Grandpa Phil, The Golden State Warriors, and Baseball...

Grandpa Phil and Joan visted us here in Boise last weekend over Mother's Day. They are on a whirlwind tour of the states, going from Indiana, thru Minnesota, Idaho, California and on to Arizona. They stayed with us here for a couple of days over the weekend.

Grandpa got to see Jake's baseball skills on full display. I know that we have talked about it ad nausem, but the boy has some serious skills for a four year old. He has been hitting live pitching for almost a year now and has just amazing hand eye coordination. We have a bucket of about 20 balls that I pitch to him, and he hits right around .400 to .450 each time we go thru the bucket (I swear that I am not one of THOSE dads, but I wanted to see how he was doing ... I think that stats for kids are satanic, really!). When Grandpa Phil was here, we played a couple of games of baseball. Jake went thru two buckets of balls, one pitched by me and one by Grandpa Phil. Jake hit 8 home runs (not cheapies, these actually clear our fence...), four off of me and four off of Grandpa Phil, who obviously has never pitched to him before. He is going to be really bored next year when he has to hit off of the tee in tee-ball.

In addition to baseball, we went out to lunch, dinner, went to the Farmers Market, enjoyed a picnic and first concert of the year on the green and had soccer practice as well. I sometimes help coach during soccer practice, although I have yet to coach Jake's team (definitely the more focused of the two groups). I coach the yellow team. My team likes to take drink breaks in the middle of the game. I will turn around and have one player on the field, three over getting drinks and two that have wandered off over by the tennis court to look at bugs. Jake and his team run roughshod over the yellow team, but they are four years old, so no one cares. Week before last (I did not coach), the yellow team decided that they did not want to play anymore, so it became the green team against the parents. I have always been able to at least field a team....one player maybe, but that one player was fully committed to victory!....See I told you I wasn't one of those dads.

The main focus of the weekend however was the Golden State Warriors playoff series with the Utah Jazz. For those who don't know, Uncle Eric (my cousin) is the Equipment Manager for the Warriors. He has been working with them for as long as I can remember. He started as a ball boy, and has been there through some horrificly bad years, so this playoff series is a big deal in my family. Jake and I went to a game earlier this season and met Eric and had a really good time, Jake just loved it. We watch the games a little differently then most NBA fans....some comments in out living room, "There's Uncle Erics head, behind the players knee", "There is Eric's foot"...but we have a good time. In fact, I am watching game five right now as I type. We watched two games with Grandpa Phil here-they won one and lost one.

It was really good to see my Dad. He had never met Tanner, and also was able to meet Faith for the first time. We had a really good time and will hopefully be able to see them more frequently in the future.

Mother's Day

I really should have stock in Ben and Jerry's and Haagen Daaz. Brian has been razzing me for months about the amount of ice cream I eat. OK, I admit, buying three pints during our Sunday shopping trip is a little extreme. I got A LOT of crap for that, probably deserved. So, the picture above shows the gift my hubby got me for Mother's Day: SIX PINTS of B and J's- all different flavors. Maybe it was a "joke" gift, but I have to say it was a much appreciated one! I'd like to say that I'll be set on ice cream for the month but, sadly, it won't last that long. In any case, I was appropriately spoiled over Mother's Day weekend by my hubby (breakfast, sleeping in), my boys (cards and handmade gifts), and Faith (she slept for FIVE hours on Friday night!). Happy Mother's Day!

In Which Tanner Wields a Knife and Jake Calls 911

I Bet I hooked ya with that title, huh? In reality the knife and 911 stories are totally unrelated, but pretty funny nonetheless.

