Lyonslove

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-14T18:39:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas friends! In an attempt to save time and money this holiday season we decided to not send out Christmas Cards. My beautiful friend Jen Bunch Tompkins made this card for us anyways because she loves us so much! Our friends Carl and Carrie went down to San Juan with us and we took turns taking family pictures for one another. Thanks friends for the help with our card. Now for our Christmas letter...

The kids have grown up so much this year! Tanner is in his 2nd year of preschool in the Penguin class. He could not love school any more and his teacher is amazing! Tanner played AYSO soccer this year and was the leading scorer on the Tiger team! Our parents were at almost every game cheering him on!

Peyton will be in preschool next year and she is looking forward to it. She loves drinking tea with her Grandmas, reading books, playing with dolls and doing everything her brother is doing. She is fearless and is excited to be tall enough to ride Tower of Terror at Disneyland. She continues to bring us so much laughter into our home.

Kipp and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this summer. It is exciting to see how much we have grown in 10 years! We feel so blessed.

From our home to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas! May God's love fill you with a peace that passes all understanding during this season and always. Love, The Lyons

The best part of 09!

2011-01-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

I know we are 2 weeks into a new year, but I wanted to look back at last year because it was pretty great! In one year Kipp and I go 3 new nephews! This is my parents with all 9 of their Grandkids.
Thanksgiving time with some cousins. Peyton, Kembe, Tanner, Alex and Karis watch a movie together.
Duzi and Kembe had their first American Holidays this year. Duzi is 5 and came home from Souh Africa with Micahel, Jodie, Alex and Caleb to Washington. Over Thanksgiving week we got to meet him.
Kembe at Christmas with his cousins and Grandparents.
Happy Christmas!
Both of my brothers and Kipp's sister adopted their little boys this year. Please continue to pray for finalization of Jeremiah's adoption. He came into our hearts this summer. He is just 2 weeks younger than Peyton. We are so blessed by our 3 newest family members!

Day out with Thomas

2010-12-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

We have been so blessed to have made great friends with The Bunges. Their kids are the same age as our and we always have a great time together. Caden is a few days younger than Tanner and Camryn is a few weeks younger than Peyton. Carrie and I both teach part time in Tustin, and both of our husbands are so funny and great dads. It is so nice having them as our friends.

A few weeks ago we took our kids to see Thomas. It was at an old Train Museum and we all had a great time.
My mom bought the kids matching Thomas Shirts!
The kids loved sitting together on the train ride.
Here is Thomas! Really they just put this on the front of a really old train, but it was still exciting.
We had such a great time. The kids and Kipp all slept the whole way home. It was a great family day out.

Going to Preschool

2010-07-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today Tanner went to Preschool for the first time. When I drove into the parking lot I got a little overwhelmed. This is my little guy. I love him so much. He has showed me how to be a mommy. I remember the drive home from the hospital with him. It just made me think of all the times where I will say I can't believe...he is in Kindergarten, playing soccer, going to camp, in Jr. High, going to dances, going to college. I love him! I want to enjoy every day of his young life.

When I picked him up he gave me a big hug and told me that he had a time out, but only one. He had trouble understanding the rules of the slide. He then showed me a beautiful watercolor that he had done. Kipp and I just kept saying that we are so proud of him, he is our big boy.

ROAD TRIP

2010-07-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

My mom and I took the kids on a road trip up to Boise. It was so much fun!!! Here is a little of our adventure. We spent one night in Bishop, Ca and stocked up at this little bakery.
The kids had a blast staying the night in a hotel with a swimming pool and everything.
I made Tanner wear a bib so he could eat in the car.
My mom was so great...she wrapped up little gifts for the kids. Every time the kids started going crazy they would get to open on.
We also drove through a lot of desert. We thought it might be a good idea to have an ice cream break.
We stayed the other night of our trip in a B & B in the tiny town of Ely, Nevada. We got in late but the sun was out until 10. There was an old train station that we got to explore after it was closed. The kids loved it!!!
They were so dirty from eating in the car all day.
This was our little B & B. The kids were so good to stay quiet. It was tricky for all 4 of us staying in 1 room. Peyton woke up at 5:45am. We snuggled in bed for about 15 minutes then Peyton was ready to play. So we played in the bath for an hour, got dressed and went back to check out the trains. We had been awake for 2 hours by the time Tanner and Grandma woke up.

It was all worth it to get to see Kelle, Aaron and their baby Jeremiah. They took baths together and Uncle Aaron read some bedtime stories.
Kelle and Aaron loved showing us around. The kids just loved not being in the car.
It was nice to see the kids playing together. Cousins are pretty special in our family.
Peyton had so much fun in the water.
A picnic in the park. I am standing on my tippy-toes trying to be tall like Kelle.
Aaron has stepped into fatherhood with ease. He has always been a great uncle so its no surprise.

I bought the kids matching outfits. Tanner has a sad face because he didn't like how the babies kept walking away from him. I tried to tell him that they are just babies, that's just what they do.
It was fun going to one of my favorite places, Cracker Barrel.

We spent a lot time in the backyard with the kids.
Grandma sprung for ice cream from the ice cream man. It hit the spot.
Love her! I think Peyton loved being the only girl with 5 boys.
About 20 minutes away lives my childhood friend Janel. We grew up next door each other. She has 3 boys. It was fun watching our kids play together.
We were there for my mom's birthday. It was a perfect backyard BBQ Party. (Later that night I slept with Tanner and in his dream he said-I want cake.)
I loved that Janel and Kelle could meet. They are both 2 of the nicest people that I have even known. And now they are both great moms. We had the best trip. I loved that my mom drove us on this wonderful trip. I grew up going on road trips with my family and I want to pass that onto my kids.

Summer Time

2010-07-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

The first week school was out we took the kids beach camping. Tanner spent 3 nights with my parents and Peyton and I spent 1 night in the tent. It was great.

We brought the water table so the kids weren't always in the ocean.
When we got home we just relaxed by doing some art. This is Peyton's first time to color.

Good Clean Fun

2010-07-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

My mom and I just got back from a great road trip to Boise to meet my new nephew, son of Aaron Bond and Kelle Lyons-Bond. I took about a million pictures and I don't have time to blog about it today.
It was very hot during our trip. When we got home I think we left summer weather there. It has been so gloomy. We still have our water table away but I wanted to have some back yard fun. I got my shaving cream out...
It did smell like strawberries so how can you blame them for putting it in their mouths. Peyton loved it and jumper right in. It took Tanner a little longer to join in the fun.
I think Peyton looks so cute in Tanner's old shirt. By the end the 3 of us were all covered. Tanner would put it on his chin and say, Ho, Ho, Ho.
When we heard Kipp come in the house we all tried to hide in the backyard like he was going to be mad that we were all such messes. A fun afternoon. I am reminded that it doesn't take too much to make a fun memory.

Snack Time

2010-06-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

My kids love snacks. I love when we get to eat together.
I can't put into words how much I love these kids. I feel like Kipp and I have sacrificed a lot for me to be able to work part time and spend so much time with our kids. I don't think there is any dollar amount that could replace these memories that I get to make. I love that I am the one who gets them out of bed's in the morning, who gives them their snack, reads them stories, or takes them to the park.
Like every mom, I am always making food or cleaning it up, or doing laundry. When I do these things I feel grateful that I get to care for my kids in this way. Grateful that they need me. I feel like by serving them, I am loving them.
Tanner is such a great big brother. Man he loves his sister so much. Just this morning we were walking downstairs to have breakfast and Peyton had stopped to take a break. When Tanner got downstairs he started yelling, "Peyton's alone, Peyton's alone. Don't worry sweetie we are coming." He cares for her so deeply. I hope he is always so protective.
Peyton wants to be just like Tanner. If he gets a juice box than she has to have one. Even when they are in the car together they are making each other laugh.

