1-year-old

 

Tanner turned 1 year old this weekend! It is so funny how he's only been with us for a year, but I can't really remember what things were like without him! We celebrated with just our little and family and Nann (my Mom). She was here a year ago when he was born, so it was great to have her here to celebrate his first birthday! Tanner was pretty overwhelmed with the balloons, and all of us hovering and trying to take pictures. He was scared of his pony, and really just wanted to be held by Mommy! Once we broke out the cake, though, he really got into the whole celebration. He ate it like a champ - digging in with both hands, and didn't forget to lick the plate! It was really cute. Really, the best one-year-old cake mash I've ever seen!

 

Here are some things about our little Tanner at 1:

His favorite foods are blueberries, ritz crackers, bananas, and yams.

Words: Mama, Dada, Uh-oh, A- Du (all done), Na-Na (No No).

Favorite Toys: Remotes, phones, anything with buttons, Busy Ball Popper, Little Learning Laptop, and after a couple of days, his Rocking Pony.

 

 

We love you Tanner - we're so thankful that you joined our family!

 

 

 



This Is Halloween!

 

 

Let me introduce you to The Incredibles!

Mr Incredible is incredibly good-looking, and hard-working. And yes, he literally does save lives every day!

Mrs. Incredible is good at lassoing kids, and regularly has to stretch her patience.

Violet is thoughtful, artistic, and has one of those creative (a.k.a. messy) personalities.

Dash loves Supers, video games, and keeps us all laughing.

Baby Jack Jack has the ability to melt his mother into mush. He loves blueberries, cruising around the coffee table, and flashing that toothy grin at everyone!

 

We had a great Halloween 2012! 

First day of First Grade

 

 

Ivy started first grade on August 1st. I have had a hard time getting used to the idea of her being gone all day, but she was so excited to start first grade! Ivy loves her new tinkerbell lunch box, and is so excited to eat lunch at school. She has done great in school so far, and I know she will continue to be a great student! Here are Ivy's answers to a few questions I asked her at the beginning of this school year:

 

Teacher: Mrs. Wyatt/Mrs. McGovern

She wants to be an artist when she grows up.

Favorite color: Pink

Best thing about school: Riding the bus and eating lunch at school

Bad things about school: Having to miss fun things at home

 

Have a great year Ivy Girl!

Tooth Fairy Time

It's officially time for the tooth fairy to start visiting our house! Ivy lost her first tooth on August 31st, and the second came out a few days later. The tooth fairy was kind enough to leave her teeth as a souvenir, since apparently that was very important to Ivy.

 

All dressed up with somewhere to go

 

What is it about having all 3 of my kids dressed (nicely), hair combed and teeth brushed that compels me to get out my camera? They are cute, but why do I feel the need to document proof that they clean up nicely? I think it's probably because it takes a lot of work to get them that way! Maybe if I take a picture, it'll last a bit longer!

 

 

And they are cute, aren't they. I'm so glad I have them. I'm so thankful that they love each other. And I'm so thankful that we all get to be a part of this wonderful eternal family!

July 4th, Indy Syle

Since Monica and Spencer were with us for the 4th of July this year, (and since most fireworks were banned because of the drought) we decided we would go check out the downtown Indianapolis fireworks show. We used John's parking pass at the hospital, and sat on the roof of the parking garage to watch.

 

 

I need to learn some good night-photography skills, huh?! Well, you get the idea :)



Antimony

 

The Bodhaine Family Reunion was at the Rockin' R Ranch in Antimony, Utah this year. We had mixed feelings about the accomodations, but it was fun to be with family. It is the perfect opportunity for kids to get to run around, ride horses, and have fun with cousins. Ivy got to try Mutton Busting, and she was so brave! She was the only girl who wanted to do it, so I was really proud of her for giving it a try! We also went on a hike, I got to try archery, go canoeing, and there were lots of crafts to do in our down-time. We love the Bodhaine family, so it's always a good time with them. See y'all in a few years!

 

 

Summer Vacation Highlights

I do realize that it is currently October, but I wanted to post about the trip the Kids and I took to Utah in June. We had such a good time catching up with our family there. Not to mention that Utah is so nice, and just feels like home. We were there for a month, and so I had lots of time to think about whether or not we might have the opportunity to come back someday. I hope so! I even have a neighborhood or two picked out, but John told me not to get ahead of myself!

 

 

 

We got to meet Bentlee for the first time. She is a sweetie! Ivy is so happy to have a new little girl cousin! I guess since she has 2 little brothers, she'll have to just enjoy little girl cousins for now!

 

 

Tanner got to meet everyone, including Uncle David! Tanner was very charming, and made a lot of friends in Utah.

 



 

Ivy found a bosom-friend in Claire! These girls had sleepovers, swimming outings, went to a movie, and did lots of giggling!

 

Tanner mastered sitting at Nann and Grampa's house! He started out sitting holding onto a book, but when the book fell down he was able to stay up. He's growing up, huh?