A few months ago Auntie Sue sent the boys a book that teaches you how to call 911. It has a little keypad attached and you can actually dial the numbers and it tells you under what circumstances you should call. We had read it quite a few times, then one day as I was trying to juggle all three kids (feeding Faith, reading to Tanner, playing basketball with Jake- yes, all at the same time!) Tanner fell off the couch and hit his head. He immediately started screaming, so I detached Faith which set HER into screaming. At this point Jake ran out of the room. I was too busy to worry about what he was doing, so I tended to the littler ones (priorities, you know?). As I was calming both kids down Jake returned to the living room holding my cell phone. He said, "Don't worry, Mom, I called 911!". Sure enough- when he handed me my phone I could see that he had dialed the numbers but thankfully had not yet sent the call. Since we don't have a home phone he had run and found my cell and dialed for help. Although I was pleasantly surprised to know that he could handle the task, a conversation about what constitues "an emergency" followed.(Perhaps I should be less dramatic?) Don't worry... I also showed him how to send a call in case a real emergency ever occurs.

You'll have to keep reading to get to the knife story...


Tanner continues to be a crack up. He is so much more expressive and verbal than a few months ago. We call him "Our Little Russian Boy".

"Tanner, do you want some applesauce?"
"NO!" (accompanied by vigerous head shaking)
"Tanner, do you want a cookie?"
"DA!" (rhymes with "bra" and said with great gusto and a huge smile). "DA!" is his word of choice these days.

He charms us and charms us with his giggles and grins, bringing us books to read to him, balls to throw to him, and toys to play with him. But when this kid is done, he is DONE. He knows his limits. Around 6:30-7:00 each evening he begins to get a little sensitve and cry easily. We know it is time for us to ask the question: "Tanner, do you want to go night-night?"
"DA!" is his usual response. When we tell him to say night night to Grandma or Jake or Faith he waves vaguely in their direction while muttering "nigh nigh" with his eyes trained on his bedroom door. We put him in his crib and he rolls over and goes to sleep, often times not to be heard from again until 7:30 the next morning.

His new skill is climbing ladders. He figured out how to get to the top of Jake's bunkbed ...and boy does he think it is cool. He climbs up there and then just giggles and giggles. He can climb the ladder to the slide outside, too, and then scares me to death trying to go back down the ladder with clearly no idea how to do so safely. He climbs any stool or ladder he sees and takes the stairs like he has has been doing it forever. This brings us to the knife story...

Being the older brother Jake sometimes wants to micromanage his brother's behavior. So, we had just been telling Jake that we are Tanner's parents,not him, and letting him know that we would worry about Tanner- he just needed to take care of himself. Not 60 seconds later I was at the sink washing dishes and Jake was at the table. I hear Jake yell, "Mom, Tanner has a knife!". I turn around and, sure enough, there's my boy, standing on his stool at the counter behind me weilding a Henkles paring knife that I had left on the counter after cutting up roast beef. So much for us taking care of Tanner without Jake's help. Needless to say we are all much more careful about what we leave on the counter these days!

Faith is growing by leaps and bounds. She is sleeping better, although she is still pretty high maintenance. I guess she doesn't understand that mommy went back to work and needs her rest! I am enjoying dressing her way too much! Tanner and Jake both adore their baby sister. They shower her with kisses and hugs and bring her things they think she might want: a blanket, a binky,or a bottle. First thing in the morning and when he gets home from school one of the first questions out of Tanner's mouth is, "Baby?" (That's after demanding juice and a snack, of course).
For an 18 month old he really is quite good with her. My greatest hope is that her brothers will be her biggest fans for many years to come- and vice versa :)

First Smiles

Here are the first smiles I was able to capture on camera. She started with little smiles a few weeks ago, but in the last few days has gone to full fledged grins. She loves to be talked to, told how pretty she is, and to have her big brother Jake "click" his tongue at her. She is eight weeks old already. She is still not sleeping well- but we have made a little progress at getting her into her crib. We can sometimes get 1-3 hours with her there, but mostly she still sleeps tucked into my arm or next to her daddy. I go back to work a week from today and I think I may need Mary to bring her to visit at lunchtime to help with the withdrawl symptoms I am sure to experience. Luckily I only have 16 days of work before summer vacation begins :)

