Walking

A recent email from Nate's mom and a conversation on the phone with my mom reminded me that I hadn't yet posted any videos of Tanner walking, so here goes. Here is a recent one Nate took of Tanner, sporting one of his cute birthday outfits from Grandma Larsen (thanks, Grandma!) at the mini-golf course by our house, about a week after he (Tanner, that is!) turned 1. (Unfortunately I can't remember exactly when he started walking, but it was probably 4-6 weeks before this video.) Oh, and you can watch this movie with your volume turned off - all you can hear is the wind!

When Mom Gets Busy

So, this is what happens when I leave the yogurt container too close to the edge of the table and get engrossed in a phone call and don't pay attention to a little one who is being WAY TOO quiet!(That would be the yogurt he wouldn't eat for breakfast or lunch when I was feeding him!)

It's hard to be too mad - this is the first time he's ever used a spoon to feed himself! Way to go Tanner!

But really, why use a spoon when hands are much easier?
This scoop flung yogurt onto the chair behind him.

Sadly these pictures don't do justice to the amount of yogurt on him and his clothes. And, in case you're wondering, that's yogurt coming out of his nose - it was everywhere!)

Fathers and Sons Campout

Nate has been waiting forever (well, at least as long as we've been married!) to have a son of his own to take on a Fathers and Sons campout. So a few weeks ago Nate's dream was realized - he got to take Tanner on his first Fathers and Sons campout. I think Tanner was the youngest camper, but only by a couple of months (there was another dad who was just as excited as Nate to finally have a son to take camping)!


Thankfully Tanner did much better than Kiersten did on her first campout and the whole camp didn't hear him all night! Nate said Tanner slept pretty well, but Nate decided he's getting too old to sleep on the hard ground (next time he's going to blow up the air mattress!)

I'm thankful for Fathers and Sons campouts - that's one time I don't have to feel guilty about not even wanting to go camping! And, in two weeks our clubhouse is having a "daddy and me" campout, and I signed Nate up to take both children! We'll all enjoy the evening, just in different ways!

A Dream is a Wish

Unfortunately for Kiersten, the high point of her year (well, at least I think this is the highest of all the highs for her!) has come and gone. Memorial Weekend was her dance recital, and I, for one, and glad it's done! She had a good time, loves the costume (of course, everything centered around Cinderella since that is her favorite, and I can do that when I'm the teacher!) and LOVED another chance to dance on the big stage. Now she can't wait for fall to start, when she'll get to start in the "big girl" class, and actually start a real ballet class.

Sorry the video quality is not all that great . . . someday we'll get a better video camera (I know, I said that last year too - I'm still waiting for "someday" to come!)

A Problem Solved

So a while ago I mentioned a problem we've been having with Tanner - he likes to stand up in his high chair regardless of how tight we make the seat belt or tight we make the tray. I was all for getting a new high chair that had shoulder straps. Nate, however, came up with a more creative solution . . .He found a pair of toy handcuffs, and shackles the poor kid at every meal. While I'm not sure how I feel about the solution, I have to admit, it does work. Tanner doesn't even try to stand up when he has the handcuffs on.

On the other hand, I came out of my room a couple of days after he started this and found Kiersten and Tanner playing. When I looked closer, I realized that Kiersten had the handcuffs out and was trying to cuff Tanner's feet together. When I asked her what she was doing she told me that she was playing with Tanner, but he wasn't staying still in the car while she was driving them somewhere so she was going to handcuff him so that he would stay still. Trying not to laugh, I explained to her that we don't handcuff people. She looked at me, and very seriously said, "But Mom, Daddy does." How can I argue with that?

Cookie Monster

We'd brought back a few chocolate Oreo-like cookies from Disneyland and decided to have them for our FHE treat. It was a rare treat for Kiersten, and even more rare for Tanner (usually Nate and I have dessert after we put them to bed!). I think he liked them. Nate's comment was that he figured we'd get some pretty good pictures of Tanner on his 1st Birthday (I have always been disappointed with Kiersten's pictures - there wasn't much of a mess.)

I'm not sure even a mother would want a kiss from this face!

Easter Pictures

I finally got Kiersten and Tanner in to have pictures taken of them in their Easter outfits. I figured that I'd kill two birds with one stone, and count these as Kiersten's 4-year-old pictures. I was pretty happy with how they turned out.