Our Day in Laugna

2010-05-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Lunch with a view. Can you believe this day. We went for a drive and had a picnic. We were going to main beach. When we drove by it was too crowded so we kept driving. Tanner kept saying, "What a great day."
It really was. The sun came out and it was so clear.
The kids ran around and loved it.
There were some dumb bunnies around. My kids were chasing them, and rather than the bunnies just running into the bushes they just ran around the grass.
Tanner is growing up so fast. He picked out his clothes and got dressed all by himself. He got his hat and told me it is because it was sunny and he is responsible.

Peyton got her first pair of Vans. She loves her shoes.

Who needs Sea World. We watched the seals on the rocks for a long time.
What a beautiful day. I really love hanging out with these two.

I LOVE being a Mom

2010-05-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love being a mom. Tanner has filled our live with more joy than we could ever have dreamed. Then our little surprise Peyton is such a doll. She has a handful of words, one of them is CHEESE!! I try to have fun in everything that we do. Here we are at a family trip to Lowes.
For Mother's Day Kipp took the kids to Color me Mine and they painted a frame with the kids hand prints on it. They put this picture in it. They are in Peyton's room. So cute!
We have so much fun doing normal, everyday things. We also have a blast going to our favorite place, Disneyland.
Hi Goat. Say hello to your mother for me.
Working part time has been so amazing. I love the days that I get to spend with the kids.
Peyton is such a copy cat. She wants to be just like Tanner. She loves juice boxes. The other day I asked the kide, "Who's ready to go to church?" Tanner yelled, "ME!" Then Peyton yelled, "Maa." At the same volume that she had just heard.

These kids are such a joy to me. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband. They are at the store right now buying food to Bar-b-q and I am alone is a quite house. Happy Mother's Day to everyone who is a mom or who has a mom.
Thank you to my mom who taught me how to love without condition.

31 cent Ice Cream Night

2010-04-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I took the kids to 31 flavor for 31 cent scoop night. It was so much fun. Everyone was happy to be spending under a dollar for a yummy treat. Peyton had her own cone and managed to get ice cream everywhere, even in her hair. Tanner switched when Tan wanted Rainbow Schubert instead of his Mint Chip. I love when I feel like a thrifty and fun mom. Last night I did.

Face Paint Fun

2010-04-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to an Easter Event. Tanner loves getting his face painted so Peyton watched him get an egg on his face. Then I thought maybe Peyton would hold still. She did! She is our cute little bunny. Happy Spring!

Legoland

2010-04-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

I love sharing a contract with my mom but the bad thing about it is that we don't get to play together during the school year. Over Spring Break we had a ball playing together. One day we took my kids, plus Jafta to Legoland.
Here we are at the Bob the Builder 4D show. It was hot so we all had hats and sunscreen on.
Cute boys in board shorts.
Here is a great picture that Tanner took of Peyton and I.
I was so proud of my mom for taking the boys on the giant slide.
Peyton loved climbing in and out of the Lego cars.
To end the day Jafta and Tanner got to drive the cars around the track.

I bought a Model Mom's Pass. It cost $77. oo and I get in free every Thursday to Legoland and to the Sealife Legoland park, plus free parking. To go one day it costs $67 and to park it is $12. As you can see I saved money right off the bat. It was a little busy when we were there so I look forward to going when it isn't too busy. Plus every week they have special programs. Every week they have a special class such as Stroller Stride class, play groups, music and art classes. I feel like it is the best deal in So Cal.

So let me know if you want to join me. I look forward to many more visits this year.

Tanner's Craft

2010-04-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

I want to give Tanner every opportunity to be what every he wants to be. He loves to skateboard, sing and to do art. But he really loves taking pictures! Here are just a few of his masterpieces.
Daddy's Shoe
Dancing Mommy
Sister in Costco
No You Didn't!
Fuzzy Face
Tanner's Chin
No Make-Up Mommy in Costco.
Maybe Christie could give him a few pointers on how to photo shop.

I need a break...

2010-03-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend Kipp was out of town so the kids and I held down the fort alone. I really missed him! Not just to help me take care of the kids, although that is a HUGE reason that I missed him, but I just missed him spending time with us as a family. I feel so blessed to have a husband who loves me and two healthy and adorable kids. The times that the 4 of us are together and having fun are the best times for me. It is nice to have time away to remind us of how great we have it.

When Kipp got home on Sunday night I was telling him how much we all really missed him. I am getting to go away next month for a girls weekend that I am really looking forward to. Kipp told me that if I had a hard time then he is going to die when he is alone with the kids for 3 days.

Being parents is a 24-7 job. It is nice to have a break once in a while. It helps us realize how great our life is.
Glad you're home baby.

Playing Dress Up

2010-03-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that a year ago I was just getting used to having 2 kids. A year later I have no greater joy than watching my kids play and laugh together. My prayer is that they will be close forever.
Tanner's Mimi Spiker sent me a silly You Tube that made me cry like a baby about enjoying the ordinary days of being a parent. I really try to. On this day we were playing dress up. Peyton got this outfit as a hand me down from Halle and Tanner picked it out for her. I had to remind Tanner that even though he was a dragon he should not bit. It was just a simple, plain, wonderful, ordinary day.

Double Birthday

2010-03-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I won a FREE birthday party at the Little Gym in SC. Peyton and Tanner's Birthday are 2 weeks apart so I decided to have a joint party. We were able to invite our family and some friends to play with us on Saturday.
Peyton loved rolling and running around. She is a great walker!!
There were 2 teachers who did a great job with all of the kids.
Halle Beth Smith and Haley Beth Templeton are about 6 months apart and they had a blast playing together.
The big kids.
All of the kids and parents had a great time. I kept looking around the room and feeling so blessed to have such wonderful friends. It is so nice to have friends that love our kids so much.
The babies...
Peyton B., Brody, Camryn, Karis, Peyton L., and Cyrus. Yes Peyton and I are matching!
Happy Birthday Peyton and Tanner.
Jafta made fast friends with Tanner's My Gym boys, Carson and Caden. (Happy Birthday to Caden TODAY!!) Love ya boy.
Kristen isn't doing anything in her life right now so she made cupcakes for the party. Thanks Kristen. They were perfect. We had a pot luck party where several of my friends and family brought things to the party. All I did was the favors. My mom brought ice cream and toppings, Grandma and Grandpa Lyons bought the pizzas, Jackie and Derek brought the soda, Uncle JJ brought the waters, Steph and Jon brought the fruit, and Andi and Dusty brought the veggies. THANKS FRIENDS. I will return the favor anytime.
My baby doll. Happy Birthday little princess.
After the party the grandparents came back to our house to open gifts. It was the perfect day. Tanner was bouncing off the walls. After we put the kids to bed we kept saying, why are we so tired?

Happy Birthday Princess Pey Pey

2010-02-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

2-20 Was Peyton's Birthday!
I honestly can't put into words how much I love this little girl. I fell so blessed to have a little daughter. I love snuggling her and helping her walk. I love her little pony tail and the cute clothes that I dress her in. I love the way her laughs at Tanner when he is being silly. I think it's the best when she gets so excited that she bites. She is the best.
Aunt Jodie got this front pack when I had Tanner. It has helped me carry both of my kids many days. I love having Pey in here and snuggling her close.
What a happy girl.
She loves her daddy!
Grandma Lyons got her these glasses for Christmas. I am holding her hand so she won't take them off.
I love her blue eyes and big beautiful face. This has been a great year Peyton. I have loved getting to know this little girl and having her become a huge part of our family. Happy Birthday baby girl!!

The last 2 weeks have felt like a year.

