Christmas

We had a quiet Christmas. Got great gifts. The only ones we really had to open today were from Matt and Mickie and they were really nice. Thanks Matt and Mickie! Tanner especially loves his Tonka truck. He gets in the back and pushes it around. We got money and gift cards from other people so no surprises there, but that is totally fine. We got some things we've been wanting like a toaster oven and bowling shoes. Other than that we got our TV and entertainment center last month. We spent most of our day at Paul and Paula's with them and some friends from back home.

Mmm Fudge

He ate the whole thing, and really fast.

Grades are out!

And Nate got all A's. Well, and an A-, but that is still all A's. It bumped his gpa up enough to give him an academic scholarship. However, he might have to take 14 credits to get it and he might not be able to fit it in his schedule. So, we'll see, but it's still exciting. He's done so well.

Taking his own medicine

Got in on video

Tanner is feeling a little more brave now. I was doing something and noticed him trying to take some steps on his own, so I pulled out the camera. Watch how he tries to find his balance, and how long it takes. Don't worry the video is about 35 seconds or so, I think.

3 steps

Tanner took 3 steps today! I think it was a fluke, he hasn't done it again. He is 16 months, so he's gotta walk soon. It is kind of funny, he will brace himself against a wall or something then put his arms up in the air as if it is helping him keep his balance and h.e'll stand for a few seconds then fall. Even when he took his steps his arms were high in the air. Wonder if that will stick. That would be interesting. I will try and catch him on video.

Finally finished

Tanner's stocking took me a year to finish. It is cross stitched, and the most complicated one I've ever done. Guess I better start on the next babies now and maybe it will be done by next Christmas.

Correction

Nate wanted me to add this about the Smart Grant. He said it wasn't just given to him for being in the major he is, it was because he has a high GPA also and he is a full time student, which he didn't really need to be this next semester. He only needs 1 class and his internship. We were looking forward to more family time and less stress for him, but he is taking a few extras to get the grant. But his classes aren't all hard. He is taking an auto class for fun, well, and because it would be extremely helpful, and he will probably be able to do half his internship during Christmas break, lightening the load next semester.

Pays to be Smart

Have you heard of the Smart Grant? Well, I guess it is for certain majors, mostly really hard ones like engineering and sciences. Well, Nate's major has been Exercise Science but they switched the name of it to Exercise Physiology, so now he qualifies. He is given $4000 just for being in the major he is. That is on top of the Pell Grant. Such a blessing! BYU-Idaho and the Government have been so generous with us. We have received thousands of dollars from both places to pay for our school and avoid student loans. Once graduate school hits though there aren't as many opportunities for grants, just loans. Guess we'll put this money aside for later.

Sumo Wrestling

Kelly and I had the chance to see Sumo Wrestling. It was everything you could hope for. I've posted two videos that we took and a picture. The guy in the picture is named Manny "Tiny" Yarbrough. He is 6'8" and 740 lb. Yes I put in the right figures. He goes to a junk yard to get weighed. The videos are "Tiny" and another guy. Basically it is Big vs. Small. The heaviest against the lightest. I thought it was pretty funny. The other video is the championship for the competition. The Japanese sumo is undefeated and as you can see continues to hold that record. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed every minute of it. Kelly said at first she felt like she shouldn't have been checking out their rear ends, but you can't not look! Every time I see this I laugh. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Pray

Tanner is learning how to pray.

Allergy?

Nate gave Tanner some peanut butter and this is what happened just minutes later. Looks like he may be allergic. It has happened a few times before, but I never knew if it was the peanuts. Bummer huh? I love peanut anything.

Christmas tree & fun game

The picture doesn't do the tree justice. It is so much prettier in person. It's our first tree. We waited until after Christmas last year to get it on clearance. It is up on a chair so Tanner can't get to it quite as well. Nate and Tanner kept this game up for a good half hour. Tanner always gets the hiccups when he laughs hard. He always has. Sometimes they make him throw up even.

Rexburg Temple Open House

For those who are interested, in order to attend the open house of the temple you need tickets. You get them at www.lds.org/reservations. It is December 29th -January 26th. They have tours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all days but Sundays. I hear the spots are filling fast.

We sent this picture to a lot of people already, but in case we missed some, here is our announcement. We're having a baby in June. June 12th.

Learning to walk

We got Tanner an early Christmas present to help him walk. He does pretty good, but likes to walk on his knees better.

Slipper hands

Tanner found Nate's slippers fun to wear on his hands.

Crazy Nate

Nate and I have been trying to decide all year if we should get a new TV. Ours is broken; the coaxial plug in the TV is broken out, so we've had it rigged through our VCR to get cable. And the picture's not great. Plus, with everything going digital in 2009, we thought we'd just get ready for that. Anyway, so Nate decided to go stay the night at Circuit City yesterday so he could get a TV for us for Christmas. He put on 3 pants, 2 socks, 3 shirts, a hat, a scarf, and a coat. And he was still freezing because it was like 15 degrees that night. Poor guy. Left at 11:30 and stayed til 5. I didn't know he was going. I had to go to the bathroom at 1 am and I noticed he wasn't in bed, so I called him and found him. I hardly slept worrying he would get hypothermia. But he got our TV and it was a really good deal, 1/2 price. However, it was a little too big for our falling apart entertainment center so, we got a new one instead of sawing out a section of it to fit the TV. We actually considered it. It is actually an armoire that closes up, which is great having a little kid around. So that is all we are getting for Christmas this year. And probably next. :)

Few older pictures

These are a couple pictures my friend Alicia took the last couple months.

