13 Month Older and Wiser too!

This is the face he makes when dad gets out his camera because the flash is blinding :)

Tate turned 13 months today! I truly can't believe how fast he is growing along with his appetite! Man my boy can eat. :) Tonight at dinner he showed his brilliance by trying to hide his green beans in his pouch. A chip off the old block; a couple of weeks ago I hid my collared greens under some chicken. He must have been taking notes. He is now mimicking words and running like the wind. I love my little man!

Oh the Blond Moments of Me...

Growing up, the fall time change was the BEST thing ever because Saturday became an hour longer. Now that I'm grown up (well now that I'm a mother), I'm not so sure how I feel about the time changing. It simply throws everyone's schedules off; and with my brilliant brains schedules get catapulted out the window. Saturday night I obediently turned my clock BACK an hour just like the bishopric reminder said; it should have said forward if you ask me. I woke up to no alarm, thinking my phone had simply malfunctioned, and proceeded to get ready for early morning meetings. I was cruising along waiting for my ride when the love of my life came downstairs and sleepily said, "Do you know what time it is, have you looked at your phone?" Who checks their phone at 6 a.m.? I looked and lo and behold it was almost 5 a.m. I was ready for church by 5 a.m. That my friends is a new record for me. Wide awake and alert I decided to lay back down and see if I could salvage at least an hour more of sleep. My mind started winding down and just as I was reaching sleepy the boy next door was wide awake. In my obedient clock changing I had also put my child to bed at 7 p.m.-now 6 p.m. I have never wanted church to be any earlier than 9 but yesterday I would have been happy with 6 o'clock meetings! My early morning meetings that I finally attended were the most lively I have ever sat in. the extra hour of sleep did those men good. Tate napped 20 minutes at church and decided that was all he needed for the whole day. During his quiet time while I napped he discovered he could reach his dresser drawers from his crib, and empty the contents onto the floor. He never ceases to amaze me. It was a LONG but wonderful day... Oh my brilliant blond moments.

Tater Tales: Reasons We Know Tate Belongs to Us (Part 1)

As Tate's personality emerges more and more every day, his many quirks acquired from his parents are starting to shine through. One of my favorites is his love of delectable items; namely ice cream and chocolate. There is a fast-food joint out here call Culver's that serves frozen custard. It is delicious and more friendly on the pocket book than the other wonderful ice cream shop. Word on the street (well word from my Wisconsin born friend) is that custard is different because it is made with eggs. I don't want to do the homework to check if that's true, but it is yummy! We took Tate there about a month ago and he LOVED sharing my shake with me. He would dip his blue spoon in and out savoring each morsel that got in his mouth. I think I was wearing about as much as he ate, but his happiness was worth it! Thank goodness for washing machines. A week later I went to Culver's with some friends and upon returning home deposited my empty cup in the garbage which now resides on our counter top. The next morning as Tate was sitting in his high chair, eating his squashed banana, he spied the Culver's cup. He was NOT happy. My little man knew what he missed out on and made sure I knew he wasn't happy about it. It was the same kind of reaction I would give to Josh if he got ice cream without me! We promptly took the garbage out. I was grateful Tate is still easily distracted. Lesson Learned - share ice cream or be more sneaky with hiding the remains.

Tater Tales: First Halloween

"Roar"

Yesterday Tate had his first Trick-or-Treating experience. They do it two nights here, one city one night, and the city next door the next day. I would have definitely cashed in on the candy when I was growing up! We decided it must be for security purposes...  Anyway... we were outside for 30 minutes and visited 6, maybe 7 houses. We were cruising! The dogs we saw, the freedom of no stroller, children everywhere to follow, and the cool decorations were the highlights of Halloween. The candy was pretty cool, but after being denied the opportunity to inspect every piece after each house it lost its appeal. One lady even gave out raisins just for the little tikes!  Tate even got to ride in his new car seat and loved being able to see out the window; he didn't utter a single complaint the whole car ride long. After trick-or-treating he was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to eat some smarties. He devoured the whole package (don't worry he brushed his teeth later). Next year I'm sure will be a whole new ball game, but we had a lot of fun! Maybe we will even go again tonight!

Tater Tales: Picking Dandelions

At the park today Tate LOVED picking dandelions. The playground was worth 2 minutes, but the field of dandelions was hard to part with. He would pick one for both hands, waddle to the next one, squat down, decide which flower to part with, evaluate his decision, and start all over. He had to have 2 and they had to be the best!  As I watched him I couldn't help but think of one of my worst fears growing up; my child would be a dandelion picker on the soccer field. I have since learned the art of worrying and real fears as a mother and know how ridiculous that notion truly is. But to console myself I did rationalize that at the rate he tires of things, he will be uninterested in dandelions long before he wears a jersey on the field.