2010-01-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

If you are my friend on Facebook than you have seen these pictures, if not this is what my life has been like. Here is our new and improved family (missing the Howertons Northwest).
Saturday we all went to LAX to welcome Daddy Mark with his boy Kembert. What an amazing day! There are no words to thank our friends for all of the prayers and letters people had written our Mark and Kristen's account.
It is a wonderful ending and a wonderful beginning.
To see Kembert for the first time was so touching. I have seen pictures of this boy for years. I have prayed for him and wanted to have him here so bad. Kipp and I had talked to Tanner about him and Tan was so excited to meet him.
Waiting...
There were so many kids and friends at the airport. As the controlling mom that I am I mad my kids stay in their strollers as long as possible.
In the middle of these crazy weeks Kipp had a birthday! We went out with his parents and Kipp and I even had a date!
Happy Birthday baby! We went to dinner and a movie, just the 2 of us. I love this boy. Thirty-two looks good on you.
I had a police officer come to my school to talk to my students. They loved it! This is just 1/2 my class. She finished her presentation just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.
This girl is so close to walking!! She has 5 teeth and likes to point. Her birthday is a few weeks away and I can't believe she is almost 1. I love her more and more every day. She loves to play trains with Tanner and to play Little People. And by play, I mean eat. She can copy sounds that she hears. Right now she is saying ba-ba.
Seeing Kristen at the airport was such a blessing. I am so honored to have 3 amazing, Godly sister-in-laws. I was so scared for her when she was in Haiti during the earthquake. Hearing she was alright wasn't enough for me. I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. When I say her I was making the same noise I made when my kids were born. Moaning like a baby, crying and my heart was overflowing with joy!

While Kristen was gone we took India to Tanner's Gym class and she loved it. She was the only girl in the class. She is so different from Tanner. She is cautious and didn't want to fall or get hurt. Tanner is a bring-it-on kind of guy.

So I thought things had settled down. Saturday and Sunday I got sick. I was feeling better today so I went to work. Kipp went to work and Tanner and Peyton went to daycare. First Kipp called me because he had gotten sick at work and gone home. An hour later Tanner got sick and I had to leave work in the middle of the day to pick him up. If you want the stomach flu please stop by our house and say hi.

Waiting...Wanting...Finally he is here!

2010-01-23T08:58:00.001-08:00

I am so happy to report that Kembert is in the US and he and Mark will be in LA today. I can't wait to see him. Tanner and I have been looking at pictures of him all morning. Tanner wants Kembert to come to our house to play. He is really excited and I don't think he really knows why. I just keep telling him that this is his new cousin and that is all he wants to know.

IN HIS ARMS http://yfrog.com/4esvljj0

A Long Week

2010-01-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Tuesday:
I was with Jafta, India, Tanner and Peyton at my mom's house when I found out that there had been an earthquake in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. I talked to my friend Jen and she was telling me about it. I called Kipp and he said that he read on Facebook that Kristen was alright. Then I went on with my afternoon of hanging out with 4 little people that I love so much.

About an hour later we talked to Mark on the phone. He wanted the kids to stay at my parents house so he could go home and figure out what was happening. That night after dinner I took my kids home and put them to bed. That was when I got online and started watching the news. Kipp and I sat in our bed watching the news and tears just streamed down my face.

Wednesday:
I felt helpless. I brought pictures of Kristen, Karis and Keanan to school and asked my friends at work to pray for them. (Not my best teaching day). My parents brought Jafta and India by to have lunch with me at school. I felt like by loving Kristen's kids that I was loving her.

Thursday:
I took my kids up to Mark's house to play. A friend of Mark's helped me take all 4 kids to McDonalds for lunch and play time. We stayed there for 2 hours giving Mark a break at home. We took the kids back and I took India home with me. After naps we went to Tanner's My Gym class.
Circle Time Questions? What is your name and what is your favorite song?
Tanner-"My name is Tanner, my favorite song is ABCD."
India-"My name is India."
Tanner-:That's my girl."
India- "My favorite song is The Boys Are Back. Actually it's my brother's favorite song."
So cute. They had a great time playing together.
Home for baths and bedtime. I love combing and braiding India's long hair after bath. We put Tanner to sleep first. When I took India in his room to go to bed I asked her if she wanted a bear and she said that she wanted me to snuggle her. I did just that. I laid with her until she was asleep just rubbing her back and praying. She cried out at 4 and I just snuggled her again.

Friday:
Woke up and Kipp and I got 3 kids ready for the day and we were out of the house by 7:45. We dropped Kipp at work then we took India to preschool. Mark and I met up then dropped her in her class. That is when Mark told me that Kristen would be home TONIGHT! I have tried to have a happy face this week because I was with the kids so much. But after hearing that news I just held my brother and couldn't stop crying. I am so thankful that Kristen is coming home. She is such an amazing woman and such a great mother. I can't imange the reunion that will take place tonight. Thank you Jesus for bring this mother home. For bring this wife home to her husband.

As I read The Livesay's Haiti blog I am reminded of the prayer that needs to continue. This is far from over I know. Please keep praying.

Haiti

2010-01-14T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. Th1ank you for your love for my family. Thank you for your prayers for Kristen. As many of you know Kristen and Karis are in Haiti and were there for the earthquake on Tuesday. I am not the best writer and right now my heart is just so sad. Please read Howertons OC and Howertons Northwest. My gifted sisters have expressed what is going on better than I could.

I am also praying for Mark. I know he just wants his family to be together and safe. I'm sure as a husband all you want to do is protect your family.

2009 You Were Good To Us

2009-12-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

I feel like we blinked and this year has come and gone. I started the year very pregnant and having no idea how I would ever love another baby the way I love Tanner. On 2-20 we welcomed Peyton into our hearts and I realized that it is possible to be head over heals for both my kids.
I am happy to say that I am ending this year 60 lbs lighter than I started it. Chasing after 2 busy kids sure helped with that. It has been a great year and here are some highlights looking back.

January: An amazing trip to Clear Lake with our dear friends the Tompkins. Tanner moved into a new room with a big boy bed. I finished my church job at MVCC.

February: Welcoming our little girl and got used to being a family of 4.

March: Tanner turned 2. I loved my maternity leave and being a mommy of .

April: We welcomed Karis Jade Howerton into our family. Karis and Peyton are 2 months apart.
May: I went back to work a few days a week to finish out the school year.

June: Finished up the school year and moved classrooms. Kipp had knee surgery.

July: I felt like super mom taking 2 kids to the beach several time each week. We had a great summer.

August: Went to vistit my brother in Washington and had a great time. Peyton started to crawl.

September: My mom and I moved down to Kindergarten from 1st grade. It was a big adjustment. I am still sharing a contract so I am working 1/2 time and home with the kids the rest of the time.

October: Tanner was a dragon and Peyton was Piglet for Halloween.

November: Had Thanksgiving with all the Howertons-Michael and his fam were down for a week, and had Thanksgiving with The Lyons. We have so much to be thankful for.

December: We went on a winter vacation with our college friends to Flagstaff. My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Peyton got her two front teeth for Christmas. Now she has 4 teeth. She is pulling up on things and standing on her own. I feel like walking is just around the corner. We get to spend New Years with Kipp's sister, Kelle!

I am truly blown away by this life I get to live. I am so blessed to have close relationships with my nieces, nephews, brothers, sister-in-laws, parents and in-laws. I love spending time with my family. I am blessed to have a husband who loves me and his kids with all his heart. I love that I can work part time and spend so much quality time with my beautiful children. Tanner is a great big brother and as Peyton gets older I love watching them play and laugh together. Being a mom is what I have always wanted to be and I feel like it is better than I ever thought possible.

My hope for the new year is more of the same...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Polar Express

2009-12-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

Polar Express with college friends.

I will never forget this day as long as I live. It may have been the most stressful drive I had even been on. We saw several cars that had slid off the road. We had a bit of bad luck with our chains and Kipp had to buy 2 sets. I was very scared when Kipp had to pull over on the snowy road to check the chains. I had visions of my brother's car accident where he was hit by a car while outside of his car on the freeway. I crawled in the back with my kids and was just telling that how much I loved them, meanwhile ever car that drove by my whole body clinched up.