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Let me just say (not for the first time and probably not for the last) I cannot imagine being a single mom. Brian has been gone for training in LA for almost two weeks. I'm not sure who misses who the most. Brian has been so sad without his boys and daughter (and wife, he assures me). He keeps asking me how the kids (still feels really weird not to say "the boys") are changing and is worried they will "be different kids" when he returns. He talks to them 2-3 times each day. The boys also miss him a bunch. Jake has been keeping a calendar on our blackboard and "x"ing one day off each night. There were a lot of distractions, however. My mom was here to help for the entire time (Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ma!), then all my sisters came to visit for a long weekend. Aunt Kiri stayed on for another 3 days and, baseball fan and "Boy Mom Extraordinare" that she is, she entertained Jake immensely. Tanner just keeps repeating "Dada! Dada!" loudly and often, especially when he notices Brian's car out front or when he sees my cell phone. Faith, obviously, is still too young to notice, but let me tell ya... I NOTICE, especially at 12, 3, and 5AM when she wants to eat and I am the only one to get up with her! (To be fair, my mom has been WONDERFUL and has taken her quite a bit in the wee hours, but it's just not the same as having Brian here to do the duty!). I have never been without him for this long- in our six years together. It has definitely been a challenge and I miss him like crazy. So, it's a toss up. He misses us; we miss him. All I know is that we are all counting the hours until our family is together again and remembering how blessed we are to only have had to do two weeks apart.

Scars

Tanner and Jake. Brothers. Boys. They are both just a mess right now. Tanner fell, not once, not twice, but three times over Easter Weekend. He is now sporting a large bump on the noggin', scrapes and cuts on his nose, ear and lip, and the last vestiges on the splinter infestation on his legs and feet. Jake has various scrapes, cuts and bruises and currently sports no less that three bandaids on various fingers. My point is this, they are boys, they fall down, they get scrapes, they get cuts. I realize that Marisa is in a foriegn land here and doesn't understand how the male mind works, so I am going to lay down some education here for the female readers.

Scars are how men (and boys) measure life. If you don't have scars, it means that you are not trying hard enough. If you can jump down from the fifth step and not get hurt, then it goes without saying that you HAVE to try from the sixth! If you can ride down the street at breakneck speed and make it unscathed, then of course you need to see if you can do it with no hands, duh! There is no failure (or sucess) that can't be measured with damaged flesh in the world of boys.

The boys are just being boys. They love their little sister and maybe Faith can help Marisa just realize that they are boys and that's how they do things. See this scar here on my elbow? This is from when I got thrown off the horse when I was five. This scar on my leg? This is when I fell out of the tree.......

Easter '07

As you can see....Easter...big friggin deal at the Alan household. Hidden Springs holds it's own Easter Egg hunt for the kids in the community. The photo above is of the hunt just for the toddlers/preschoolers. There were four other hunts about this size (50 or so kids) as well, scattered throughout the community. Both of the boys had a very good time. The weather was amazing, temps into the mid 80's, adding the element of MELTED easter chocolate to the festivities as the eggs were laid out in the meadow beforehand in the sun.

It is so interesting to see how you fall on the parental spectrum....from one end, the parents who were griping that the hunt was supposed to start at 2:30 and it was 2:32 for pete's sake...as well as the starter, who refused to give the go ahead until the two children (preshoolers mind you!) who were on the lawn moved back to the sidewalk...to the other end, the parents who apparently didn't follow the logic thru that if you brought 12 eggs per child to be hidden that was how many you should take, and who also didn't listen to the aforementioned starter lady, who said (via megaphone) to try to limit your child to his/her 12 eggs so that everyone could find some and left with their kids holding buckets that had to have 30-40 eggs in them. We watched it all with amusement: Jake got his 12 eggs, Tanner was happy just picking up discarded pieces of other kids eggs, so we just let him have his fun.

There were treats galore and Jake got to see the Easter Bunny. We decided not to subject Tanner to the Easter Bunny as he is just getting over his Santa Claus trauma. A good time was had by all. BUT, BUT, BUT...

Of course this was not enough. We also had to have an Easter Egg hunt at our house the next day. There were presents (from the Easter Bunny known as "Grandma Mary" and "Auntie Sue"), more eggs (MANY more than the allotment of 12 from the prior day) and more candy as well. We took a picture of Jakes candy bowl (not dish...bowl) and I debated posting that... but to be honest, it makes me feel like a bad parent.....Happy Easter.

