8 Month Pics

Tonight we went to the mall for Tanner's 8 month pics. We got a couple of Tanner and then tried to get a couple of them together but that is quite the challenge! After the pictures we took the kids down to see Santa. We've been talking about Santa for weeks now and Izabel walks around saying "Ho Ho Ho" but she still would not get on Santa's lap! Tanner had no problem sitting there while we got a couple pictures. We got dinner and did a little Christmas shopping before heading home to bed. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

8 Months (+2 days)

Tanner is now 8 months old! (Sorry I'm a little late on the monthly post!) He's getting to be so big now! He is crawling and pulling up to standing which is so fun to watch. He is saying Dada and doing a little other babbling. He is eating 2nd stage jar foods and using a sippy cup really well. He still gets 3 bottles a day but once we get on stage 3 foods we will go down to two. He loves to play but gets really frustrated when Izabel is around. She likes to take toys away from him and yell "mine!" Tanner also likes to crawl to the corner of the rug in the living room and pull up on the sides. We'll say "No Tanner" and he'll look up at us with the saddest face in the world. If he keeps up with that face I have a feeling he's going to be able to get out of a lot of trouble! He's wearing 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. He sleep pretty well. He goes to bed at 8 like Izabel does and gets up around 7. We'll bring him in with us and he'll usually go back to sleep until 8 or 8:30 when Izabel gets up. He may wake up a couple times but all we have to do is give him a binky and he goes right back out. All you have to do is smile at him or say hi and his whole face lights up. I think he is the happiest, most laid back baby ever and I love it since Izabel is so active!

I've been working super hard lately and getting home very late so I don't have many pictures right now but I will be sure to post his 8 month pics tonight. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. We are so in love with our little boy and looking forward to celebrating his first Christmas!!!

Everything you ever wanted to know about how we celebrate Christmas...

but didn't care enough to ask: (Copied from the Katolin Family Blog)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate...I've never tried egg nog and no one in my family drinks it.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa brings a big present that is already set-up so it is unwrapped and the first thing we see Christmas morning

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White lights outside and colored lights on the tree (although neither are up yet!) I would like a white light tree but Noah likes colored and we don't have room for two trees

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Yes...we have a fake bunch of it that hangs in the doorway to the dining room along with all the Christmas cards we receive

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Traditionally it always gets done the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year we got everything out on Friday/Saturday but the lights for the tree weren't working and I need new stocking holders (I need 4 now) so we got a little delayed!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
No specific favorite....I pretty much love it all!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Christmas in Florida at my Grandma's house with all of my family around.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
We always wrote a letter to Santa and left it in the foyer with milk and cookies. Then Santa would eat the cookies and leave a letter to us. We would take our toothbrush upstairs so we could have fresh breath before we ran down to open presents! One Christmas I forgot my toothbrush so I ran down to get it and saw my mom changing out the letters. It was very sad but I didn't tell anyone because Christmas is more fun when you get presents from Santa!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We were never allowed to when I was growing up but now we let the kids open their Christmas pajamas on Christmas eve so they can wear them to bed.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Colored lights, colored ball ornaments and then our special keepsake ornaments. We got one ornament each year to represent something big that happened. (This year will be Tanner's first Christmas ornament)

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
I love it because it means a day at home with the kids! That's one great thing about being a high school teacher :)

12. Can you ice skate?
Yes, but it's been a long time!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I have lots of them...I remember getting a large painting of Starry Night from Noah which I loved!

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Spending time with my family and sharing the true meaning of Christmas with my kids.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Pretty much all desserts are favorites for me as long as they don't have nuts.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
The traditions we have started as a family include getting a keepsake ornament every year, opening one present (Christmas PJs) on Christmas eve, going to church as a family on Christmas eve, and opening stockings first on Christmas morning.

17. What tops your tree?
A beautiful angel that my mom gave us for our first Christmas together

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Of course I like getting gifts but I really do love to give other people presents and I wish I could give a lot more than I do!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
"O Holy Night" I never get tired of hearing it!

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?
Neither for me, they're okay but I can live without them.

21 Favorite Christmas Show?
Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life

22. Saddest Christmas Song?
Christmas Shoes still gets me a little teary eyed.

Copy this post and fill it out on your blog. I did!
(Pictures of all these Christmas things will be coming!)

Thanksgiving Pictures and Other Updates

I know it's almost been a week since Thanksgiving but we've been super busy around here. I finally found a moment to put them up and fill everyone in on the rest of our weekend. After having a great Thanksgiving we woke up on Black Friday and headed straight to Babies R Us. I normally would never dream of going shopping on black Friday by myself with two kids but I couldn't pass up buy one get one free baby food and diapers! After buying as many as I could I brought the kids back home and did a little more online shopping. I bought Noah's Christmas present which I am very excited about I just have to hope that I can keep it a secret until Christmas!