The train ride was so much fun and the kids were full of delight. Looking at this picture you wouldn't know that there was a blizzard going on outside. Everyone wore their PJ's. Tanner sat with Haley and Lexi to hear the story of the Polar Express. Tan would stand up in his seat and yell at Carson, "Hi Buddy!"

Driving home that night we were the only 3 cars on the freeway. We found out later that night that they had closed that freeway. We almost made it home but our Jeep ended up not making it up the hill to the cabin. We ended up in a ditch with a snowplow pulling Kipp out. We got home about midnight that night and I was praising Jesus that we all made it home safe.

An unforgettable trip to say the least.

Winter Wonderland Vacation

2009-12-11T09:24:00.001-08:00

We have been home for 3 days now and I am still tired. This was one of those vacations where you need a vacation after your vacation. Our friends Jaime and Ashley Wooldridge invited us to a cabin in Arizona. We were so excited to show Tanner the snow for the first time. We were there for almost a week and I took about a million pictures so I will blog about the first 1/2 of our trip now and the second 1/2 another time.
Kids in this photo:Sydney Tompkins, Carson Tompkins, Peyton, Kenadee Wooldridge, Tanner and Carlee Wooldridge.
We went with some of our college friends. At the end of our trip there were 8 adults and 9 kids. We were so happy that all of the kids got along so well. It was so cold that we tried to find things to do that were inside. One day we took a trip to the Flagstaff Mall. It was so fun to take time this busy holiday season and relax with our family and friends.
Peyton fell in love with Ashley. She has started to give hugs but they are really moe like head-butts. Kenadee loved playing with all of the babies too.
Here is Jaime and Ashley's youngest, Avaree. She is about 5 months older than Peyton.
This is before the snowfall of the year hit. On the first day Ash gave us a Ranger ride down to a park. We were all bundled up for the cold weather.
Jen and I didn't last very long outside in the cold with our little girls. I was really cold!
Carson and Tanner were really out numbered with all of the girls in the cabin. Even though these boys only see each other a few times a year they really do love each other. Earlier this year I was asking Tanner the names of people in our family and he told me that Carson was his brother! Too cute! They love to wrestle together. I think they might get that from their dads who were roommates all through college.
One day we went to an indoor pool and water park. I love this look on Carson's face. They were really excited.
Merry Christmas! More to come soon. It was an amazing trip and we are so blessed by these friends.

SYTYCD Favorites

2009-11-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

So who is you favorite?? Now that we are down to the top 10 dancers we have all had time to pick a favorite. I think the boys are WAY stronger than the girls. All of the boys have star power.
So here are my top dancers:
1. LEGACY Love him!
2. Jakob ( I think he will win it all)
3. Russel
4. Ellenore

I was the most excited to meet Legacy. He was so nice and seemed appreciative of our praise. We talked to him for a while and he was so nice. Kipp and I told him how our son loves tries to dance like him and he seemed blown away by that. He looks so short of TV but as you can see he is taller than us. He gets my vote. Good luck Legs!

The Best Shoes Ever

2009-11-28T09:51:00.001-08:00

We are so lucky that our friend Ashton has worked for Etnies for years, giving us the hook-ups for cool shoes. Tanner is wearing his new etnies! I have always thought these are the coolest and I love when Tanner can look like a his cute daddy! Most of the shoes are Velcro so Tanner can put them on by himself.
Last week I was invited to etnies to learn the ins and outs of how great these shoes were made! They work so hard to test these shoes to make them so supportive for skaters. There toddler shoes have a "Grow with me" system where there is a an extra support that you can take out to give your child an extra few months of wear. Tanner grows our of shoes so fast that it's nice to wear the shoes for a little bit longer.
They study skaters to create the most supportive shoe possible. These shoes are good enough for people who do major skate tricks then I know they are good enough for my monkey. Tanner is a super active and I know he comes from a dad who has no fear, so I need to give him as much help as I can. Tanner is totally an etnies kid.
With Christmas around the corner etnies is having a special!
Log onto www.Etnies.com and enter the code "ETNIES FAMILY" and you will get $10 off any order of $40, plus free shipping! Happy shopping!

Local Family

2009-11-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed to see Mark and his family a lot! We are so lucky to be in their lives.
Mark gives love to Peyton. Because we see see them so often I never take pictures of Mark and Kristen with my kids. I was making Peyton's scrapbook and the only picture I had of Mark and Kristen holding Peyton was in the hospital.
Here is Tanner with a good chin. A few minutes later after he and Jafta were playing on a wall and Tanner's chin hit a light.
What a tough boy.

Halloween Weekend

2009-11-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a wonderful Halloween weekend. We sure did. We got to see both sets of Grandparents and the kids looked so cute in their costumes. We got both of their outfits at our local second-hand store for $4.99 each! Peyton is sucking on her first candy, a Smartie.
We went to a Halloween event with my parents and the Novida's. I really wanted Kipp and I to dress up and I thought he looked so cute. I was a snowboarder and Kipp was in the marines.
Peyton, Cyrus and Tanner. Who is that creepy lady on the side who looks like she might take a kid?
Our little P on her first Halloween.
Peyton and I had a slumber party at Grandma and Grandpa Lyons'. She is so cute all sacked out in her Halloween PJ's.
What a Doll!
Tanner with our cute neighbor kids.
Fun family time on Halloween eve.
G and G Lyons having fun with Tanner the Dragon.
They love their little girl.
We hope you had a fun Halloween weekend. Now that Halloween is over it practically Christmas!!

Kipp's Halloween Event

2009-10-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I took the kids to Kipp's Halloween event. It was way too hot for the kids to wear their Dragon and Piglet costume. So Tanner was a surfer and Peyton was a Ballerina Dancer. Tanner loved riding on the pony.
My wonderful parents came to the even to help me with the kids. Tanner loved going trick-or-treating. (I got Tanner his Quiksilver hat for $1 at a yard sale. Yes! I washed it.)
Daddy and his girl!
Hay! What a fun day!

Some of our little friends came to the event too. All of the boys were surfer boys. Brody and Tanner hanging ten on the board. (I got this board for $.10 at a yard sale.)

Peyton and her boys on their first Halloween.
Peyton 8 months
Brody 6 months
Cyrus 2 1/2 months
Does Tanner look like he's 20 or what? What a great big boy.
Look at me with my mom friends. I am lucky to have friends like Jackie and Andi.

A Sign of What's to Come

2009-10-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

I remember when Jen wrote a blog about watching her kids play together. Peyton is 8 months old and she is every where! Tanner loves to play with her. When she gets in his way he says, "No thank you Peyton." I tell him he can move up to the table if her wants to play alone, but he never does. His favorite thing is to make funny faces and do funny voices to make her laugh. Boy does it work! She thinks he is hilarious!
Here they are playing with the train together. When I am in the kitchen I love to hear them playing in the other room.
I let him play pretty rough with her. I figure that she will let him know when it is too rough. I loved growing up with 2 brothers. Having a brother makes for a tough girl!
I love that these two get to grow up together. Family is a pretty great thing!

High School Musical Birthday Party

2009-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday India Girl! We had a HSM party for this 3 year old. We had such a good time. Tanner dressed up like Troy and Peyton was a background dancer. India was a cute cheerleader and Jafta was a basketball player.

As part of India's gift I made her treats. I made Star-Dazzle Stick and cupcakes. I was inspired by Jen with the cupcake/cookie combo. I had so much fun making these for her. Kipp was a huge help. I won' t lie, it took forever to make these, but I think they are super cute.

Karis and Peyton had fun playing together. We think that baby Karis looks like Tanner when he was her age.

Kristen put up a big red curtain and the kids stood behind it until the song came on. Then they would come out from backstage to sing and dance.
We're all in this together and we had a wonderful time!
Happy Birthday India!