 

 

I was so happy to be able to take my kids to Temple Square in Salt Lake. We were all sick that day, so we didn't stay long. But it was really nice to be able to show my kids how beautiful it is. We also met up with our friends the Robinson's there.

 We also drove by the Logan Temple lots of times, and got to see the Brigham City Temple briefly.

 

 

We went to Bear Lake! Oh, I love it there. We spent a few hours with Grandma (she loved meeting Tanner, and was so sweet) then went to play at the beach. The water is pretty cold in June, but the kids always love playing in the sand.

 

 

 

I hope we will be able to go back to visit again soon!

Lemonade Stand

Ivy decided that she wanted to have a lemonade stand. She made pink lemonade and chocolate chip cookies, and made the signs to hang. She was so excited about it, and had quite a few customers. She sold out of cookies within the first hour, and in her second hour sold out of lemonade. She was so good at customer service, she even got a tip. We may have a little entrepreneur on our hands! Great job, Ivy!

My cousin Brandy took some great pictures of the kids while we were in Utah! I have been so excited to post them, but had a hard time deciding what ones to put on the blog! My kids are just so darn cute :) So, here are a few to feast your eyes on. My next post will be very exciting, and will be all about our summer trip to Utah....just as soon as I figure out how to do photo collages. Any tips would be appreciated :)

Park-ing

We have had a very nice spring (dreading the hot summer), so we've spent a lot of afternoons at our wonderful park. Here are a few pictures for the Grandparents! I have a really cute picture of Tanner in the swing, but it's on my phone. I can't seem to figure out how to get it from there to here, so  you'll have to just imagine how cute he was :) I guess he's pretty cute in the stroller as well.

This Little Dancing Girl

Ivy had her dance recital last month. She looked beautiful, and did such a good job. Of course she was in heaven with all the attention, plus the costume, makeup, curls, and did I mention....attention? It was really fun, and we were so proud of her for being so laid back about the late nights and crowds. She was so brave to go on stage, and wasn't nervous at all. Porter was an angel to sit through a dress rehearsal and the recital, and my friend Belle was an angel for watching Tanner for the night of the recital (the noise and lights were a bit much for the little guy)! 

6 Months

Well I don't know where the last 6 months have gone. I can't believe how fast this little baby is growing up! Really, could he be any cuter? (That was a rhetorical question). Here are some of the things that Tanner is up to right now:

Rolls both ways

Still Breastfeeding

Eats cereal and some veggie purees

Laughs, Giggles and Smiles a lot!

Sucks on his fingers

Loves his big brother and sister

Bounces in his Jumperoo

Plays with toys - his favorites are his giraffe and blankie-bear

*Almost* sitting on his own! Any day now!

Loves going for walks outside

Splashes in the tub

Very laid-back! He is usually content to hang out and look around, or chew on a toy.

We sure do love this little dude. He brings a lot of joy to our not-so-little family!

Update:
6 Month Stats:
Weight - 19 Lbs. 7 oz. (77.4%)
Length - 26.5" (79.87%)
Whoa Baby!

Happiness

There are a lot of things making me happy these days. One of them is Zoloft. But aside from that, I have been loving the sunshine, time playing and walking outside, watching my kids become more social and seeing them get so excited to play with their new friends. Children are happy by nature! I've been thinking about what it takes to be happy and I feel strongly that it is a decision that we make, not a condition we are given. My wonderful husband is one of the happiest people I know. He does not let things bother him, and in his line of work that is hard to do! He has an extremely positive outlook on life. President Thomas S. Monson has told us that "Decisions Determine Destiny." I know that is true! If we want to be destined to be happy, we must make the choice to do so. If we decide to follow the gospel, we will be given strength and happiness, even when challenges come our way. Here are some things that made me happy today:

Rewards for Kids

We have been using the cutest reward punches for good behavior, found HERE . They get a punch on their card when I catch them doing something good. My kids have been loving it. They think it's super fun when they get to go punch their card. One of my children purposely does nice things throughout the day, and reminds me that I should punch the card. The other one doesn't seem to care about it too much, until it's time for a punch and then feels very proud. I bet you can't guess which is which (insert sarcasm)! Well, it is now almost time for them to get their first reward, and I thought instead of rewarding them with candy or toys, I would fill a jar with some slips of paper that have different rewards on them that they can pick randomly. These are the ideas I have so far:

Date night with Daddy

Date night with Mommy

Movie night with Popcorn

Dinner of your choice

One item of your choice from the dollar store

One night to stay up late

Dessert of your choice

One round of Miniature golf or bowling

What do you think? What are some other fun things I could do to reward them? Also, what are some reward systems that have worked for you?

Thanks for your imput!

The Cutest Baby

Tanner is now 4 months old!

 At 4 months, Tanner loves to suck on his fingers. He always spits out his binky and finds his 2 fingers.

 Is there anything cuter than baby toes?

 He is laughing, drooling, playing with toys, and occasionally rolling. Some nicknames we have for him are Chubba Bubba and Chunky Monkey. We can't get enough of his rolly-polly little baby body. He is very loved.