REALLY!?!?!?

so we've been working on decorating for christmas. in the process we've gone on a purge of stuff we don't need...so the decorations have taken longer than normal but it feels good to get rid of JUNK! and because we have a little guy who likes to get into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g decorating has been taking place in short spurts. it's next to impossible to do any decorating when he's awake, and since he's not a big napper, that doesn't leave much time in the day for pulling out the decorations. i had one of the plastic tubs still out when he got up from his afternoon nap and he was quick to offer his help!

so after the little man was in bed tonight, i decided it was time to pull out the tree! i'm a little nervous about putting up a tree with him getting into everything and pulling up on everything in sight, but since we didn't put one up last year (yes, there was no way i was going to put up a tree 9 months preggo and definitely didn't want to have to take one down super preggo or with a newborn!), i really want one this year. we got it all set up and plugged it in to find this...

seriously?!?!? you have got.to.be.kidding.me. ANNOYING! we think a rat decided he wanted to celebrate christmas in the storage shed. so after we took it all apart and drug it back into the garage, my rock star hubby VOLUNTEERED (no i did not even ask him) to run to home depot at 9 pm to get a new one. 

i made him promise to get a pretty one. yes, i am a little snotty about my christmas trees. we used to ALWAYS get a real one growing up. then my parents decided to abandon that tradition (yes i appreciate fake trees, but i could not get over abandoning the tradition of going and picking out the tree each year)...and my mom got a tree with "pine cones" on it. but these weren't real fake pine cones...they just colored some of the tips of the green branches brown. so it looked like a christmas tree with poop (gross i know but that's really the best description). totally had no resemblance to pine cones whatsoever! so when lance called tonight to ask what i thought about a tree with pine cones, i told him not so much...even though these were real fake ones, my parents first artificial tree ruined the idea of pine cones on a christmas tree for me. 

so we'll see what he comes home with. i told him if there wasn't a pretty one, me and tanner would find one tomorrow (yup, last time we bought a tree i made us go to multiple places...to make sure we got the prettiest one but it's also gotta be a good deal!). hopefully i can post a picture of our beautiful new tree with LOTS of lights tomorrow!

and for your viewing enjoyment...tanner had a serious case of bed head this morning! 

happy thanksgiving!

we started off thanksgiving morning with the turkey trot. it was definitely an experience! they were not exaggerating when they said 40,000 people-it was a zoo! not the easiest race to actually run...especially with a stroller. i decided it was more like a 5k obstacle course than a run. there was lots of darting around people, dodging dogs and kids (yes there were even kids riding bikes and scooters...um crazy!), jumping up on curbs, running through the grass, etc.

about to leave the fairmont and head to city hall-and yes, lance is missing from the picture. he messed up his back last weekend (we're not quite sure how) and was pretty much immobile for 2+ days so he's still working on moving...definitely not up and running yet...we missed him!!!

we were worried that it was going to be raining, but thankfully the rain stayed away. but it was pretty chilly! only in texas can it be 80 degrees one day (yesterday was hot!) and then in the 30s the next day. we woke up and it was still in the 70s but by the time we got down to the fairmont to meet my parents it had dropped and was in the 50s...and it just kept dropping. we bundled tanner up and he loved it. he was wide awake the whole time...he definitely enjoys people watching. he was in for quite an adventure with my dad behind the handle...they went darting around people and there was lots of off roading involved. maybe like a mini-roller coaster ride but he stayed entertained (and dad was the 2nd person to finish the 8-mile run with a stroller...but oh, wait, he didn't run the 8-mile race...he just finished with the 8 milers because it was less crowded! hilarious!).

but i am excited to say my training is working-i ran the whole 5k and i didn't even feel like i was going to die! progress for sure (and of course i'm sure it helped that i wasn't pushing the boy child). at the finish line...

after the turkey trot we headed out to rockwall and had a yummy lunch (complete with my favorite pumpkin pie...my mother-in-law is great-she makes one just for me!).

and tanner got lots of playing time with gigi's toys, the drawers in the coffee table, and anna and audrey and pops!

we came home and tanner enjoyed his own thanksgiving dinner...yummy green peas, black eyed peas and some avacado. he is definitely into the self feeding. he doesn't always like it so much when i try to feed him-he's ready to do it all on his own. yes, this equals a LOT of MESS! and a challenge to come up with foods that are soft enough but also small enough for him to eat...but not too soft or it just gets mushed in his hand!