1 Year Later

2009-10-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

One year ago I found out this thing that was growing in my belly was a little girl and we named her Peyton Elizabeth. Now 1 year later she is a huge part of our life and bring us so much joy! I have never seen such a happy and easy baby.
Yesterday I noticed her first tooth coming in! She is 7 months old and crawls everywhere. She is even standing up while holding things. She is our little dolly. I love putting bows in her hair and giving her hugs!
As she gets older I think Tanner likes her more and more. I think he realizes that she is a little person who is fun to play with. Today they were in the double stroller and Tanner was holding her hand. He is the best big brother.

October 3, 2008
Telling our families that we were having a girl!

Breast Cancer Walk

2009-09-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we walked in Race For The Cure with 20,000 people. My mom is a 5 year survivor. It was a great day to celebrate the journey that we have all been on.
I think Tanner looks so cute with his running shoes on.
I was so proud with Kipp who ran the thing. It was his first real run since his knee surgery in June.

There were so many people who were walking in memory of loved ones and who were walking in celebration of loved ones who had won their fight.
I couldn't believe that Peyton fell asleep. It was so loud-there were bands playing every 1/2 mile and at one point a marching band right next to us. She is such a good girl.
Grandma with some of her kids.
I made the kids some home made shirts. Tanner's says: My Grandma is my HERO!
Peyton's says: Boobies should be full of Milk-Not Cancer.
It was a day full of Hope. I hope that we are one year closer to finding a cure.

Movie in the Park

2009-09-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

We went to our first Movie in the Park. We ran into our friends Nikki and her cute girl Sunny! Nikki and I have been friends since Jr. High. Her son, O'Shea is 4 months older than Tanner and Sunny is 3 months older than Peyton.
Popular Peyton is hanging out with her guy Brody. He stole her favorite toy and she is still a happy girl.
Grandma brought a sack full of treats that kept Tanner happy. We watched Wall-E and both kids loved it.
We got home very late and both kids were so tired! Tanner walked in the house and laid down on the floor. Peyton fell asleep in the car and I had to carry her in. It was such a fun night with friends and family. We will do it again in a few weeks.

Art Center

2009-09-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

I was feeling adventurous so I decided to clean out our downstairs closet and turned it into an Art Center for the Tan Man. He loves to do art and to get messy, I love to have things neat and orderly. Before the Art Center I would make Tanner sit in his old high chair, this is working much better.
(I use the hangers to hang up his wet art work).
I put some of his art work up on the wall. This is his creative place.
I used to have all of his supplies stuffed in one of our kitchen drawers. Now there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.
I printed 2 big pictures of Tan & Kipp and Tanner got to decorate the frames.
Two rule of Art Center:
1.) No shirts while painting
2.) Art supplies stay in Art Center
My old Principal had these people in her office and she gave them to me when she moved to High School. They are the perfect touch!
Tanner's favorite thing to do in his Art Center is to do Play Dough! I love this boy so much.

Family Saturday

2009-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Laguna Beach for some family time. We went to a yard sale then to the park at Main Beach. Peyton loves the sand. I would put her in the middle of the blanket and she would crawl to the edge so she could dig in the sand.

What a great Daddy!! I love the weekends when we can all just play together. After our play date we went had lunch at Johnny Rockets.

Are they too young to make us some money?

My Favorite Pictures of the Summer

2009-08-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last day of summer before I report back to school for another year. We have a full summer. I have loved learning how to be a mom of 2 kids. I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of the summer.

In June we had all the cousins together since we added Peyton and Karis to the mix. I love that Tanner and Peyton have so many cousins to grow up with.

Peyton has grown up from a newborn to a cool little baby. She is so mellow and fun. She loves the swings and going to the park. Just like Tanner she loves to be outside.
We had a great 4th of July at Mark and Kristen's block party. This was the 2nd year we went and I am hooked. Tanner loves this girl so much. I can just picture him being the protector for his cousins and sister.
Kipp got free tickets right behind home plate. Kipp, Tan, Jafta and Mark had a great time at the game. I love the friendship that my brother and my husband share. I am so blessed by my family.
Happy 4th of July babies.
Kipp is such a great dad. He loves his little Princess Pey Pey.
Our best friends Derek and Jackie had their baby Cyrus 2 weeks ago and we love him already.
Carson and Tanner playing in the water. Today we were driving to meet my mom at her pool and Tanner asked if Carson would be there.
Our summer involved staying cool in the water. Jafta and Tanner had fun at the fountains.
We went to Disneyland while Kelle and Aaron were here. This may be my favorite picture of the summer. We were sharing a treat and it was my turn for a bite. What a cutie.

Family Vacation

2009-08-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

We went up to Washington like we do every summer and had a wonderful time. The kids love playing together and this year Tanner got to sleep in Caleb's bunk bed. Alex and Caleb loved playing with Tanner but it was very special for them to get to know Peyton. They were down in Cali a few months ago but Peyton is changing so fast. She is 6 months now and she loves to laugh, smile, roll and is starting to crawl.

One day we took a ferry to a cute little town. It was very Grey's Anatomy.

We went to the farm and picked carrots. On a different day we went to pick blueberries. I think the adults got carried away because we brought home buckets full.

We had a wonderful vacation but we are sad to see the summer end. I go back to school next week and I am so blessed to be sharing a contract again with my mom.

Camping on the Coast

2009-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

On part of our vacation we got to go to Wei-ne-ma Christian Camp for week of Missions. We were there for 2 days and 1 night and were able to stay in a nice camper. JJ spoke at the camp for Life in Abundance and it was so much fun to hear all of the amazing things that LIA is doing in Africa.
For having 4 kids and 3 adults sleep in one camper we had a pretty good nights sleep. I think Peyton is making the funniest face as she hits Carson in the mouth. Tanner has the best morning hair.
Jen's mom and Grandparents were staying close by so they invited us up for breakfast. Sydney is loving those fresh berries.
Watching Carson and Tanner play together reminds me of watching Kipp and Trent together. They are so funny and love to take each other down.
For those of you that don't know Kipp and I went to College with Jen and Trent. They were both in our wedding and some of our best friends in the world. JJ is also a college friend and Tanner and Peyton's God-Father, self-appointed.
It had been very hot at Jen and Trent's house so it was nice to cool down by the water.
Jen and Sydney touched the wet sand but it was WAY too cold for us girls to get in the water. We had such a wonderful time with these friends. We are so blessed by their friendship. We have known each other for 13 years and now it is so much fun to see our children forming lasting friendships. We miss you already friends.

Our Trip to Or. Part 1

2009-08-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Pacific Northwest. Here is Tanner siting on the steps that lead to the house where Glenda Lyons grew up.
Kipp's Aunt Nadia was so nice to us while we were there. She even drove us over 2 hours to Washington. It was so nice to visit with her and let her play with the kids. The sad part of our visit was when Tanner fell out of his big boy queen size bed onto the wood floor. Nadia ran upstairs to check on him. He ended up sleeping on the floor on some pillows.
Nadia took us to this little stand where we got the most amazing fruit. Tanner loved getting free tastes. That night Nadia made us an amazing pie!!
Nadia and some of her friends planted a community garden near their church where anyone can pick the produce. Tanner loved getting some fresh tomato that we ended up having for dinner. We had a great visit!!

Reunited!!!

2009-07-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your warm thought and prayers. It is with great joy and a full heart that I can tell you front pack has made its way back into our lives.

I think the saying goes if you love something set it free, if it comes back to you it was meant to be.

I found the front pack rolled up small in a pocket of my double stroller that I never use. I drove into the garage yesterday and it was like the front pack was calling me. I jumped out of the car and looked in that spot. I am not kidding I got a little teary eyed when I saw it. I have not known how to be a good mom without it. I took Peyton to the store the other day and I just held her because she is too small for the cart.

Front pack carried PeyPey at Disneyland all day yesterday. Now I can go on vacation and carry my girl around the airport in peace. Pacific Northwest please cool down because we are coming up.