Faith's first month...

Faith is one month old already, she just had her first Easter, she is starting to stay awake more often and seems more alert, she is growing up ALREADY!

She is doing really well. She is starting to sleep in stretches more (3-4 hours at a time at night now), which is making things a little easier on Marisa. I have the late shift and the early shift and Marisa gets the in between at night. She passes the time watching TV shows on DVD in the bonus room while she feeds Faith, I watch ESPN news (thank god it's baseball season!)

I am still trying to adjust to a little girl. The diaper gets wet in a totally different place and when I go to clean her up, there is still a pause while I get the logistics straightened out, but she has truly found a place in our lives, hearts, and home. She is well loved by her brothers and is the hit of all the visitors to the house. Both Nikko and Shannon were just here and I think they were as taken in by her as we are.

Happy one month b-day Faith (or "Fafey" as Jake calls her). Slow down, don't grow up so fast....there's really no rush....

If Mary Never Leaves...

...Brian and I may be able to handle being parents of three. She has been a miracle to us and is probably the main reason none of us are in the insane asylum yet. She plays nonstop with Jake, takes early morning feedings with Faith, and dotes on Tanner- not to mention keeping Brian and I well fed. She is currently making homemade cinnamon roles with Jake. The real test will be what happens after Mary leaves on Tuesday. Yes, THIS Tuesday. We will go it alone. In reality I have no doubt we will be just fine, but it sure has been wonderful having Grandma here to help us ease into our new reality!

Faith is almost a month old already. She is getting bigger all the time and is already out of her newborn diapers- this is a silly "milestone" that made me sad with both the boys and with her, too!
She is sleeping better now and has actually gone a few times for 3-4 hours without eating. Sleep, for me, is still elusive and is taken in 1-3 hour increments, but I am feeling much better and more and more like my old self. 2AM feedings are made much more enjoyable by watching the second season of Grey's Anatomy. LOVE that show! Faith is alert for longer periods during the day and now that I have more energy I am looking forward to taking her out more often and showing her off.

Tanner. What can I say about my Tanner? He is a pure joy right now. He has gained 5 pounds since Christmas and now resembles a football player so much that I just look at him in his little "letterman jacket" and can see him thundering through the door when he is 16, wearing his football gear and heading straight for the refrigerator (hopefully still sweet enough to stop and give his old mom a kiss on the way!). His teacher at school told me that in the last month he has changed drastically. He goes to anyone now, willingly. He walks and runs everywhere and is so happy all the time. She said that he eats like a horse there, too, and bums all the teachers lunches off of them by batting those long eyelashes and rubbing his tummy (this is how he says "please"). He is a tank. And such a love. He often stops to give his sister kisses, cover her with her blanket, and bring her the binkie. He gives everyone hugs. He thinks the word "No" is hysterical and is definitely starting to be mischievious. Seriously.... pure, unadulterated joy. I plan to enjoy it while it lasts!!!!

Jake. Jake, Jake, Jake. So far "four" is a challenge. (I love you like nobody's business, Buddy, but "unadulterated joy" are not the two words I would use to describe you right now. "Challenging" and "Lucky to be alive" come to the tip of my tongue.) I think having the baby sister has exacerbated some of his personality traits- both good and bad. He is more sensitive, more needy, and more loving. He is still on our floor. In fact, he hasn't even been in his bedroom for a month. I keep reminding myself that there are millions of children that have survived having siblings (and millions of parents that have survived having four year olds) without ill effects. Luckily he does seem to love his sister. He wants to hold her, play with her, and just look at her. He still loves his school and it is more and more apparant each day how much they love him. My qualms of "too many worksheets" go out the window when I see the kind of love he he gets from his teachers and watch how he is thriving there.

On another note...Baseball season starts tomorrow!!! Go GIANTS :)

"I'm Cookin' With Gas Now, Baby!"

