18 Months...

Where has the time gone? Dallas turns a year and a half today! I can't believe it. He is such a big boy and becoming very independent. I could just sit and watch him play all day - his energy never seems to run out.

I thought I would share/document some of his favorite things...

His favorite thing is to be outside. He lets me know when he wants to go out by bringing his shoes to me and sitting down in my lap, or he will walk to the backdoor and point.

His second favorite thing is to carry bolts around the yard. Yes, I said bolts. Doug brought home a tub from work a few months ago, and Dallas loves to go to the garage, get a handful, and carry them around. Of course, they don't always make it back to the garage, and Doug has found a few of them with the help of the lawn mower.

Tractors...Dallas still loves tractors, and he loves every size from his very small ones in the house to Daddy's real one in the barn and everyone in between. He has learned how to hook the wagons up behind his toys and pull them around the house. He likes to put his barnyard animals in the wagons and take them for rides too. He has recently started hooking up other pieces of equipment up to the tractors as well - but the wagons are his favorite.

Reading...Dallas loves books (yeah!). Hopefully, this love will stay with him for the many years to come. His favorites include ABC's of the Farm, Touch and Feel Pets, and My Body and Words. He will bring a book to Doug or I at night and sit with us and look through the pages over and over and over again.

Dancing is also on the Big D's list of favorites. As you saw in a previous post, he has a cow that sings Old McDonald. He has learned how to start the music all by himself this last week, so now we hear that song A LOT! But, that's ok because it is so darn cute watching him dance along.

Hugs and kisses...my favorite of his favorites. Dallas is beginning to give kisses without being asked. It completely melts our hearts when he walks up and plants a big, wet, drool-y kiss on us.

Animals...of all kinds, but especially his dogs. Dallas likes to help Daddy feed the dogs at night. Doug will take their food and Dallas will take the treats! Dallas' other favorite animal right now is sheep. He will even tell you what sound they make. We are working on other animal sounds too. He has one for cows, chickens, and dogs. He really enjoys it when the neighbors go for horse rides and he can pet their noses.

And, finally, talking. The boy loves to talk...only we don't know much of what he is saying. We can pick out dog, cat, tractor, cup, car, truck, and sometimes mama or dada. I just know one of these days his vocabulary is going to explode!

This is his newest love:

I found it while out shopping garage sales yesterday. I saw one on a sale this past spring and thought Dallas would enjoy it, but for some reason I didn't stop and have kicked myself ever since. So...when I saw this yesterday, I knew I had to bring it home. The car is in great condition and even has a key that makes sounds!!! To give you an idea how much Dallas loves his new toy, he has not been to the garage once to get bolts! And, for those that have seen him with his bolts, you know what I'm talking about.

In other Dallas news:

He is up to 15 teeth now! These molars that have been coming through are giving him quite the fit, but we will eventually make it past this.

He is becoming a little more particular about his food choices. He is still a good eater, but he is definitely getting likes and dislikes.

Fits are becoming more a part of our days with Dallas. He can be very expressive when we want him to do something he is not ready to do.

Finally, I'm not sure on how big Dallas is, but we go for his 18 month check-up soon, so I will give you those stats at a later time.

That's all I can think of for now.

Until next time...