Easter Weekend

Saturday we got together with Jordan and Michaela to color eggs. It wasn't going so well until I experimented and put a drop of food coloring on an egg and blew it around. I got quite light headed. But they turned out pretty cool. Michaela and I had fun taking pictures of the eggs. Tanner didn't help with eggs this year, but he got into Jordan and Michaela's easter candy and spilled a bunch on the floor.

After eggs we went bowling with Paul and Paula and some other friends from Medford. We were celebrating Paula's birthday. We only stayed for half our game because Tanner was getting tired. I didn't get great pictures of the weekend.

Then yesterday we went to church and then had lunch at HD & Britany's with Suzanne, Jordan and Michaela. That was yummy, but again we had to leave early for nap time. We all napped actually. Did a little egg hunt with Tanner. Got a video but it really wasn't that interesting, so I didn't post it. Then we went to Paul and Paula's for her birthday dinner. Lots of good food and company. Maybe check out Paul and Paula's and Jordan and Michaela's blogs for more pictures.

Mommy survey

I grabbed this off of Melissa's blog for fun. I know whenever I get together with other moms these are the questions that always come up.
About your kids

Age/Ages?
19 months/unborn
Name/names?
Tanner Everett & the next will be Dallin Richard
Birthday/birthdays?
8/19/2006 & supposed to be 6/12/2008
Where was the baby born?
Rexburg, ID
Time/times of birth?
about 10 pm & who knows
How long did labor last?
17 hours with Tanner & hopefully much less with Dallin even though 17 wasn't bad; only 2 hours were bad.
Who was in the room when baby was born?
Nate & will be only Nate with Dallin

How long did you push?
30 minutes & doc says it should be less with the 2nd.

Weight and how long?
Tanner was 6lbs 12 ozs. and 18 1/2 inches long & I am guessing Dallin will be in the 7 lb range.
Who does baby look like?
People say he looks like me. Maybe Dallin will look more like Nate.

Be honest...how much weight did you gain while pregnant?
12 lbs with Tanner & so far 15 lbs with Dallin

Was baby early or late?
Tanner was a day late. We're hoping Dallin will come a little early. I am measuring a week ahead.
Was your labor natural or did you have an epidural?
Epidural for sure! Why put up with the pain if you don't have to is what I say.
When did baby start sleeping through the night?
About 9 months for Tanner & hoping much earlier with Dallin
Did you breastfeed?
Yeah for a while, maybe it will go better with Dallin.
When do you wanna have another?
Um, about 2 months when Dallin comes, then 2-3 years after that for the next.
How did you pick the name?
Tanner is my maiden name & with Dallin, I saw the name Dylan when the credits were running for a TV show and I liked it, then Nate changed it up a little to get Dallin. Works for me.
Anyone spend the night with you first night home?
My family came but didn't stay with us in our apartment. I don't know if anyone will be there my first night home with Dallin.
Did you video tape the birth?
No way, and never will.

Balloons and walker

We got these balloons after a party and Tanner loves them. In fact Jordan and Michaela (brother & sister-in-law) have held on to a helium balloon (it actually still floats) from Valentines day just so he can punch it around when he goes over there. I got out Tanner's old walker because I babysat my nephew Joel, and Tanner wanted to play in it. It entertained him for a good 45 minutes. He gets around in it much better now.

Tanner and Joel

Here is Paul (my brother) with his son Joel and Tanner. Whenever Joel is getting attention there's Tanner pushing himself in. He hates to be out of the center of attention. This is kind of a cute video. Joel copies people cough and Tanner found that out.

I LOVE Albertsons!

I bought a bunch of frosted shredded wheat (regular and strawberry flavors) for $0.35 each with a deal they had going on. Plus, on half of the boxes they have these certificates you clip, and when you have 5 you can get a free DVD (not necessarily great ones, but still something). So I can get a couple free DVDs out of the deal too. And, I got a survey opportunity printed on my receipt that will get me a free loaf of their french bread, which is the best. I was pretty happy with my find.

St. Patty's day fun

Here's Tanner's first experience with Play dough. I made it. It was only fun for a while. He wanted me to make balls so he could throw them to me. Then we blew bubbles. Notice he can say the word bubble. He's picking up words faster now. We blew so many that the floor got slick and he was slipping and sliding.