The title refers to Jake's enthusiastic statement as he was playing Bingo the night before his birthday. He was on a winning streak and that is what came out of his mouth. We all just busted up. That little guy definitely keeps me laughing.

My Jake... four years old already. This was the first year he really understood about his birthday and he looked forward to it for weeks and weeks. I think we started the countdown at 7 weeks and continued until there was only one day left. He was practically beside himself the night before in anticipation.

The party was definitely a success. He had such a great time. Since Faith was just born we did it the easy way: paid someone else to do all the work. He had his party at a place called KidVenture Island- a big play yard made to look like a pirate ship. He invited 6 school friends and they had the run of the place.

Here are some of the little things I want to remember about Jake at this age:

- He loves to listen to "his" music- this includes Bruce Springsteen, Brad Paisley, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, and lots of others. He loves Buffett's new album and sings along loudly to "Dukes on Sunday", "Breathe in Breathe Out", and "Bama Breeze". I do feel a twinge of mom guilt (and Parrothead pride) as he belts out the lyrics to the latter, "Jimmy got caught smokin' a joint out behind the bar, sittin' in his car, and they took him to jail. The tip jar paid his bail." Very funny to hear.
-He is very loving and kind. Everyday when I was sick with morning sickness and then when I was recuperating from the C-section he would crawl up on my bed and offer to rub my back and give me saltines to eat. He would kiss my head and tell me it was OK.
-He LOVES baseball and is a very talented player (if I do say so myself!). Forget T-Ball. This kid is into straight pitching and can hit a large percentage of the pitches dad throws to him- many going out of the yard and over the fence. He loves to act like Babe Ruth and point over the fence before hitting a ball.
- He is a great big brother to both Tanner and Faith.

I could go on and on, but since this is for public viewing, not only my own personal diary, I will keep it short in order not to bore others with my stereotypical mom braggings.

In any case... Happy Birthday, Jake. We love you more each day and wait eagerly as we continue to watch you grow into a wonderful little boy.

The Best Birthday Present Ever

Jake's Auntie Sue, as many of you know, is one of his most favorite people in the world. Ok... who am I kidding? She actually IS his favorite person in the world. For his birthday Auntie Sue decided to fly out to Boise to surprise him. When he got home from school on Friday we told him that a large package had arrived in the mail for him. It was waiting in front of the fireplace. Actually, that's Auntie Sue in there, just waiting for Jake to "open her up". He walked up to the bag, started patting it (her head) and pulling on it (her hair). At that point I warned him that it may be breakable. I helped him get the bow off and lift up the bag...and boy was he surprised!!!

There are so many times in life that we hope for a certain reaction from the people we love, only to be disappointed when they are less than thrilled by a surprise we have arranged or a present we have bought. This was NOT one of those times. He was shocked, yelled excitedly, then ran to daddy laughing hysterically. He threw his arms around Auntie Sue and just hugged and hugged. When we asked him what he thought might have been in that big bag he said, "A chair!".

The two of them have been playing nonstop since.- baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, on the playground, Trouble, Bingo, sword fighting, hide-and-go-seek, and a myriad of other things. Poor Auntie Sue is on her last legs and she has two more days to go!

I think Jake will remember this surprise for the rest of his life: the year he got an "Auntie Sue" for his birthday :) If only all children could be so lucky.

Glad to be Home

I can't believe it is Tuesday already and Faith is a week old. Time flies when you are having fun...

We arrived home from the hospital on Friday afternoon. After showing Faith around her home and settling back in, we had a few hours to rest before picking the boys up from school. That's when the real fun began! Both boys, understandably, were needy and wanted nothing more to do with The Grandmas once mom and dad were back in town. Tanner, especially, was having nothing to do with either Cori or Mary and only wanted DADDY. Since I am unable to pick him up (a little heartbreaking for me, yes) he cried everytime Brian left his sight. Jake- sensitive and emotional in the best of circumstances- tried his best to "behave" but was close to tears anytime anyone looked at him wrong. We spent the weekend trying our best to balance out attention to the two boys and Faith. Luckily it was a gorgeous spring weekend and we got to play baseball outside both days. Tanner was the ball boy, Jake alternated pitching and hitting with Brian, and Mary and Cori were the umpires/Tanner patrol. You guessed it... Faith and I were the loyal fans, cheering from the "bleachers" (a lone lawn chair on the patio). It was just what I needed to push through those initial baby blues and worries of chaos overtaking my world.