R.I.P. Frontpack

2009-07-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

2007-2009
Front-pack thank you for all of the times you carried my children around. You were a good friend and you will be greatly missed. This is one of the last pictures that we have of you. We lost you at the Fair and life will never be the same. Thanks for the memories.

O.C. Fair We Love You!!

2009-07-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Tanner at 5 months at the OC Fair.
Peyton at 5 months at the OC Fair.

Our litle family of 4.
Holy Cow! I love Tanner's new smile.
We went to the fair with Derek, Jackie, Derek's mom and nephew from Hawaii. All of the boys went down the big slide. We went on canned food drive night. We got in for free and got a free ride.
It was a great night. There were a lot of special people there and we love to people watch. I can see why it isn't Mark and Kristen's favorite place, but we love it!!

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

2009-07-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July with Mark and Kristen. Kipp had to work so we spent the day with the family. The kids got a good lunch before we started all of the fun.
The first thing that we did was a parade around the block. Jafta rode his big boy bike, India rode behind her Daddy, the babies rode in the double stroller and Tanner rode on his scooter.

This is how Tanner started the parade.

This is how we ended the parade. The block was a little long.

I love this little girl. I bought the little girls matching hair bows and they looked so cute.
Little Karis at 2 months old. She is so skinny compared to Peyton. Peyton is not messing around when it comes to her big girl thighs. That's my girl.

India wore two dresses and looked so cute in both of them. I really wish that Tanner loved his cousins!
They are watching/taking part in a marshmallow war.
We had a great day! Happy Birthday America.

Downtown DIsney

2009-07-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. To say we have been busy is an understatement. I have had my hands full taking care of my two babies and my hubby. Kipp's knee is getting a lot better but he is still working hard on his recovery. This week we went for our first family outing in weeks. We went to Downtown Disney to meet Uncle Aaron.
This was the first time that Uncle Aaron got to see Peyton. I think it was love at first sight.
Peyton loved watching the fireworks with her daddy.
This is Tanner's new smile. He is such a happy boy and a great brother.
Tanner is 2 and some days he reminds me of that very clearly. We are working on listening and not hitting. That might be the theme of the summer. I think I say, "Hands are for hugging, not hitting," about 100 times a day. He is an amazing boy 99% of the time and the rest of the time he helps me work on my patience.
At Downtown Diseny they have a huge Lego Store that Tan loved playing in.
We have been listening to this kids worship CD a lot lately. After every song Tan says, "Yea Jesus! We love you!"

At Downtown Disney they have musicians all around and we were listening to a singer named Michael. Tanner was dancing to the music then when the song was over he yelled, "Yea Michael, we love you!"

That kid cracks me up every day!

Our Weekend

2009-06-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have so much help from our moms this weekend. My mom picked Tanner up from the babysitter on Friday and he had a slumber party with her. She brought him home on Saturday and they hang out for a few hours before Grandma Lyons took him to her house for a slumber party. Kipp and I got a lot of quality time with Peyton. She is 3 1/3 months now and is so cute!
Since Kipp slept a lot this weekend and Tanner was gone Peyton and I went to some Yard Sales this weekend. I got this great new swing for $12. She just learned how to grab onto things. We love this face she makes. We think she is saying. "You wanna mess with me?"
Our blue eyed girl!

Tanner calls both of his Grandmas, Grandma--we don't do Mimi or Nana. So my mom taught him to say Grandma Lyons and Grandma Howerton. When they were all over at the house he started saying Grandma Lyons and Other Grandma.

Kipp is in more pain today. Please pray for him. If you know him at all you know it is killing him to stay still. He wants to run around and go skate with Tanner. It is going to be a long road ahead.

Big Boy Room

2009-06-06T23:51:00.000-07:00

Look at Tanner's big boy room that is finally finished! I love his beach boy room. Tanner is such a big boy and is a wonderful brother to Pey. They look so cute just hanging out together. We were lucky enough to get Tanner big boy bed for FREE from a lady who was moving to a smaller place. It is a trundle bed so we pull out the bottom bed for slumber parties. We just turned the bed the opposite way so there is a railing so Tan doesn't fall out.
He has been in his room for several months now but the new additions are his wall art and his new chair. We got this sticker art from Jen Bunch Tompkins. We wanted something for the walls that he wouldn't knock down. He is a little rowdie and likes to jump on the bed, kick the wall, throw his pillows around, you name it he does it! So the stickers are perfect and he loves them.
His surfer room is now complet with his beach chair and a sand bucket full of books! Stop by and read with us anytime!

Kipp had knee surgery on Friday and Tanner has a hard time being mellow. He is spending the weekend with his grandparents. Kipp and I both agree that things are very quiet when he is not around. We miss out little wild man!

Another Busy Month

2009-06-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that May is over! I only have 3 more weeks of school and I am looking forward to this summer. We had a busy month and I wanted to share some highlights. Here are all 7 of the Howerton/Lyons cousins together for the first time. From left to right, India 2 1/2, Caleb 7, Peyton 3 mo, Tanner 2, Jafta 4, Alex 9 and Karis 1 month. We hadn't seen the Alex and Caleb in 6 months so it was great to visit with them. I know they loved meeting their two newest cousins.
Tanner is giving Aunt Jodie some love. Jodie and her parents ran a 1/2 marathon in the morning. In the afternoon we had a pool party for Caleb's 7th birthday.
Uncle Michael with his two baby girls.
3 month old Peyton with her kitty.
Big boy Tanner at his preschool class. Between My Gym and his preschool we stay busy. We are getting ready for the weather to get nice so we can have some more beach days. I don't know what to do with these 70 degree days that we have been having. Burr!!

A Spring Reception

2009-05-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

My beautiful Lauren got married. She and I have been friends since High School Youth Group. She married a nurse named Robbie who also helped take care of Baby Tanner. Lauren was with me through my labor with Tan, it was so special.
Beth and I have been best friends for years and Beth's sister Wendy and Lauren have also been BFF's. We had a great night! Jackie and Derek watched our kids so we could have a kid free night.
We laugh because Philip and I are the same person and Beth and Kipp are the same person too. We think it's funny that we both married boy who were just like our best friends.
Beth's little sister Wendy drove down from Nor. Cal for the weekend. It was so fun to see her again.
BFF's Kipp and Philip!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ow wa Daddy??

2009-05-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Last night Tanner started crying around 10:30pm. I went in to see what was wrong.
Me: What's wrong buddy
Tan: Ow wa Daddy
Me: What's an Ow wa??
Tan: Ow wa
Me: Did you hurt yourself??
Tan: No, Ow wa.
Me: What's an Ow wa?
Tanner then proceeded to cry louder say "OW WA, OW WA"
Me: I have no idea what you are saying, say it slower buddy, what is Ow wa?
Tan: Ow wa, Ow wa.
At this point, i have no idea what he is saying. I call Sarah in the room, "I have no idea what he is saying, what is he saying?"
Tan: Mama, Ow wa.
Sarah: Agua?
Tan: Yes, Ow wa. He says with a big smile and a laugh.

Apparently Tanner is now bilingual, and he wants water.

Fast forward to tonight at 10:00 pm.
Tan: Daddy, Ow wa.
Me: Okay Tanner I will get you some Agua.

Our little bilingual boy is growing up so fast.

Karis' Newborn Pictures

2009-05-05T11:46:00.001-07:00

At Kristen's shower my mom and I gave her a gift certificate to get newborn pictures taken of Karis. Please check out Christie's Pictures to see super cute pictures of my new niece. Leave Christie a comment so she know how great they are!

Some Cute Kids

2009-05-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Peyton in PJ's at 10 weeks.
Smarty pants India.

Peyton on a hot spring day.
Yo yo yo--T-Pain in the house.
Peyton and her new baby cousin Karis Jade Howerton.

