The Hat of 2013 (or until his head no longer fits)

I don't like sunscreen. I think it is slimy, smelly, and annoying. So in an effort to protect my baby and as an excuse for me to be lazy I buy Tate hats. Man does he wear them well. This years version is called shark attack! When I bought it he was not a fan at all. With training we have come to an understanding - if Tate wants to play at the park, Tate will wear his hat. He caught on fast and so far we haven't had any problems. Now I just have to make sure I never forget it!

I finally just held the camera in front of his face and shot as he ran off.

What a good looking little man.

Last years model, his head no longer fits.

My Garden

Occasionally I find myself mentally blogging. The things I come up with are so clever and funny, I make myself laugh out loud sometimes. Then when I finally do sit down to blog I wonder where it all went; especially all the mental notes I write myself to help me remember the important stuff. The last couple weeks have been filled with memorable moments. Tate has mastered the word come, the ability to fall off 80% of the things he attempts to climb, and the biological clock to wake up at 6 a.m. sharp. Josh doesn't even set at an alarm any more. Josh and I went on a double date to a delightful/scary rib diner. The food was delicious, except for the bread... We think it was microwaved Walmart bread with butter; none of us dared to try it. The ribs were very tasty though and it was fun to go on a date!

Tate chugging some root beer.

Sharing a smoothie to celebrate 17 months.

Date Night

So last Sunday I decided it was time to start my garden. Before conference Tate and I played in the dirt and planted my seeds in a little indoor greenhouse. A week later I can't even put the lid on it because my zucchini plants are too tall! Tate watched me water it once last week with a water bottle and later Josh found him watering the floor, the table, and himself with the same one. What a little smarty pants. There is definitely something rewarding about watching the plants grow and I am amazed by how they lean so steadily toward the sun. I keep spinning the container around in the window so I can feel like they are growing straight!

1 week of growth

Tater Tales: First Easter

My favorite boys in the whole wide world!

Since Josh had the day off today, we decided to celebrate with eggs, candy, cars, and plastic grass. Tate woke up at 5 a.m. so we had an early start on the day to go get all of our sweet supplies for a sweet deal. My husband is so sweet to put up with his cheap wife. (I'm such a nerd) Tate had so much fun on his Easter egg hunt. He would walk from one striking egg to the next one that caught his eye, skipping several in between. He has definitely not mastered the efficiency of a speedy retrieval. One day his siblings will be sure to help him acquire the skill. Josh thinks 7 eggs would have been plenty, especially because it was chilly today. After about that many he started collecting rocks and other treasures in his basket too! He also got some books and a car from his grandparents to make the day even better. The thing that held his attention the longest was the plastic grass; who knew it was so much fun to throw, put on your head, and stomp on. At one point he got some stuck on his arm just out of reach and demonstrated his "tail chasing" skills. Such a funny little man.

Yesterday we had Easter dinner with some friends at our house. It was fun to host friends and the food was delicious. My friend even dyed Easter eggs with me while our husbands worked on the Batman skills, Wii style. What a blessing it is to be able to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior. We are so blessed with the gospel and the knowledge that we can live with God and our families forever.

This last couple of weeks Tate has acquired so many new skills. His jumping is improving and occasionally he even gets off the ground. He says By bye very well and has added See ya to his farewells along with blowing kisses. Sometimes it just turns into making out with his hand, but it is truly adorable. He mastered hanging from the benches at church last week and even transferred that knowledge to the bars at the park. He will be doing monkey bars before I know it. At the mall a couple of weeks ago Tate was walking along and an old lady (we go out during the day and frequently get funny comments from elderly friends) commented to her husband "Oh look, he has short legs like mine." I couldn't stop laughing. At the rate he is growing they won't stay short much longer. His favorite new past time is preaching. One Sunday I took him to the pulpit with me in Primary and the very next day he made his own pulpit, a box of wipes in front of his diaper bucket. He proudly steps onto the box, bangs on the bucket and delivers his speech, followed by a resonant Amen. I can't help but laugh. It is pretty cute. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He constantly surprises me by feeding his animals food and drinks from his sippy. He even has started going through the mail and any ads he finds with cars he carries around for hours. Josh and I have discussed a car magazine subscription for him. He could use more light reading. Last week 4 teeth broke the surface and we are looking at 3 or 4 more soon. His swollen gums make me cringe but he is handling them like a champion. Oh how I love him!!!