an accident-free day at school and says, with very wide eyes, "I'm getting closer and closer to the Potty Train!" Seems they're going to have to put a new sign on that attaction at the mall.

Fun family visits

This past month, we've been lucky enough to get two visits from family. First, my sister Cathy and niece Elise (who was celebrating her 18th birthday!) came to spend a long weekend with us (their weekend got a little longer due to some cancelled flights, but they were good sports). Then, my mom, doing really well after her surgery, flew out for a few days. We had a great time during both visits and Ty loved getting to see his aunt, cousin, and Nana.

Re-birth from a driver's license?

Ty and I were having a conversation in the car on his way home from "school" today. As usual, the topics had a wide range, today going all the way from the bumpiness of the road to a question about where Santa lived (who knows why in 90 degree heat he's thinking about Christmas). One particular comment made me laugh more than all of the others. Watching me drive, Ty said with certainty, "When I get old I can drive like you....and then I'll become new."

More fun in the city

This past weekend, we took our 2nd trip to the Big Apple BBQ (a yearly event held to benefit the Madison Square Park Conservancy). This trip was particularly special because we got to show our friends, the Bushroe's, around the city. We're thrilled because the Bushroe family, who we met in West Lafayette, recently moved three houses down from us. Although it was incredibly hot and humid during our trip, a good time was had by all. To view more pictures, click here.

Isn't that cool?

It's funny how little sayings can change your perspective. Ty has a new tendency to tell us what he's going to do in the future (the next minute, the next hour, the next day, etc.) and end his comment with the words "Isn't that cool?" (e.g., "Mom, tomorrow, I'm going in the water. Isn't that cool?"). It makes me wonder how much happier life would be if we could all find at least one happening in our lives each day that we could put a "Isn't that cool?" on at the end.

Even though it's been a challenging month, I've had my share of "Isn't that cool?" moments: Fun with Ty and my mom and my dad in Palatine, the baptism of our nephew Drew, time with extremely supportive family and friends, and the sun shining brightly at an American Cancer Society Relay for Life event despite the forecasts of severe thunderstorms. For pictures, click here.

Here's to many more "Isn't that cool?" moments for you and your family.