So, we decided to put the side of Tanner's crib back on. A couple days ago he started showing up in our room at 6 a.m., blanket in hand, ready to be up for the day. I won't have that. He used to wake up and play in his crib for up to an hour while we slept. I'm not ready to sacrifice sleep; I will be doing that soon enough.

New PJs

Not too much going on, so I'll show you the new pajamas I got for Tanner today. $2.50 on clearance at KMart. They are a tad big. Since half the year here is cold I think he will still wear them plenty before he outgrows them even though summer is coming.













Here is a 27 weeks picture. I'm afraid of how big I can get. This feels huge.

Story time fun

We've been reading these books for months and one day Tanner started imitating things we do as we read to him. Now, sometimes it only takes seeing something once and it sticks. This is one of his favorite books. But I think he likes Happy Feet the best. There is a scary picture where a big fish is chasing Mumble and I taught Tanner to scream. Now when we read it he goes right to that page so we can scream.

Doin' ok

Tanner is doing well with the toddler bed. We've found him on the floor a couple times, but no bad falls. I've never heard a startled scream or a thud. I rolled up a blanket and put it under the sheet on the edge of his bed to create kind of a barrier so he can't fall as easily. Works pretty good. We'll keep it up until he is used to it. Sometimes it is annoying because he isn't ready to take a nap so he will come out of his room, but I rather deal with the adjusting now. Thanks for all your input and experiences.

Transitioning

Nate and I are having a debate on whether or not Tanner is ready for a big kid bed. Nate says he remembers falling out of his bed throughout his childhood, so why would Tanner be ready now? He thinks we should wait to transition him until we have to take the crib away from him to give it to Dallin.

I say lets try taking the front rail off of the crib to see if Tanner is ready for a big kid bed before Dallin comes. Of course I took it off before discussing it with Nate; not realizing it would be an issue. But, if Tanner is ready we could get him a toddler bed now so he forgets about the crib and doesn't resent Dallin for taking his crib AND his mom's attention. Just a side note, I babysat a 6 month old who was needing to be held a lot and Tanner hated it! So I am afraid Tanner is going to hate Dallin. Anyway, I put pillows on the floor in case he falls. We don't have a guard rail, wish we did.

I am not asking for you to take a side and say who is right because we both have valid concerns. But I am wondering when you all transition your kids out of a crib? Were they ready? Did they take some bad falls?

Helping and chatting

Tanner helped me make some bread today, so I put my apron on him. He had a good time with the flour. I should have taken other pictures; didn't think about it til after.

He loves to talk on the phone. Sorry if he ever calls you on accident. He's done it a lot. I am amazed our phones have lasted as long as they have since he plays with them so much.

Probably not

From the poll it looks like most of you are saying if you were us you'd go to AT Still. I guess I haven't been writing as much as I thought about our indecisiveness with grad school. Here is the thing.

AT Still will cost about $75,000 for the whole program. Plus, we'd have to get loans to cover the cost of living. Mesa isn't cheap. Versus ISU where the program will cost about $30,000 total and it is super cheap to live in Pocatello.

When we consider that physical therapists only come out of school making $50,000ish that $75,000+ (probably well over that) in debt is VERY scary. We are used to being poor, but not poor and in debt, so that would be lots of stress. So that is why it hasn't been a no brainer for us. We'd love to go to sunny Arizona, but we want to be smart too. It feels right to stay in Idaho even though it isn't our favorite place.

ACCEPTED!

Nate was accepted to AT Still in Mesa. We're still really unsure about going there, but at least he wasn't completely rejected. We'll let you know what we decide. He has to let them know by April 1st.

For my pregnant or will be pregnant friends

I found the most amazing maternity pants EVER! They are at the Motherhood store and they are called Secret Fit Belly. They may look funny but they are super comfy no waste band or pulling them up all the time. And you wear a shirt over the panel anyway.

First pregnant picture

I don't know what took me so long to take a picture of my growing belly, but here is my first and I am 25 weeks. I am kind of sick, so it isn't the best picture.

What next?

Tanner is getting better but has still been grumpy. Today he was throwing a tantrum on the floor and after a while I got down there with him to try and calm him down, and while he was mid scream I saw 2 teeth coming through. It's one thing after another for him.