My beautiful table and some of our spread

Tanner enjoyed a yummy ham dinner for his first Thanksgiving!

Granddaddy still gives pony ridesTanner had fun playing with Granddaddy too

Even though he is almost as big as her, Izzy loves holding Tay TayHe's just the happiest babyLots of gigglesFriday night we went over to Jess and Dan's house for game night. We took the kids and Izabel played with Evie and Lily. We had such a great time that we went back again on Saturday night! We kept the kids up pretty late so Sunday Izabel slept until 9:30! It was great for Noah but Tanner got me up bright and early like normal. We managed to get the tree set up and some of the decorations but we still have more work to do.

Izzy and EvieGame night at the Ingram's

In big Izzy news - we officially started potty training full time on Sunday. We've been putting her on the potty and talking about it but nothing consistent. On Sunday we went into big girl underwear and put the potty in the living room. She went through three pairs Sunday and Monday but today she only had one accident and pooped in the potty! We're still using pull ups at night and during naps but she's doing so well so quickly! I'm sure we'll still have more accidents along the way but we're so thrilled with how well she has done so far. She's in a big girl bed, going potty like a big girl and talking so much more! We've been waiting for all of these things but now I can't figure out what happened to my baby girl!

The required blackmail picture!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

We have so much to be thankful for and we're pretty good about remembering that everyday. We both have jobs even in this tough economy, we have a house to live in, we have lots of family around to support us and we have the two most beautiful children. We are all healthy, happy, safe and together! We had a great day celebrating Tanner's First Thanksgiving and we hope everyone else had a great day as well.

(I'll post some pictures of our day tomorrow! I'm too tired tonight :)

Weekend Update

Even though I was exhausted from a long week and this cold that won't go away, we still had a very busy weekend planned. Friday I took my students to Richmond for Fashion Career day at VCU. After the presentation we headed over to Short Pump mall for lunch and little shopping. They have a Pottery Barn Kids there so I went ahead and picked up Tanner's first year frame. We hit a lot of traffic heading back to Hampton and then I hit even more trying to get home so it was pretty late by the time I got there. We just hung out and watched tv until bedtime.

I swear it seems like he is always happy!

Saturday morning we had tickets to go see the sneak preview of Old Dogs at Lynnhaven. We won the tickets at the ODU football game when they picked Izabel's picture. The movie stars John Travolta and Robin Williams and it is hilarious! We took my sister and her husband Ray along with us and we all had a great time. A big thank you to Laurie for babysitting! It was nap time when we got home and we all managed to get a little nap in. Then it was time to get ready to head to ODU for basketball. ODU beat Marshall and it was a great game. While we were at the game Izabel climbed into Tanner's crib and then somehow managed to jump out! She landed on her head and gave Grandma quite a scare. She had a bit of a bruise and bump but she was fine. After the game Noah and I went to Brian's house to watch the UFC fight. All of the fights went all three rounds so it was pretty late by the time we got home.

Sunday morning we slept in a little and Noah went to play football with his friends. This was the first SunDAY that he has had off this season so he couldn't wait to get out there and play. Unfortunately I had to make him come home early so we could go take family Christmas pictures. The dad of a kid in our play group is a photographer and he offered to do Christmas pictures for free so of course we had to go! He got a great one of us and a great one of Tanner. I can't wait to see them all and of course I'll put them up for everyone to see :) After the pictures we went home for lunch and nap and I started cleaning. Noah had to go to work but my whole family came over to have dinner and cake in celebration of Amy's 27th birthday. We all had such a great time and the kids played so hard that they went right to sleep at bedtime. Noah worked until about 10:00pm and then had to get up at 3:30am to go back into work but at least he is back on the truck and back on a normal schedule. Now we're just hoping it stays that way for a while!

Tanner with Uncle Ray

I know it's not the greatest picture

but I was trying to get one of the outfit :)

Izzy and Tanner with the Birthday Girl!Izzy and Tanner with Nana...we don't get to see
her much so we were so happy she could make itIzzy is always ready to help open birthday presents

We hope you all had a great weekend and have a great short work week! Happy Thanksgiving!

7 Month Pics

After all the illness and being out of town I finally got around to taking Tanner's 7 month pics. They have a theme so I'm going to hold a few of them for a little longer but I couldn't resist posting a few for everyone to see! Our little boy is getting so big!!!