Summer Ends and Fall Begins

Towards the beginning of the summer I had my 10 year reunion, I feel old!

Me and Chris with my high school friend Kelsey and her husband Scott

I was looking back through pictures to update our blog and realized I have no pictures from the month of July!  What happened then?  Surgery for Chris and lots of nausea for me is what happened.  I wish I would have taken pictures of Chris when he was in recovery, he was definitely out of it!  I was too busy tossing my cookies.  Sorry babe!  After his recovery from a full ACL repair we were able to join in on some of the family fun.  Every August my Grandparents from my mom's side of the family host a BBQ.   I forgot to take pictures at the BBQ but I do have this cute one of Tanner and his cousin Emmett from that weekend.  Tanner loves his cousins but was being a stinker when we pulled out the camera.

Next up was Lava Hot Springs with Chris' family.  We go every year and have such a blast.  Tanner loved playing in the pool, blowing bubbles and he even enjoyed floating the river.

We also have made a few Hogle Zoo trips.  My friend Ashley was nice enough to take some pictures of us on the carousel.  Tanner was way excited and throwing a fit because we had to wait in line, then the second it started he got really scared because the bear he was on started moving up and down on top of the fact that we were moving in a circle.  

My friend Lindsey and her son Charlie joined us for our second trip as well as her sister in law Laura and daughter Isla.  The kids had a blast and the weather was perfect.

I thought this was too cute!  Also take note on how huge Tanner's car seat is lol, oh well.

Tanner was fascinated by this tiger.

We couldn't get the kids to sit still for a picture for us :-)

They sure had fun "hanging around" though

I was able to get a few great shots of Tanner.  He is almost 20 months here.

He is also still such a happy kid!

We also realized this summer that unless we get a babysitter taking Tanner out for a nice date night is just no longer possible.  We try and enjoy a nice dinner and he doesn't even want to sit at the table long enough to order!  We of course did not want to get rid of date night so when we don't have a sitter the plans just change.  One weekend we did Pizza Factory and played mini golf and arcade games; which was still a little much.  So our second time trying we went to Chick Fila and ate at a table that looked right through to the play land....WINNER!  We had our meal and dessert all at once place and Tanner could run around and play.  It really was such a great date night.  Chris and I were able to sit and chat just the two of us which is hard to do when a toddler is always jumping on us.

Lastly, is our hunting trip.  These hunting trips have been going on for generations.  There are two main hunts they go on; muzzle loader and rifle.  It was so nice to be up in the mountains.  I felt like it was a refreshing break from the normal life back home.  Alan, my father-in-law, always puts so much work  into these trips and we appreciate all he does.  A few of my favorite things from the trip were first of all when Tanner and I would go up on the night hunt and sit the ridge with Chris, or drive around and go exploring.  Second, the company!  All the Bybee brothers were there, Kathy came up for a few days and Heidi and Maddi were there with us most the time.  It made it that much better for Tanner to have a friend while the guys were gone.  Third, the food!  I love food and Alan always makes top notch meals and dinner generally includes a cobbler for dessert.  YUM!  I will admit I was a little bit nervous on how Tanner would do for five days but he loved every minute of it.  I actually think he likes living in the outdoors more than being cooped up in the house.  And because I don't like to forget things I must note the mishaps too:

• Losing a couple of hubcaps on the way down the mountain 
• Tanner getting diarrhea the first day we were there, I know it's so gross that I would say that on my blog ;-) (thanks Alan and Kathy for bringing up more diapers and such for us!)
• Bumblebees -Tanner got stung the first day and I swear we killed a million of them while there
• The propane hose not working (luckily our camping friends had an extra)
• The tent poles getting bent during the take down (it's a large 14 man canvas tent so they're not small by any means
• Our new hammock cot...awesome for taking a short nap, not so awesome for sleeping.  I took a turn one night to give Chris a break from it.  It's not terrible but definitely not my first choice nor Chris'
• The camp kitchen getting blown over at three in the morning

We made so many fun memories while there and I am grateful for the opportunity to go.  Thanks for letting us come up guys!

Beautiful views from the ridge!

Chris scoping for bucks

Tanner's binki kept him quiet while we watched for deer

My heart is in a puddle on the floor!

I love these two more than anything!!!

Next up are the holidays and then our new little addition will be here!  I always get really excited for the holidays.  I love the seasonal change as well as all the opportunities to spend time with family!  I'm a sucker for getting together with my family and friends.  And maybe, just maybe one of these days I won't get so behind on updating :-)

20 Weeks!

I am finally getting around to posting about baby #2.  Our 20 week appointment was today and everything development wise is right on target for a due date of January 26, the day before Tanner's birthday :-)  The baby looks very healthy and if at all possible was more wiggly than Tanner.  Boy are we going to have our hands full.  Speaking of the word boy, that's what we are having!  Another boy!  We are really excited for Tanner to have a little buddy so close to him in age.   I hope they are great friends.  Tanner has such a lovable personality and will be a great older brother.  We just hope he won't smother the poor babe with all his hugs.  Our only problem now is finding a name.  We are both very picky and can't seem to come up with anything so for now we call him Zeus.

8 Weeks

12 Weeks

16 Weeks

16 Week Comparison

Left: Baby #2, Right: Tanner

20 Weeks (that's his foot up by his forehead)

Definitely a Boy!