Nate heard from AT Still (Mesa, AZ) today. They want to do a phone interview with him. He will go ahead and set it up even though he isn't necessarily wanting to go there. He's got nothing to lose. It would be hard if he did get in. It is tempting to just go because it really feels like it is time to move on, but at the same time we're not sure if the cost it worth it. Guess we'll just see how the interview goes. We'll keep you posted.

4 Things

This "tag" was emailed to me by 3 family members, so I decided to blog it instead of doing an email. I am supposed to send it to a bunch of people including the people who sent it to me, but I'm not going to. If you want to do it great! If you don't that is ok too. It is kind of fun.

Four things about me that you may or may not have known.

4 jobs I have had in my life
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. Teller/Janitor/Trouble maker
2. Photographer at Polynesian Cultural Center/Rec. center/Bath tub decorator (w/crayons)
3. Psychosocial Rehab Specialist/Umpire/Favorite Grandson
4. My favorite--Mom/Various call centers/Entertainer

4 Movies I could watch over and over
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. You've Got Mail/National Treasure/Zorro
2. National Treasure/Hitch/Elf
3. Mulan/Ice Age/101 Dalmatians
4. That is about it, I usually hate watching movies again/Best 2 Years/That's all I've sat through

4 places I have lived
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. Oregon/Texas/Heaven
2. Hawaii/Arizona/In my mom's womb
3. Brazil/Iowa/Idaho
4. Idaho/California/Apartment

4 TV shows I watch regularly
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. American Idol/No time to watch regularly but.../The Wiggles
2. House/History Channel/Mickey Playhouse
3. What Not to Wear/House/American Idol
4. TV guide channel to see if there is anything else worth watching, usually there isn't.

4 Places I have been
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. The Amazon/Florida Keys/Oregon
2. The equator/Grand Canyon/Arizona
3. BYU-Hawaii/Yellowstone/Utah
4. Disney Land (but not until I was 21)/Disney World/Idaho

4 People I e-mail regularly
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. My mom is the only regular/Teachers/No one yet
2. The not so regulars but still frequent, Melissa/Co-workers
3. Alicia/Dad
4. Savannah/Bobbie & Pop

4 of my favorite foods
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. Craigo's pizza, alfredo sauce w/ Canadian bacon/Nate agrees/Pork & Beans
2. Cold Stone cake batter ice cream/Pumpkin roll/Ketchup & any condiment really
3. Albertson's French bread fresh @ 4 p.m./Chicken Enchiladas/Pizza
4. Most anything chocolate/Shredded BBQ beef sandwiches/French fries

4 Places I'd rather be right now
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. Somewhere warm!/My own home/The park
2. Oregon with family/On a cruise/The zoo
3. Somewhere, anywhere with Nate/In a job I like/A pet store
4. In a hot tub/On a water slide/With my buddies

4 Things I am looking forward to in 2008
Kelly/Nate/Tanner
1. Having a baby in June/Having time with family, finally/A baby brother
2. Warmer weather/Graduation/Playing at the splash park
3. Seeing my family/Dallin being born/My 2nd birthday party
4. Nate graduating/Visits with family/Getting spoiled by grandparents

Still miserable

Tanner has been getting worse the last couple days. Not eating or drinking, and when he does he throws it up because he coughs so much. I took him to the doctor today and he has an ear and throat infection, so he's on some antibiotics now. So hopefully he'll feel better soon. This video breaks my heart every time.

Cool Kid

We found these sunglasses at the dollar store. Tanner loves them. Wears them whenever we are in the car, even when it is dark.

Does Tanner look like Braden to any of you?

I was just looking at Tanner's "sick" pictures and can see some resemblance to his uncle Braden? Maybe in the mouth (his lips are extra big and pouty, like Braden's look) or eyes, not that Braden's eyes are droopy and sick looking, but can you see it? Maybe when Braden was younger? What do you say Steve?

Ok, so you can't see it at all in this picture of Braden, but I like to put pictures with each post.

Poor sick kid

Tanner is sick. Coughing and with a fever. You can see how miserable he feels. Not sure what it is. He got his flu shot 24 hours before he started feeling sick, so I am wondering if his body is fighting it, or what. We laid on the couch for 4 hours yesterday. He wouldn't let me leave him, and he is too heavy to carry everywhere. He sat through a full hour of Oprah!

Child Labor

No, not really. I was babysitting, and Tanner and Jamison found my broom and mop and played with them for about a half hour.