 "hmmmm...what do i want next...green pea or black eyed pea?!?!"

 we wrapped up the night with some good ol' whataburger and watching the aggies beat up on tu!!! whoop!

november catch-up

november has proven to be a busy month...obvious from my lack of posting. let's see...what have we been up to since my last blog post...

well, lance and i "escaped" for a night. we were supposed to be escaping for a long weekend and leaving the tman with his grandparents, but unfortunately the trip had to be cancelled at the last minute. so we made the best of it (after i pouted and moped around the house for several hours...yes, i admit i had a bad attitude about it but i was BUMMED). but it ended up being fun and i was grateful for a 24 hour "break."
we ate out at restaurants...and didn't worry that we were keeping up the kiddo way past his bedtime,
went to a movie...yup those don't happen very often with a baby,
slept in...hey-at this point in my life, sleeping until 8 is really sleeping in!,
i got my morning starbucks-thanks to my sweet husband,
ran errands...and didn't have to worry about car seats or strollers,
went to mckinney trade days,
and i even got to read.a.book!

yes, we crammed a lot into those 24 hours. and i didn't take one single picture! but it was a great break and tanner had lots of fun with grammy and ipop! and we missed him lots, but it is definitely healthy to have a little time away every once in a while!

so we came back to a sick kiddo...so we had more than a week of coughing and snot. man, colds are no fun for little guys!

another highlight of this month is that tanner gained another cousin! anna and audrey's little sister ellery christyn bailey was born on november 17. since tman was still a little under the weather, lance and i had to go visit in shifts. she is precious, and anna and audrey have taken quite well to both being the big sisters. tanner can't wait for her to get big enough to play!

(ellery at 1 week, 1 day old...her first thanksgiving)

what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger

well i've started training for the 10k. we actually decided to sign up for the 5k turkey trot on thanksgiving day...i had some crazy idea that it was a good idea to make me start training for the 10k. maybe having a kid has made me lose my mind?!?!

um this is hard! sure i used to run, but it is quickly becoming apparent that i haven't really worked out much in over a year. having a baby is tough on a body! i ran for the first time tuesday and i thought i was going to die. yesterday was a little easier, so i'm still optimistic that i can do this...some how.

and i really didn't think through the fact that 95% of my training is going to have to be done pushing an extra 42 pounds (yes the bob weighs 23 lbs and i'm guessing tman is right at 19 bringing the grand total to 42 pounds!). just because it has wheels doesn't make it very easy!

tanner is definitely on board for this training. he doesn't mind going on walk/runs at all. he just looks around, laughs and sings to me. tuesday he took a little snooze on our walk/run, and well, that completely screwed up his morning nap so i'm not so sure we'll be running in the mornings very often.

but he sure is cute all bundled up with his toboggan and gloves and blanket (yes i picked a fairly chilly week to start training...at least chilly for dallas weather).

after our jog...

so for the next few weeks (hopefully it only takes weeks and not months to get rid of the i'm-going-to-die feeling) i'll be reminding myself every time i run..."what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger."