Cute Little Hand

We think this baby looks just like his older brother!

20 Week Ultrasound Comparison

Top: Baby #2, Bottom: Tanner

20 Week Comparison

Left: Baby #2, Right: Tanner

Pregnancy so far, and a comparison for journal purposes:

• No strong cravings but in the first trimester I preferred potatoes, macaroni, rolls, and the occasional maple donut:-)  With Tanner my biggest craving was mashed potatoes.
• I was not able to eat very many fruits and vegetables in the first trimester but loved sweets, it was exactly opposite with Tanner.  I have recently been able to start eating fruits and veggies again.  With Tanner I couldn't eat sweets the whole time though!
• To help with nausea I ate a lot of plain macaroni...yep just macaroni, and butter with some salt and pepper.  Flavored water was my preference because water, sprite etc. made me sick, and I always carried a pack of Ritz crackers with me.  With Tanner I lived off of Sprite, Jolly Ranchers, gummies, and put ice packs on my forehead when really nauseous.  
• With T pepperonis and banana bread made me sick, no problems there with this one.  
• I was only sick the first trimester with this one.  It consisted of being nauseous all day long but I didn't throw up very much.   Unisom was my good friend  for awhile but we are currently on a break.  In the beginning I was extremely exhausted and incredibly ornery.  Seriously, I would get fiery mad if someone so much as looked at me the wrong way, or if I didn't like the way Chris was making a sandwich or brushing his teeth etc.  You get the idea.  Those thoughts were kept but were definitely there.  With Tanner I got sick at 8 weeks, it always started in the afternoon and then went all night.  To add to that I was sick the rest the pregnancy with him even through delivery.  With T I was on Zofran most the time and threw up lots.  
• I felt this baby a day or two before 16 weeks, and Chris felt him around 18 or 19.  I felt Tanner at 18 weeks, and Chris felt him at 20.  
• I grew in my belly first this time not my hips.
• With Tanner I grew everywhere and was extremely swollen because of PIH, preeclampsia and toxemia.  This one I gained weight evenly all over in the beginning just not like I did with T.
• When we announced to our families they didn't quite catch on but none the less were excited.
• I found out on a Monday morning and put some onsies, pink and blue, in Chris' underwear drawer. When he pulled the drawer open he immediately closed it because he thought he had the wrong drawer.  Took him a second but he got it!
• No intuitions about gender like with Tanner.  I was leaning towards a girl but only because I have felt completely different this time around.
• I didn't have to keep food by my bed with this one but I definitely like to eat all day.  
• And I again am a space cadet during pregnancy and I'm really clumsy.

I've decided no matter how great you feel pregnancy can be really hard some times but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It's such an amazing experience, and we feel very blessed to be adding to our family!  Here's to hoping for a better pregnancy though with NO TOXEMIA!  So far it's already been better and for that we are grateful.

Phone Pictures and Well Check

We took Tanner to the drive-in movie, Madagascar 3.  He loved it!

Tanner's first time in nursery.  He did so great but I of course had to check on him :)

We have gone to the pool quite a few times this summer.  Tanner never liked playing in the water until the last couple times and now I have to keep a close eye on him because he likes to play in the deep end.

We had Tanner's 18 month well check today.  He weighed 23.8 lbs-22%, was 33.5 in long-81%, and his head circumference was 18.9 in-56%.  

Tanner at 18 months:

This kid LOVES to be outside, he'd stay out there all day if I'd let him.  T also loves to read books, play with his cars, and get into all of moms cupboards to play with tupperware etc.  He is a very busy boy it's sometimes hard to keep up with him; he definitely keeps me on my toes.  Tanner spends most of his days outside, playing in the water, running around, climbing on everything, eating food and cuddling.  He will be running around the house playing and stops to come give me a hug, it completely melts my heart.

Tanner's favorite foods right now are:

sponge bob graham crackers

soft paws

pretzels

any kind of fruit

cucumbers and green beans

granola bars

and toast

He still just loves loves to eat and gets overly excited about food.

Tanner is saying something new all the time and I love that he is able to communicate more now.  He has to say hi to just about everyone we pass by and see-ya when we leave somewhere.  He also says uh-oh every time he drops something and his new phrase this week, that we hear all day long, is "wow, look at that!"  I always say this but they grow up too fast I just want to freeze time.  Tanner has such a fun, loving, cuddly personality and he really helps us remember what is most important in life.  We feel so blessed that he is our son, we love you Tanner!

Birthdays and Graduation

Taylor graduated high school back in May.  We went out to dinner at Ruby River Steakhouse.  Thanks for letting us share part of your day!

 We always have lots going on in May between holidays and birthdays.  I am a slacker and didn't take very many pictures.  At the first of the month Maddi turned 2, we celebrated my father in law's birthday the week after and  then mothers day.

Chris and Casey have birthdays at the end of the month but I of course have no pictures. Chris turned the big 3-0.  We partied a lot that week between graduation dinners, birthday dinners, baby blessings and friend BBQs.  We are so grateful for all our family and friends!

Feeding the Ducks

We took Tanner to feed the ducks at the Weber State pond.  I think he enjoyed running around more than anything!

14 Month Pictures

We had so much fun capturing this little guy's personality.

"I'm so done guys!"