Today was the first day of Nate's long Thanksgiving break. He only has to work Monday and Tuesday and he has no classes all week, so we are happy to see him more. We'll stick around Rexburg for Thanksgiving and do dinner at Paul and Paula's. We'll go bowling for sure and shop on "black Friday." Oh, and put up our first Christmas tree. We've been married for 2 Christmas's and we haven't had a tree. Hope it stays in one piece; with Tanner around I doubt it. Besides that we just want to relax before Nate has to finish up the semester. Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving.

Missing socks

I was looking for some of Tanner's socks the other day and had a hard time finding any, which was wierd because I had just bought him a pack of 10 pairs. Well, I was cleaning his room today and found this pile under his crib. Pretty funny huh?

Random

For some reason this video is so funny to me. This was Tanner kind of getting tired, and he gets weird. He is also getting over a cold so he's extra slimy.

Fuzzy blanket

When we go in to get Tanner every morning he insists on being wrapped in his fuzzy red blanket. He even has to eat in it.

Baby

The video quality isn't good, but you can hear Tanner saying baby. He was watching our computer screensaver slideshow. It is the pictures on our computer, so the baby he was seeing was himself.

Belly Button

An exciting discovery!

Forced laugh

What a happy kid!

TV addict already

Well, not really. There is one in our room that is just his height, so he turns it on sometimes and stands right in front of it. Halloween day there was a scary show on apparently because I was in the other room and heard a scream coming from our room. I went in and he was standing in front of the TV horrified. I sat him in my lap and felt his chest and it was pounding. It was pretty funny.

Super Tanner

Tanner was dressed up all day today. He didn't even realize he was dressed differently, except the cape probably got in his way a few times.
He was a hit at the ward Halloween party. He is a super fast crawler now, so his costume suited him. He loves a crowd so he had a lot of energy. He won a costume contest. He was the "most enthusiastic" or something like that. I combed most of his hair forward and did a little curl on his forhead for the party. My camera died at the party so I just got the one of the 3 babies, and you can't see how cute his hair is.

Caught with his hand in the toilet bowl

Ok, so I let him play in it for the video. You can tell by the way he looks up at me after the first dip that he is waiting for me to come grab him, but I held off for a minute. Don't worry I washed his hands. I am not quite in the habit of shutting the bathroom door so every once in a while I hear splashing.

Kids are expensive!

Tanner liked to push the button on our computer to make the CD Rom open. and he busted it. It wouldn't go back in when he was done with it. So, we had to pay $60 to get it replaced. We told him that when we start giving him allowance we are going to keep it until he's paid for the damage. :) We'll see if we follow through. It is hard to be mad at the kid.

He's been doing some cute stuff that I really need to catch on video. Like he says "baby" now and it is always in this high pitched voice that is soo cute. He also has this hilareous fake laugh. So watch for those on the blog in the near future.

One little mokey jumpin' on the bed

What kid doesn't like jumping on the bed? Nate tried to get him to say "boing" while he jumped but it is more like "boom".

Who's he talking to?

When we put Tanner down to sleep we often hear him talking and giggling. I caught a little on video before I went in to get him.

Spaghetti

Tanner is so funny when he eats spaghetti. He can't pinch noodles between his fingers, so he gets them on his hand and puts his whole hand up to his mouth and sucks until he gets some.

Learning to be soft

Tanner has been fascinated by the babies he's been around. Here is him with Baylee and Joel. He likes to hug and hold them and pet their heads. It is very cute.

Handsome boy

Is it just me or do I have a super cute kid? Sometimes I wonder if I am just bias because I am his mom, and in reality he is actually goofy looking. Nah, I think he'd be cute even if he wasn't mine. :)
Hope everyone is doing well.

Fall is here

I love fall in Rexburg, but it always passes to quickly. We got snow on Saturday. Hopefully winter will hold of a little longer.
I should explain why Tanner isn't wearing sock since Kristin brought it up. :) Tanner just doesn't keep socks and shoes on. But last week I did find a pair of shoes I can get tight enough that they stay on. (They are velcro though, so once he figures out how to undo them, we'll probably be back to bare feet.) So, hopefully I will stop getting those looks and comments from people saying, "What kind of mom are you? Taking your son out without socks and shoes on!"

Swing pictures

Here are some more pictures that Alicia took of Tanner and me.

Tanner talking

Hey Grand Bobbie, this one is for you.

Raspberries on the couch

Family Pictures

These tantrums are what we dealt with the whole time, but we managed to get some good shots. You'll notice a little furry thing in some of them. That was the puppet that Alicia used to try and get a smile out of Tanner. He was only really happy, or I should say, calm, when it was in his hands. So you do what you can.

Tanner and David

Tanner plays pretty rough with other kids. He was actually trying to hug his friend David but ended up knocking him over.

They made up.