Celebrating Tanner

Here are some pictures from our celebratory park outing for Tanner's 2nd birthday! He got a cool new big wheel to ride on... and his buddy, Drake, came to play too.

He must have known he was getting older, b/c while usually disinterested in them, he wanted to take a crack at the big kid swings, and was not happy about having to get off!

Then we moved the party to Chick-Fil-A (of course) for dinner and cake! Tanner loves Diego... especially the "Rescue Pack" song.

And his other favorite is Max and Ruby... so he got a "Max" to hang out with too (courtsey of Aunt Mandy, of course).

And finally, he got to dive into his birthday cake - literally.

Two has brought on some new things for Tanner... his climbing (though I didn't think it was possible) has improved, he talks all the time, and has suddenly decided that what he wants is every bit as important as what Gracie and Tessa want too and is unafraid to mix it up with the girls to make his feelings known!!

But.... my favorite thing he does these days is his absolute insistance to give everyone a hug before they leave the house, or he heads off to nap or bed time. It's soooo sweet!

So Happy Birthday to our sweet little surprise! I think it's going to be a fun... and crazy year.

Happy Birthday To Tanner...

Our baby turns 2 today! We celebrated yesterday with some fun time at the park, and dinner at Chick-Fil-A, of course...

Here he is enjoying his gift from Nana and Papa this morning before heading off to school. He was loving getting to ride on it while watching Deigo and singing "Happy Birthday" to himself.

Happy Birthday today to our sweet little surprise!

More to come...

Just Older...

So here is a big Birthday Shout Out..... to me and Trav.



I was 35 on February 21st, and he turned 36 on March 5th. Neither of us is thrilled about it...

Why does 35 seem so much older than 34 to me? And Trav being 36... I mean, that's practically almost 40! HA!

But oh well.... as they say, it beats the alternative.

We celebrated a few times and got some great gift cards and two very nice dinners out of it... but most importantly (and my favorite) my sweet sister did the coolest thing and had the first year of my blog "published" for me.

I had been thinking I should print out some of my posts (you know, for my kids - especically since I can't seem to get it together to scrapbook), but I hadn't done it yet. And now I have this great book with all of it, the pictures and everything. I love it. Aunt Mandy is THE BEST! She did it over at http://www.blurb.com/, if you're interested in doing your blog for yourself.

Somewhere around 27 or 28 I started a list of things (you know, stuff I wanted to do, try, accomplish, etc., etc. ) I was planning to get "done" by the time I was 30.... and let's just say, there isn't much crossed off of it. But... you know, these days I find that more often I want to just relish in every second of the "now" God has given me, and focus on being grateful for what I have, but yet hopeful for what might be in store.

So at 35... while I'm not excited about the idea of turning 35, I'm really just thrilled to be happier and healthier than I was at 34... I still have my list, and while I may not get around to all of it, maybe even before 40, I'm going to keep it, and maybe even add some to it... but more importantly, I'm going to be grateful for all that is in my life that hinders me getting things crossed off of it!

So to close my birthday blog shout out to me and Trav... and sum up my thoughts on turning 35 and beyond, I must leave you with the words of the great poet, Jon Bon Jovi. HA!

I like the bed I'm sleeping in

Just like me, it's broken in

It's not old... just older....

Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans

The skin I'm in, it's all right with me

It's not old... just older....

Slow And Steady Wins The Race...

As an update to my downsizing journey... since the beginning of the year, I have lost 8 more pounds.

Yes, yes... very exciting... but I'm a bit frustrated. The good news is that I have lost this eight pounds eating food - actual food, as opposed to the "meal replacements". Counting calories... and really changing what I eat. The bad news is it has taken me almost six weeks to lose that eight pounds - which is annoying!

When I started, I lost 40 pounds in 12 weeks. That pace was nice... and while I know it is not realistic to keep losing at that rate (unless you're on the Biggest Loser and can stay in the gym more than half the day), I was hoping to have added another 10 pounds to my total lost by the end of February... but oh well. On we go....

And while I was infuriated by it right off the bat (and it can still make me cringe), I have kept up with the Biggest Loser this season as a means of motivation (oh, how I wish they would start up a new season of Celebrity Fit Club). The show is interesting... there's a lot more drama than I anticipated. But I suppose there would be when at the end of the day it is a contest with money at stake.

But my favorite on there, Kristin, did get to bring her mom back and is doing great. She's lost 90 pounds in 9 weeks. Wow... I'd be happy to shed 10 in four. But I keep having to remind myself that at this point it is better to subscribe to a more "tortoise" way of thinking than that of the "hare," because as the story goes... "slow and steady wins the race." HA!