Uncle Michael

2009-04-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Uncle Michael came down for a little visit and he got to meet Peyton for the first time! We went on a little day-cation in San Diego to visit Michael at a super nice hotel. Peyton wore her bathing suit for the first time.
Michael and Kipp got some good surf in and we all enjoyed the sunshine. I only wish Jodie and the kids were here too!

Baby Brody

2009-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Dusty and Andi had a cute baby boy names Brody Allen. He is adorable! We thought it was fun to compare the sizes of the kids. Peyton is 7 weeks old in this picture. We are so excited that our kds are so close in age.
Peyton wore blue for her new little boyfriend! She is wearing Tanner's old sweatshirt. She is showing Brody that she is a laid back girl.
We love you baby Brody Welcome to the world!

Our Big Boy

2009-04-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

This is one of the last pictures taken with Tanner having a pacifier. A while back we put a hole in his magenta because it was getting yucky. So then he would take any pacifier. As some of you read a week and a half ago his other paci "broke". I put a hole in it but Tanner thought that it broke because he was so big and strong. Because it was broken he made the decision to throw it in the trash. We told him that paci's were for babies like Peyton and that he was a big boy. It has been a week and a half and things are back to normal. He takes a naps and goes to sleep at night with no problem. The hour long cries for his paci are behind us. Thank goodness! Softie on the other hand is a different story. That is his small soft blanket you can see in the picture. It was a hand-me-down from Jafta so it came to us very loved already. After two years of Tanner sleeping with it all the time it isn't really that soft. No matter how many times it is washed it never really feels clean. I don't think he will be giving that up anytime soon. As long as he doesn't take it to college with him I'm fine with him having it.

*You can see that Tanner is wearing a t-shirt and shorts, it is H-O-T is So. Cal. Now that I am sun screening he is getting in the habit of wearing his hat when we are outside. This day he didn't want to take it off in the car. I thought he was too darn cute.

Busy Month

2009-04-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hi friends-We have had a busy month. Here are a few fun things that we have done. We had a basketball party to watch the final of March Madness. Our friend Matt came down to meet the kids for the first time!

Carlsbad flowers:
We took a trip to see the beautiful flowers. We went with Grandma Howerton, Beth, Halle, Landon and Mimi. Then Tanner got to go back for a special day with Grandma Lyons and his great Aunts. Tanner loved playing in the dirt, I mean smelling the flowers.
Halle Beth will be 5 this summer and Landon is 5 days older than Tanner. They are al best friends.
Happy Spring!

Easter Fun

2009-04-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Who is excited about Easter?? Mark and Kipp are that's for sure! We had a wonderful Easter Sunday with our family. Tanner moved up from the toddler class to the 2 year old class at church. He is such a big boy! After church we went to Mark and Kristen's house. Kristen is due to have a baby girl any day now so she wanted to stay close to home. It was a beautiful day and we spent most of it outside.
The boys had some skate time while India was taking a nap.

Tanner skating all by himself.

Grandma and Grandpa with the kids. With Alex, Caleb and baby girl Howerton on the way they will have 7 Grand kids.
Jafta got to hold Peyton first because he is the oldest. My favorite was when he passed her to Tanner so he could have a turn. Peyton started out happy then she gets a little nervous as she is being thrown about between the three big kids.
Her little bunny says My First Easter. It was Tanner's bunny a few years ago!
My favorite little bunny.
Tanner on the egg hunt in the backyard.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

We spent all day Saturday with Kipp's parents. We went to an Easter event and sadly it started to rain. Tanner is doing the egg hunt with his hands in his pockets.

The kids got to pose with Peter Cottontail. Tanner was very excited to see him.
Little bunny shoes!
Grandma Lyons with Peyton girl.
Her first basket.
Peyton is giving her little chick a hug. We spent today at Mark and Kristen's house, I'll post pictures another time. I hope you all had a great Easter.

R.I.P

2009-04-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to say good-bye to yesterday.
Today is day 3 of no paci and we are having a hard time. Because Tanner is such a big boy he no longer needs one. That is what Kipp and I have told him about 100 times over the past few days. Today is the 3rd day in a row where he doesn't sleep during nap time. Wednesday night Kipp ended up sleeping with his after a long struggle. Last night he was so tired that he didn't make a sound. Kipp and I know that we are going to win this battle, it is just a matter of time.

T-Ball

2009-04-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

We went to watch part of Jafta's T-Ball game on Saturday. Tanner loved seeing his cousins as always. After the game Jafta shared his snack with India and Tanner. It was a great day!
Go Dodgers!

Being a Mom

2009-04-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

I am watching yesterdays Oprah about Being a Mom. I love hearing other moms talk about the ups and downs of motherhood. I have to be honest and say I love being a mom. I think I was born to be a mom. I was lucky enough to feel bonded and connected to both of my kids right away. Peyton is a super sleeper and sleeps 8 hours a night and has for a few weeks now. I enjoy watching Tanner love his sister. Even when Tanner gets in trouble I love hearing him say,
"I sorry mommy," and give me a hug.
I don't love when my child is throwing a fit in public and it feels like everyone is looking at me like I am a terrible mom because I just let him cry.

Most moms that I know are WAY too hard on themselves. I don't know how you are as a mom but I talk to myself all of the time. It is called Positive Self Talk and it is what I am all about. I feel proud of myself for all the little things that I do.
This is how my morning went.

Nursed my baby
Took a shower while Peyton was in the swing and Tan watched a show. Tanner didn't bother his sister.
Got myself dressed and both kids!
Tanner and I have breakfast while I pack snacks for the day.
Sunscreen on Tanner.
Load up the car and the kids for an outing.
As I am driving away I double check that I have BOTH kids! -Great job Sarah!

I have fun every day with my kids. My goals are to be firm, fair, have fun and be consistent.

I try to follow Tanner's lead. When he gets hurt is sad for a minute and need a hug. Then two minutes later he is playing and doesn't even remember that he got hurt. I try to be the same way. I get frustrated at different times but I try to just let it go and move on.

I am so blessed to have a husband who loves me and encourages me as a mom. The other day when he got home from work he told Tanner to thank me for taking care of him. Then yesterday he was getting our tax stuff and he thanked me for being so organized. It makes me feel good that he sees all of the things that I do. Plus I feel like I am loving him by taking care of our kids.

Just some of my thoughts.

Hoppy Easter

2009-04-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!
Kipp had his event this weekend. It was a HOT day in Aliso Viejo. We have been sick for a week now so it was nice to be outside. I dressed the kids in their Easter outfits.
Tanner made it just in time for the egg hunt. He is rocking the sweater vest!

Tanner and Peyton with the bunny!
Baby bunnies.
We ran into our friends Jen, Gordan and their baby Peyton. We took a picture of the 2 baby Peytons. Our Peyton is 6 weeks and their baby Peyton is 3 months.

Pretty in Pink

2009-03-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

What a Doll

2009-03-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Peyton is hanging out with her friends. She is 5 weeks old now and I feel good about taking care of her and Tanner by myself. At least I was until Tanner got sick. When he woke up from his nap on Thursday he was so hot. His eyes were red and his skin felt like it was on fire. Like a new mom of 2 kids I called Kipp to come home early from work. And like a good dad, he did. I took Tan to the doctor while Kipp stayed at home with Peyton. Tanner had a temp of 102 and had pink eye. Poor guy.

Kipp spent 2 nights sleeping in Tanner's room waking up to blow his nose and give him drinks. Saturday Tanner broke out in a rash so this time Kipp took him to the doctor. They told us that the rash was a good sign and it meant the infection was leaving his body.

By Saturday night we were all feeling bad.Tonight Kipp is sleeping downstairs so he doesn't get me or Peyton sick. Tanner's fever has gone down but now Kipp has a high temp. As for me and baby girl we are just stuffed up. We are drinking lots of fluids and watching a lot of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. If I were you I would stay away from our house.