My ADORABLE Baby Boy

I love Saturdays! Josh is home all day and today Tate has been EXTRA sweet. We went on our daily walk this morning to the park and daddy came with us! Good things happen when Josh tags along; I know I need to have my camera ready. Here's what memory we made today...

A Whirlwind Weekend

Josh's little brother got married last weekend and we are so grateful we got to go!!! It was beautiful! I felt like I was worth maybe half a person when it came to helping, due to my little man, but being able to support them was a blessing. The weekend flew by and Tate was an amazing little traveler. I'm so thankful he is so good! Here are some snapshots :)

Tater Tales: 8 Months Old

My baby turned 8 months old today!!! It's crazy how time flies. He is now a mobile little mommy's boy. For dinner I pulverized some spaghetti for him and he absolutely loved it! I never could have imagined how fun it would be to share food with my little man. I just want to share with him all the delicious things my plate has to offer, but I'm sure it will happen soon enough.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

It's funny how the older you get, the faster weeks go by, but days seem slower... I still don't quite understand. The last month has been full of study, fun, and delicious food. My favorite place many days is the kitchen because I get to create something useful and get a couple of minutes to myself to do so. My little boy is growing up so fast. I LOVE him so much! Sometimes I feel like this blog is more of a picture posting spot for him than something for me, like today. Enjoy the photos. :)

Tater Tales - The Mysterious Wet Spot

Today after eating a delightful lunch while feeding my child puffs, I picked up Tate to head out on our walk... That's when my fingers encountered the mysterious wet spot. It was located on the left side of his back, just above the diaper. I jumped to the conclusion of BLOWOUT!!! My mind started to map out the next ten minutes of changing, bathing, cleaning clothes, and a finding new outfit. Just in case, I smelled the suspicious spot... It didn't smell... What could it be... I'd changed his diaper just before lunch and it hadn't been there when I put him in the highchair.. had it? I retraced his movements from his nap to his highchair to his current position in my arms. I checked his diaper and it was dry... curious... well I had given him a cup with an ounce of water at lunch and somehow it must have ended up on his back... somehow... a couple of minutes of tummy time solved the problem and we were back on for our park adventure. Oh the daily excitements of motherhood!

Tater Tales - Teething

 Have you ever wondered why babies slobber so much? Or why they seem ornery some days? Or why EVERYTHING ends up in their mouth? The answer Josh and I now claim for these things is teething. All of our baby problems stem from this phenomenon. :) It's crazy to see what designs he can carve into his toys with his one razor sharp tooth. And he still has a whole mouthful more to come...

Tate's Laugh

 

(I forgot the video was still on so there is nothing to see after the first minute...) 

There are few things better in life than hearing your baby laugh after a long day! It's music to a a mother's ears. Life is busy and sometimes days are long. I just got called to the Primary Presidency which makes Wednesday nights with one car truly an adventure. Josh has Young Mens/Scouts and I now have cub scouts and getting to two places at the same time is something we need to perfect. We both hate being late; I mean dislike more than eating seafood. We will definitely be better next week. Tate just goes along for the adventure and tries to stay happy. Being a baby has to be hard stuff. Teething can't possibly be fun, and sitting facing backwards in the car with nothing to look at and no AC is no piece of cake! But family makes life wonderful and worth all the adventures there are.

A Wonderful Life

Everyday I am surrounded by adorable boys. Sometimes I wonder which one is older... On Monday Josh and I celebrated our two year anniversary. It was a wonderful day. Josh brought me home an orange Gerber daisy plant to last the whole season through. I'm hoping my plant growing skills are better than my mothers and that I can keep it alive long enough for more flowers to grow!  

Waffle Sundaes

Growing up with three sisters sharing one bathroom made for busy mornings at my house. Breakfast most days was not a priority, except on the weekends. Saturday we ate Dad's breakfast burritos loaded so large a girl could usually only comfortably eat half. They were delicious and tasted the best when they were warm, which made them worth getting up for. Sundays were the best though; if we were up and ready for church on time we got waffle sundaes. These babies were loaded with ice cream, chocolate topping, peanut butter, whipped cream, anything we could find in the fridge and they were scrumptious! What kid wouldn't love a sugar overload in the morning? They've morphed into something much healthier and still continue at my house, but in the beginning they were decadent, beautiful, and cavity worthy. I share this memory because today I was given a waffle maker and on Mother's Day the waffle sundae is going to have a debut at my house!

A Dismal Day in Davenport

The title of this blog is an alliteration, when two or more words together start with the same letter. Random piece of information to refresh all readers of something they should have learned around first grade and, because of its usefulness, forgotten. Yesterday it rained for 5 hours straight and today clouds hid the blazing ball of burning light from sun-up to sun-down. The water seemed to hang in the air giving the day a dreary look and feel, but hopefully tomorrow will be brighter. Natural light is so much more uplifting than artificial lamps.