10 months

it's a new month! thank goodness...last month was a rough one. maybe it has to do with the fact that tanner was cutting 3 teeth? he now has a second one on the bottom (goodbye mr. snaggletooth) and the top two have just broken through...they look HUGE! no wonder they were so rough on mr tman!


this month tanner learned lots of new tricks. he will sometimes do his version of "all done" when he's through with dinner...definitely not the textbook version, but it's his version of "i don't want anymore food!"


dancing is a new trick too...it's hilarious watching him bounce to the beat (he's got pretty good rhythm). we were in freebirds the other night for dinner and there was some pretty loud music and little man was just bouncing up and down in his highchair...too funny!


he is also officially ALL.OVER.THE.PLACE! There is no more learning to crawl...he's got it down and is on the MOVE! all the time! it's amazing that he is instantly drawn to everything he shouldn't be. forget all the cool toys...he'd rather play with...

the curtains...

and the blinds...

and the fun door stoppers...

and dakota and gizmo's tails...

the kid never sits still...some days we just crawl laps around the house. and he's gotten very good at finding all the tiny dirt specs (and of course they go straight to his mouth!), so our house is going to be the cleanest it's ever been! but it's been so much fun watching him discover so many new things!

he's also pulling up on everything...we've had a few falls and head bumps this month-he gets little goose eggs so easily! i'm sure there will be many more with this crazy boy!

we have officially packed away all his 6 month onesies (yes i was trying to stretch them since it was still warm). his 6-9 month ones aren't quite as tight so i've still got them out incase we have anymore warm days. but really 6-12 month or just 12 month clothes fit him the best. 

size 3 diapers (4 overnight) and i just bought the Huggies Little Movers since he's on the go-we'll see how those work

sleeping…it was a tough month! between the teeth and separation anxiety, we had a few long nights and a few VERY early mornings (can you say 4:30 am...up and ready to play-what?!?!). i have enjoyed lots more snuggle time, but man, snuggle time in the middle of the night = one tired mama! i can definitely tell some of it is him just communicating what he wants because he's definitely developed an angry cry...it's more or less him standing in his crib screaming. if he could talk he'd be screaming, "MOM COME GET ME NOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" naptime has also had its challenges. some days he takes good naps and goes down easily at 9 and 1, and then other days it's a battle.

bedtime has moved a little later but he's still in his crib and on his way to dreamland by 7pm. he's gone back to sleeping through the night but most of this month he's decided he's ready to wake up for the day between 5:30 and 6. that can make for some long days with a grumpy little boy!

he has definitely learned to make his preferences known a little more...if he doesn't like something or wants something, he's learned to fuss. he is developing many of his own opinions...oh what fun (yes, no comments from the peanut gallery on this one...i know, i'm sure i'm in store for LOTS of opinions from him).

dada has been his word/syllable of choice this month. here he is playing angry birds with his dada (just ignore the christmas pjs...i know it's only november but his 2 non-christmas pjs were dirty and so he's started sporting his christmas pjs a little early!)

and going along with the "d" sound, i think he's going to say dog before mama. lovely! (don't have a heart attack, grammy...it'll be ok!) everytime the dogs walk by him he makes a "d" sound. he does love dakota and gizmo and always wants to be wherever they are. every morning when we come out of his room, he looks for them first thing and gets so excited when he sees them. they are definitely his buddies!

all of his "d" syllable buddies...dada and d...snuggling on the couch before bedtime

eating this month has been hit or miss. some days he's hungry and other days he really isn't interested in food much at all. maybe it was the teeth coming in? but we've tried cheese, kiwi and crackers this month, and he really loves eating anything in chunks. he loves to use those teeth for bites of pears, peaches, zucchini, cheese-anything i can cut into small pieces vs pureeing. and he's decided he'd rather eat with a fork than a spoon. it's funny-he'll refuse something, and then we'll switch to a fork and he'll eat it right up!

he does have a new toy that he just loves...the old school ring stacker is a hit. lance bought it for him when they were having a boys afternoon and he has gotten really good at taking the rings off and then stacking them back on one by one. oh and of course dakota and gizmo's tennis balls...he will take off crawling as fast as he can go when he spots one of those!

he's also learned to be helpful around the house...rearrange the dining room furniture, helping with the dishes and folding laundry...

 his best 10 month picture...

and some out takes

trying to jump out of the chair...