Faith seems to be the hungriest of my three babes. Unless I am remembering wrong, the boys didn't wake up that frequently at night to eat. This little girl is up every 1/5-2 hours. She, like her mama, likes her food! She is a doll and I love to watch her sleeping or look at her wide awake eyes as they scan the room, trying to make sense out of this new world she has found herself in. I have to admit I am loving the pink outfits and am getting over my shock each time I change her diaper and find something other than boy parts down there. As trite as it may sound, we are truly blessed by this surprise baby.

Tanner continues to charm with his easy disposition, his expanding vocabulary, the pure joy he exhibits when playing games such as "Throw the Baby Aspirator" and "Monkey Toss", and his wonderful ability to sleep for LONG stretches at night :)

Although Jake continues to vex us with his unwillingness to sleep in his own bed (our room now consists of our bed, the dog's bed, Faith's crib, and Jake's mat) and his sleeping hours now mimic ours: bed at 9, wake up at 7:30 (except he doesn't have to get up with Faith all night long!), we still think he's a keeper and are hoping he won't still be on our floor the night before high school graduation. He is so excited about his birthday party this weekend. He has no idea, but Auntie Sue is showing up for a surprise visit in order to be at the party. The real question is: Will he play with his school friends or only have eyes for his Auntie Sue?

Mom had to leave on Sunday, but it was so nice to have her here while we were in the hospital and for our first two days home. Mary is taking great care of us all as I recuperate. I am actually feeling really good... tired and sore, but good. Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. We miss you all and can't wait to introduce you to the newest (and last!) member of our family :)

At long last......TANNER WALKS!!!!!

In an event worthy of it's own post and not being lumped in with his sister, Gooey's has finally decided to walk. We have had a sneaking suspicion that he has been able to do this for awhile now, but wasn't for some reason.

Well, the night before we went to the hosiptal, he decided to get it over with. Whether it was the impending homecoming of his sister,and him wanting to make sure that the event was not lost in the shuffle, or, as I believe, he didn't feel that his immediate family was a grand enough crowd for the event and wanted to wait until the grandma's got here to unveil his skills, he now toddles all over. None of the two or three shakey steps for our man Goo....he is off full speed across the living room, Mom's hospital room etc.

It's like the quote from Forrest Gump, " From that moment on...anywhere I was going....I was RUNNING." Off to the races Tanner Man...we love you!

Have a little Faith...

Faith Wilder Alan was born on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 @ 9:29 AM. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz and was 21" long. Both Mom and baby are doing fine and resting in the hospital. I am just home for a shower and change of clothes and will be heading right back. It looks like we will be coming home tomorrow sometime. As you can see she already loves her big brothers. Jake has held her each time he has come to visit the hospital and always asks how she is doing.

The boys are having a great time with "the Grandma's" and are both doing fine. We will get some other photos up and somemore tidbits this weeked. We are not allowed to use cell phones and the hospital does not have high speed wireless access, so this has been our first chance to get some pix out. We'll send some more out his weekend once we are home.....

Now All We Need is the Baby...

Brian and I finished Faith's room this weekend. Not that she'll be sleeping in it anytime soon, but the nesting instinct took over and I couldn't resist. I keep hearing stories of babies that showed up on ultrasound as girls turninig out to be boys... based on this room that will be one feminine boy! Let's hope the docs have been right.

After all the apprehension of adding this unplanned third baby, I had an acquaintance say the nicest thing to me yesterday. I was at a wedding shower and one of the women there told me that she believes that the "little spirits" choose the family they want to be with. The woman told me that this baby must have looked down from above and said, "That's one cool family. I want to be a part of that!". Faith Wilder... we are so glad you chose us and we can't wait to meet you.