Fried Chicken

On the typical Sunday Josh and I have someone over for dinner, but tonight we were turned down three times! Sad day for them though because I made fried chicken for the first time in my life and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!  I love trying new recipes and new things in the kitchen, especially when they turn out as amazing as the chicken did today. So for your enjoyment I am including the recipe link - Double Dipped Fried Chicken  The only thing I did different was use plain old chicken strips and add some ranch flavor to the flour mix. Ranch powder is one of the best seasonings a kitchen can hold. Thank yous Sam's Club for carrying the big bottle. Josh has never loved dinner so much or complimented my cooking quite so nicely. He even said it was comparable to Chick-fil-a on the deliciousness scale; this is the big time. It's worth trying! :) Tate loved watching and chewing on his bottle. His first tooth is coming in!! My baby is growing up!

Living the Dream

Today was the dream mommy life for me. I got to work quick this morning and had already showered by eight o'clock!!! (trust me miracles do happen) I got sheets in the washer and then it happened... Josh came home early and gave me the gift of wheels... It was truly a beautiful thing to be able to drive around in the morning. I have never enjoyed errand running more in my life. I bought a printer cartridge and milk, the necessities of life. It is kind of ridiculous how much I enjoyed it. After our morning of errands Tate took a long and luxurious nap and even afforded me to take one! Then for dinner we had little smokies wrapped in bread. Ever since I was pregnant they are in my top ten most delicious foods ever created. At six o'clock my childhood dream of playing soccer on a college team came true. Palmer has a women's team! It's completely recreational but so much fun, perfect for my rusty skills. We won by a lot! When I got home Josh was still at scouts with Tate so I had a whole half hour to myself. I honestly can't remember the last time I had that happen... It was weird. I didn't know what to do. To top off the whole day I made a fruit smoothie. This is definitely a skill that I am still working on perfecting. The secret ingredient tonight was Tate's baby food peaches (I needed something more and didn't want to go to the store, plus I figured it gets all blended up anyways). It was absolutely delightful! 

A Beautiful Day

Today the weather was absolutely perfect! The sun was shining and clouds floated across the sky. It was just like picnic weather from the movie Up in my favorite five minute beginning segment. SO we went on a picnic. Tate and I joined the other one child mothers at a park. Parks here are nothing like at home. Out here parks are like LDS churches in Utah; there is one at least every few miles and they are beautiful! Being a Tuesday we even got to walk through the park conservatory for free! There were some crazy flowers and hidden hedges shaped like animals from the zoo. It was similar to a real life search and find. My favorite part was pointing out all the flowers that had been in my wedding bouquet to Tate; they were the only flowers I knew the name of. After our picnic we went for a leisurely stroll and Tate decided he was tired. Instead of laying back in his car seat and relaxing he did the elderly man nod off... I must admit I watched him a couple times and chuckled before helping him lay back. It was too cute to resist!  

The Burger

Recently I have had an obsessive craving for a large juicy burger loaded with bacon and cheese... I'm not talking the fast food kind that makes you never want a burger again and leaves your stomach squirming; I crave much more than that.  For the last couple weeks I've told Josh every day about it. I think it came from the good weather and the delicious smell of grilling that emanates through the air on my afternoon walks. The problem is we don't have a grill, and we are still working on making friends with someone who does and desires to share with us. So today for dinner we decided to fulfill my craving in the name of a graduation celebration. We went to Red Robin. It was delicious! Tate can now sit up by himself so he sat in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time! He loved the lights, the music, and anything he could grab off of the table. The menu was his first choice and with his quick speed he got a bite of napkin too. By the time our food arrived he was done sitting and out of new things to do so we ate much faster than I had hoped; I guess that's life with a kid. My burger was everything I needed, complete with guacamole; it doesn't get any better than that. I wonder what craving tomorrow will bring...

Tater Tales - I am Baby Hear Me Roar

Tate has recently discovered a new octave and volume level for his voice. It begins with excitement. He flexes every muscle in his little body (and trust me he has one very strong little body) and then he lets it out. The noise is similar to a dying animal; it is loud, scary, and lasts quite a while. He thinks it's funny and I think he enjoys the attention that comes with it. Today at church Josh was teaching the lesson with Tate standing beside him and Tate decided to show off his talented voice skills. He put his muscles to work and Tate let it rip. One of Josh's young men said, "I am baby, hear me roar!" Babies are adorable... What can you do?

Graduation

I officially graduated from BYU today! I feel like I did forever ago but today made it official. Since walking in Utah wasn't quite feasible we held our own little ceremony in our living room. Dr. Browning (who even dressed up and put a tie on - a tie definitely means he loves me) made me a diploma compete with polka dots and Tate squealed some inspiring words. It was perfect. :) Then to celebrate we decorated our sliding glass door with a scene of where we wish we were... It was fun and a lot shorter than watching everyone walk across the stage! I am sad I didn't get a picture in a cap and gown though.. I guess I'll just borrow Josh's in 4 years to relive the photographic moment I missed!