Silliness

Tanner found these stickers and put them on his own face, then just played like usual.

Grrr

Ok, so I don't know how to fix this problem. He is too smart! He can open it even after I have locked it. Wonder if they make kid proof dishwashers. I will definitely be looking for that feature when I buy my own.

What took me so long!?!

Lately Tanner has been really annoying me when he gets into stuff (the garbage) and crawls up onto things he shouldn't (the table). He does it over and over again! And I get madder and madder every time, so I've been putting things up. Looks tacky, but if it will save me some stress and Tanner scolding, who cares!

Also, I get him to "help" me with things, like unloading the dishwasher or putting toys away. He actually likes it! For now. It keeps him busy for a really long time too--taking things out and putting them in again-- and I can do other things without a crying kid attacking my legs. Why didn't I think of these things earlier?

So, to all you moms that are clueless and frustrated like me with a busy body baby, there are a few tips. Who knows if they are good parenting practices, but they work for me.

Girly boy

I love how he is holding his hand in this first one.

Idaho State University is a no go

Nate finally got a letter from ISU and he wasn't accepted. They blamed it on his one less than perfect grade in Chemistry. It's dumb because he has a 4.0 in his upper division classes--the ones that are actually applicable to physical therapy, but he got a lower-than-they'd-like grade in a prerequisite class--which he won't even use in PT or life ever again--and he is out of the running.

So kind of a bummer, but when we thought about it, we hate the snowy, bitter cold winters in Idaho, so it is probably a blessing that we won't have to be depressed for the next 3 years. We are just waiting on the Arizona schools: AT Still in Mesa and NAU in Flagstaff. One of our friends already got an invitation to an interview at NAU, so we hope Nate has one on the way. It is a tough school to get into though. Lots of people don't get into PT school on their first try. I guess we'd have lots of options if he doesn't. Maybe go back to Oregon for a year or who knows where? We'll just see where Heavenly Father wants us. It will come together; it's just a matter of time.

Floaties in the tub

I went to the kitchen for a second when Tanner was in the bath (I know, I am a bad mom), and all of the sudden I hear him screaming. It was a weird, terrified scream. So, I ran down the hall to find him backing away from a some poo that was floating in the tub. Apparently it was scary, wonder why? Sorry, no picture of this little episode, but here is a link to a funny video with a baby singing. You may or may not appreciate it. If you are from my family, the Tanner side, you will love it.
www.hahahumor.com/funny-songs/babyinatub.htm

David & Tanner

After Alicia and I go walking we let our boys play around. They found some exercise bikes. Tanner wishes he could reach the pedals. Poor David took a fall off of his bike a little after the picture was taken.

I love this last one. You can tell they have a good time together.

Husband tag

I wasn't really tagged, but I thought this would be a fun one, so I just chose to do it. I won't tag anyone, but if you want to do it, have fun!
What is his name? Nathan
How old is he? 25
How long have you been together? Married 2 1/2 years
How long did you date? On and off for a year and a half
Who eats more? Him, but not by much since I am pregnant.
Who said I love you first? Can't remember. That is sad.
Who's taller? He is, thank goodness! I am only 5'4.
Who can sing better? Me, but not much.
Who does the laundry? Me. He's way to busy for stuff like that.
Who pays the bills? I do.
Who is smarter? Depends. When it comes to some things him; other things, me.
Who sleeps on the right side? He does.
Who cooks dinner? I do. Maybe once a month he will--if I am lucky.
Who drives? He does. When I drive, it makes him nervous, and then it stresses me out.
Who is more stubborn? He is.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me, but I had to ask him to.
Who proposed? That is debatable.
Who has more friends? Me.
Who is more sensitive? Probably me. I have never seen him cry--ever.
Who has more siblings? I do.
Who wears the pants? Both of us.

Crazy boy

Tanner looks sweet enough, but he is trouble. The other day from down the hall I heard clanking silverware. I walked into the kitchen and he had the dishwasher door down and he was sitting on it playing with dirty silverware. He knows how to unlock it. He has pulled the oven door down a few times too. Scary! Here is his favorite place to sit. He hasn't fallen off yet. I am dreading the day that he does, and I am sure it will come. I try to keep him down, but he is a bit of a rebel. You can see his energy in this video. He's crazy I tell you! That is why I am nervous about having another boy.