I go into the hospital on Tuesday morning and the surgery is scheduled for 9:00AM. Wish us luck- and send us your prayers- for a safe delivery and healthy baby.

Top 10 Things Going On With The Alan Family These Days

In no particular order...
1. The boys had a painting party this weekend. Tanner wasn't so much help, really, but as a photo op it couldn't be missed :) Jake ended up bumping into the wall and covering his head and back with green paint. A bath for both boys soon followed.

2. Jake stayed alive- but only barely. Bedtime battles galore. We've tried everything (except for handcuffs) but he simply will not sleep in his own bed. Crying it out only led to night terrors. 4 year old for sale... CHEAP. Please send chocolate...or advice.

3. My last day of work was Friday. It is really hard to believe that I am off for 10 weeks, teach for 4, and then have summer vacation again. Time flies. The staff gave me a wonderful "girly" gift basket of baby stuff for Faith and my class threw me a mini-shower (refreshments were limited to brownies and cheese doritos!)- very sweet as the kids planned and executed the whole thing.

4. Tanner continues to crawl (OK... that's not really news) but had to give the update that HE IS STILL NOT WALKING!!!

5. Valentine's Day was a big hit for Jake. He loved signing all his cards and handing them out. He also loved getting all the special gifts in the mail from grandmas and aunties :) I swear this kid gets more mail than I do!!!

6. Brian and I actually got a date night! Lissa volunteered to babysit for us last weekend and it was so appreciated. Since moving here we have barely been out on our own- except for when grandams or aunties are here to sit. Tanner warmed up to Lissa right after we left and Jake actually cried when she had to go home.

7. There was a fire at Jake and Tanner's daycare. Luckily it was at night so no one was hurt. But they had to close for a day while cleaning all walls and floors and every single toy, utensil, etc... Tanner proved yet again that change is not to be tolerated. He was very upset by the change in environment. He has become very clingy to one of his teachers and refuses to even look at the other teachers without sobbing. In fact, Miss Erin told me this morning that he wouldn't even let HER hold him yesterday because she had her hair down and it threw him for a loop. Oh, boy will this be fun when Faith arrives!

8. I have an interview at the Boise School District this Thursday. Still not sure what I want to do next year, but want to keep options open. I have to admit I feel a little silly walking into an interview 9 months pregnant...

9. Faith is set to arrive (or be "harvested" as Brian says) two weeks from tomorrow. Crazy. I can't wait to meet our little girl (and have her OUT of my body!). We are working on decorating her room and preparing mentally for being outnumbered. Thank goodness grandmas are going to be here to help the first three months!

10. OK... so there's only 9. LOVE to everyone. We miss you!

Tanner Walks! (sort of)

We were sure that our little guy would be an early walker- he wanted to do nothing but stand from age 8 months on. But we were wrong. Here we are, almost 15 months old, and he is just starting to take first steps. He'll push his truck around the house at a maniacal speed, hold onto one of our fingers and walk forever, but if we set him off on his own he plops down on his butt and crawls. As the title suggests, however, he has made a little progress: This week he took three steps on his own.... before plopping down onto his butt and crawling. His favorite thing to do these days is be up HIGH- on the couch, the chairs, the fireplace, the stool- and fearlessly dive off like a cliffdiver. This often, as you may guess, ends in tears. But the next minute he is up there again, raring to go. He still eats like an NFL linebacker- literally more than I eat at one sitting. Any time he sees food, even if he is currently stuffing pizza two fisted into his mouth, he needs to have what you are having, too. This makes dinner a bit of a trial. However, he does eat a good variety of food- shrimp and asparagus pasta, meatballs marinara, pork chops, steak... while his brother is currently surviving on salami and cheese crackers (he calls them "ShaggySandwiches"). Gooeys is talking more, loves the hot tub, sleeps well, knows two baby signs ("please/more" and "all done"), loves to blow on his hot food and tell you to "hush" with his finger aside his nose. He also loves to help his daddy with the laundry- he especially enjoys sorting all the socks. Gotta start 'em young, I say!