8 months

Tanner is now 8 months old and full of himself. He isn't quite crawling yet, but that isn't for lack of trying and it doesn't stop him from getting where he wants to go. Lately he is getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth until he launches himself forward (video to come soon). He also is beginning to do an elaborated army crawl and is sitting up on his own for the most part. Time seems to just be flying by and Tanner just keeps on growing. I am thoroughly enjoying having time off to spend with him and can't wait for more adventures this summer!
Tanner during swimming class. He is getting use to wearing his goggles and is starting to kick and splash in the water. He also likes to dip his face in the water and tries to drink the water.

Working on our yoga pose. Overall he stands up fairly well and we aren't doing too badly on the balancing part. I have yet to completely drop him in the water...so I figure we are doing pretty good.

This week we started doing wall work. We have the kids hold onto the wall and then give them a signal and float them across the pool on their backs.

After swim class getting dried off. I thought it was cute that you can see the goggle marks around his eyes. Luckily the weather has been great so getting out of a 92 degree pool hasn't been to big of a shock when drying off and getting changed. (Underwater photos coming soon!)

Auntie Molly's Wedding

Last Saturday Molly and Gordon got hitched! The weather was absolutely beautiful and everything went well. There were lots of family and friends to celebrate this joyous event. Tanner rode down the aisle in a wagon and enjoyed all the attention during the ride. Here are a few photos from this great day! Above is Tanner, Auntie Katie and I sporting our shades.

The boys! Tyler and Brian were ushers at the wedding and Tanner was a ringbearer.

Our family!

The beautiful bride...Molly with her mom Carole and her dad Bruce right before walking down the aisle.

Deacon pulling Tanner down the aisle in a wagon. Deacon did such a great job of walking carefully and Tanner loved the ride.

Tanner waiting for his big ride! He wore a pin stripe suit with white air force ones. He was quite the stud! He smiled all the way down the aisle and put on quite the show for everyone in attendance.

Swim Class

Tanner and I are taking a swim class once a week during the summer. Here we are on the second day of class in the 92 degree pool. We get to do sing songs and work on Tanner getting use to the water. We have even gone on a few "swims" which involves Tanner going completely under water. I haven't gone under with him yet to see his face, but one of the instructors says that he loves it down there. The first week the instructor guided the swims, but this past week I was able to take Tanner on a swim by myself. Next week we are both going to put goggles on and go for a swim together. It should be interesting beings I don't really like being under the water for very long or wearing goggles for that matter. (Oh...the things I will do for him.) So far it is going well and he seems to like splashing, playing in the water and going for swims. I love knowing that he will grow up being a confident swimmer and be able to handle himself in and around the water.
Here he is before swim class. I love seeing all the adorable babies in their little swim diapers...they are just so cute. Here's to a summer of fun in the water! I will post some underwater pictures once the instructor takes them and will try to get more pictures of him in the water in the weeks to come.

7 months and 7 years

This past week we were able to celebrate some events surrounding the number 7. Tanner is now 7 months old. He is a smiley happy boy who is a big flirt. I love spending the afternoon listening to him laugh and watching him chase the dogs around the living room. He continues to love to eat and is becoming mobile in his own way. I can't wait for summer to get here so that I can spend more time with him! Today Tyler and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary! We were able to spend the day as a family at the zoo (Tanner's first time!). I feel so blessed to have a husband who provides for our family and loves me for me. Here are some pictures from our trip to the zoo...hope you enjoy!


Tanner and Tyler with the lions. The big male lion was behind them on the rock. These two females stayed relaxed on the rock watching all the people.

Tanner and I checking out the Orangutan. He stayed up against the window and just looked at Tanner. Tanner looked back and couldn't quite figure out what he was looking at.

The polar bears were so close. This one was taking a nap up against the glass. It was fun to watch Tanner intently checking out all the animals trying to figure out what he was looking at.

The first animals we saw were the sea lions. This one kept swimming right at Tanner and Tyler and then going straight up the glass. The first time Tanner was startled when the sea lion came straight at him. I wish I would have taken video...so you could have seen him follow the sea lion all the way up the glass.
Overall, we had a great trip and we can't wait till Tanner gets older so we can watch him experience more and more of the zoo!

6 months and family updates

Time is flying by! Tyler and I can't believe that Tanner has been a part of our family for 6 whole months...what did we ever do before he came? This Spring has found us busier than ever. Tanner is being a trooper with all the craziness and has kept us entertained even on the most stressful of days. Tanner and I have joined a workout group of moms with stroller. We have been logging some serious miles and it is a great way to get our day started. Tyler has been busy at work and deciding where he wants to coach next year. I am beginning to wind down the school year at the Early Learning Center and will start teaching a college course in the Adult Degree Program this month. Needless to say we are staying busy and can't wait for summer so we can do some camping and spend time on the river as a family.
Tanner is in love with Callie and Sosa! No matter where he begins in the living room he ends up rolling and scooting his way over to them. Luckily the feeling is mutual and they put up with the pulling of ears and fur. The picture below shows him sneaking up on Callie trying to reach her tail. She decided to move and so then he went for Sosa. The above picture is where is ended up.




Tanner is beginning to get into books. Tonight he got his hands on Daddy's Sports Illustrated. This picture actually looks as if he is reading it. This was promptly followed by him trying to eat it.


Eating has become a new favorite activity of Tanner's. So far he love sweet potatoes and prunes, does okay with summer vegetables, cereal, and peaches. This night he decided he wasn't done with the prunes and actually swiped the bowl when I was trying to clean up our mess and proceeded to lick as much as possible and then play with the bowl.

Finally, to end our update here is our growing six month old boy! At his check-up he did great with the shots and only cried for a short time. He is 27 and 3/4 inches long and weighs 16.1 pounds. Tanner isn't crawling yet but through a combination of rolling and scooting he basically gets wherever he wants. He is starting to sit up on his own for short amounts of time and moves forwards a little bit in his walker. His smile can light up any room and his laughter is contagious. We are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy boy!

A few firsts...

Today we had a few new adventures. After numerous days of Tanner sucking and slobbering all over my waterbottle, we decided to have him try his own sippy cup. Tanner also tried rice cereal for the first time. One joy of parenthood is experiencing new things with him!
The finished product! Tanner was quite proud of himself and the majority of the cereal actually ended up in his mouth.

Tanner's first bite of cereal from the spoon. He seemed to really like it!

After the first few bites, Tanner felt that he needed to help hold the spoon and get the cereal. This was when the mess began...

Tanner wasn't quite sure what to think of his sippy cup. He loved chewing on the spout but wasn't sure what to think when actual water came out.

This was when the water came out the first time. The face is the best part. He didn't pull it out right away but he would make the face and then suck and get more water out, followed promptly by making the face again. This cycle went on for a few minutes.

Tanner in action!

Here is some footage of Tanner in action. He loves his jumper and can really get himself going. He is becoming more intrigued with the actual toys on the jumper. He loves turning the pages of the book and changing the music that plays. He is starting to move more in his walker. So far he is only able to move backwards, but he thinks it is funny and that he is pretty hot stuff!