 

examining his monkey...i got a classic tanner face in this picture...how he looks when he's really looking at/thinking about something

 he was about to attack his dog...

happy 10 months tman! here's to a much smoother month for everyone and lots of exciting adventures discovering all the dirt specs and dog hair that mommy missed when she vacuumed! won't it be fun!

too good to be true?!

Well, I referenced in my last post that I have a tendency to be cheap…I prefer to call myself practical. This past weekend I saw a facebook post of a blog I follow saying something about free Christmas cards from shutterfly.

Really?! I honestly thought it was probably one of those too good to be true deals and that there was some kind of catch. But, being the practical person that I am, I decided to give it a shot. (sidenote-if you are reading this and are upset you haven’t received a Christmas card from us in the past, don’t be…we’ve never sent them out. I figured it wasn’t worth the expense until we had a kiddo! So you weren’t left off the list-there just was no list!).

So it seems like it’s really going to happen…50 free Christmas cards?!?! Yippee for me!

Now the problem is going to be picking the one I want…too many choices! They have really cool story cards that let you tell all about the year. But I’m thinking those might be better for multiple kids.

And super cute thank you cards…maybe Tman needs some of those for Christmas and his birthday!

I’ll probably go with one of their photo cards…here or here-I love all their color options!

Of course I can’t show you what I’m actually going to pick-that would spoil the fun surprise in your mailbox!

If you need to order Christmas cards, just an fyi…Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards. Hey, if they can’t be free, a discount is good too! Just go here for your discount!

happy halloween!

we had a great low-key weekend. friday night we met up with some friends we hadn't seen in while and had a great time catching up and eating some yummy dinner at string bean. saturday, mom and dad came into town to get their tanner fix.

saturday morning we tried to go to a pumpkin patch...of course i've been saying i want to take tanner to a pumpkin patch for some pictures for the last month. so we all load up (and by all i mean ALL-mom, dad, grant, me, lance, tanner, taylor and brian) and head to the pumpkin patch i'd seen by taylor's school. we get there only to find out it's $7 a person to get in. of course that comes with a hayride and a hotdog, but hello, we have a 10 month old who wasn't going to enjoy either of those things. i'm way to cheap practical to make everyone pay $7 (yes, do the math, they would have made $49 off of us-i'm assuming tanner would have been free-we didn't stay long enough to find out) for a 10 minute photo session with a few big orange pumpkins.

so, plan b...another pumpkin patch that was supposed to be free near poppa's house. well, again, i hadn't done my homework. it is a free pumpkin patch, but apparently all the pumpkins had been purchased because it was gone! ugh! talk about one disappointed momma! but by this point we were all hungry, so we ditched the pumpkin patches and went to eat! later that afternoon grammy and ipop decided tanner needed to visit the fall festival we drove past by poppa's...so i have a few pictures of the tman with pumpkins. grammy said he did NOT like the hay!

next year i will do better...and i'll probably pay the $7 since he'll at least be old enough to semi-enjoy a real pumpkin patch!

mom and taylor decided that he needed a real costume (i think his astronaut costume was real enough, but whatever)...so we came home from a short shopping trip with a dragon costume. it was either a dragon or a bumblebee costume. i nixed the bumblebee costume-it was clearly for a girl...it had shiny wings-and of course the dragon costume was 0-6 months, but they were determined for it to fit!

don't be fooled-this is really the only happy picture we got of him in his dragon outfit. compared to the many happy pictures i got of him in his astronaut costume...i think he liked the costume mom picked out for him much better!

and of course since the rangers are in the world series, tanner had to sport his hat a little more this weekend (he has learned how to take it off so it doesn't stay on long!). love this picture (ignore the blur) of him and mom...he's clearly excited about something!

 

and earlier in the week when we were watching the rangers beat the yankees...

we spent halloween evening with the lights out (tman was sleeping...no way we can do trick or treaters with a sleeping baby and 2 loud dogs!) watching the rangers play...hopefully they'll have a better game tonight!