Our Princess Peyton and Prince Tanner

2009-03-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to our friend Emma's Birthday Party inside of Disneyland. Emma is Derek and Jackie's niece. Jackie and her family helped me with both kids. While we were having lunch several Princesses came by our table to say hello. It was all so sweet! Tanner LOVED seeing them. After one would leave he would say, "more princess." He gave them big hugs, kiss them on the hand and then blow them a kiss as they would leave.

One of the Princesses called Peyton Sleeping Beauty because she slept through the whole thing. It was funny that Sleeping Beauty was the one princess that Tanner didn't really like. I have no idea why.
This was Peyton's first Birthday Party so she wore her cupcake outfit.
This picture brought tears to my eyes. I just thought it was so precious!

Tale as old as time...

Snow White and two of her little dwarfs.

We ended the great meal with a plate full of different deserts. Tanner had such a good time. He was so tired after our day that he went to bed at 6:30. It was a day that we will remember for a long time. Happy Birthday Emma Rose!

Peyton's First Bath

2009-03-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Peyton is getting clean in her bathroom while Tanner helps wash her. She liked when we washed her back.
She is sleeping well! I am so lucky! Tanner is doing better every day and now he doesn't cry when he goes to the babysitter. We have been to church 2 times and he has cried both times. We are adjusting well to being a family of 4.

We have a 2 year old and a 2 week old!

2009-03-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hi friends-Just a little update on the new life that we are living. Peyton is doing great! She is 2 weeks old now. She gained her birth weight back in 1 week. Tanner is adjusting to sharing his time with Kipp and I. Yesterday we went to church and Tanner cried so much that Kipp had to stay with him in his class. He has also started to cry when Kipp drops him off at his babysitter's house. He never used to do that. Poor guy. He just wants to be with us all of the time. He wants to make sure he is not being replaced. Like that could ever happen.

We had Tanner's birthday party a few weeks ago but Saturday was his real birthday. 3-7-07. We went to the Legoland aquarium called Sealife. We had such a great time. Grandma Lyons came with us and we were all so impressed. I thought it was perfect for Tanner's age. Everything was at eye level for Tan so we didn't have to lift him up. We were there for about 2 hours which was the perfect amount of time for me.

Peyton went to visit both of her grandparent's houses this weekend. She is doing so good and we are so in love with her. Last night we all went to watch Kipp play in his church basketball game. Tanner thinks that Kipp is playing basketball every time he is not with us. The funny thing is that he tells people, "Daddy Basketball." Then people ask me if my husband is a porfessional basketball player. Don't I wish.

My friend Christie posted more pictures if you would like to take a look.

Christie's Pictures

2009-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

Please look at my friend Christie's Blog. It's called Christie's Pictures. There are som of the best pictures I have ever seen. Yes-they are of my kids! You will not believe how cute they are! Do it now!

Brotherly Love

2009-02-28T21:55:00.000-08:00

Our friend Christie came over today and took pictures of our family. Kipp snapped a few pictures when the kids were posed. I love the way that Tanner is holding his sister. He really does love her.
He gets sad when she cries. He will bring us diapers or bring her a blanket. The only thing that he won't do is throw away dirty diapers. He is such a good brother.

More of Peyton

2009-02-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

My beautiful friend Christie Hobson came to visit Peyton in the hospital. She is coming over tomorrow to take family pictures. She is so talented and takes amazing pictures. I am so excited for her to come over. I will post the pictures as soon as we see them.
Her blog is under Matt & Christie, click on the picture of her holding a camera to see the amazing pictures that she takes.
Here is our girl on her first night at home. She is sleeping pretty great. She wakes up 2 times a night to eat. Sometimes she goes right back to sleep and sometimes she likes to stay awake for a while. When she stays awake Kipp takes her downstairs for a little daddy time.
Stephanie and Madeline came over for a visit yesterday. Steph brought us a great meal and brownies. It was such a nice treat!
I'm sorry-How cute! I think these two will be friends for a long time. Stephanie couldn't believe how big Madeline Grace looked next to Peyton Elizabeth. The girls are in P's room on her chair.

My Girl LOVES Her Friends

2009-02-25T11:53:00.001-08:00

I am so in love with this girl! Her shirt says I LOVE my auntie! Peyton is such a dream! I love holding her, looking at her, feeding her and listening to her.
We were so blessed to have so many visitors at the hospital. Ashley, Jaime and the 3 girls were visiting for the weekend and came by the hospital to meet our new little girl.
Ashley prayed for baby Pey before they left. My prayer for Peyton is that she has amazing friends like we do.
Jennifer, Brian, and Emily brought us a pizza dinner on night in the hospital. It was nice to get a break from hospital food.
Just the girl: Tammy and Jackie were excited to meet Peyton. Jackie babysat me one night while Derek and Kipp had a basketball game. We watched HSM3 and loved it!
Dusty and Andi are 2 months away from having a baby of their own!
Jafta and India are loving their baby cousin!
My best friend Beth and her mom Cindy came for a visit. Tanner calls Cindy his Mimi. Beth couldn't visit Tanner in the hospital because her son Landon was 5 days old.
Tanner came to visit his sister every day.
Kristi was our first non family member visitor.
Derek and Jackie came to see us 2 times.
This hat is from her Grandma Lyons. I think she looks so cute in it.
Tanner loves his sister.
Here we are going home form the hospital! It feels good to be home!! Our first night was pretty good. We are all just getting used to being a family of 4. Tanner waves at Peyton all of the time. He brings her things that he thinks she might want. He is such a good brother.
Thank you friends for all of your prayers. Keep them coming!

HERE SHE IS!!!!

2009-02-21T15:42:00.001-08:00

Peyton Elizabeth is here!!!! She was born on Friday, February 20th at 7:38am, and weighed 8lbs,1oz and was 19 inches long. She is doing great, eating and sleeping throughout the day and night. Sarah is also doing great. She started walking around today, and we even took Peyton on a walk today around the wing of the hospital. Thank you all for your prayers, gifts, visits and love.

I scrubbed in for the procedure. I told the Doctors if they needed any help I would jump in. Little did I know that I would almost pass out in the delivery room 1 hour later.

Sarah got to hold Peyton for about a minute right after she was born. Tears of joy.

A very tired momma.

Big Brother.

Family of four.

More pics to follow.

Tomorrow

2009-02-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

A new mommy and baby Tanner 3-7-07.

"Before you wer conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of life. " -Maureen Hawkins

Tomorrow morning I go in for my c-section. I can't wait to meet my little girl!

Love

2009-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

This is a picture is at our rehearsal dinner before our wedding almost 7 years ago. Kipp and I were laughing at how young and skinny we were! One thing that hasn't changed is that Kipp still makes me smile.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

This morning Kipp let me sleep in while he and Tanner made me a heart shaped cake. Tanner had made his hat earlier this week at his mommy and me preschool class. His shirt says "Official Heart Breaker".
Every Valentine's Day my parents host a breakfast. My mom makes heart shaped waffles and we give Valentines to everyone there.

Will You Be My Valentine?
One of our last pictures of our family of 3. Mommy is looking B-I-G!
Tanner is checking out his new book.
What a cutie!!
So This Friday is our C-Section date. We are in the final count down to see Peyton Elizabeth!

I Love You

2009-02-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Say I Love You to someone special today!

The Soundtrack of my Life

2009-02-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

I remember when Jafta went through this stage a few years ago and now it is Tanner's turn. This is what I head about 50 times everyday.

India, Jafta, Mark, Kristen
If we ever say one of their names then Tanner will have to say all of their names.
He usually just says their names while he is playing or when we are in the car together. But yesterday when we got out of the car to go into a store he started yelling their name. It was like he thought they were in the parking lot and if he yelled loud enough then they would hear him and come out to play.

Then while we are driving he feels the need to point out every big truck, bus or pick up truck. He calls me until I say that I see it too.
So this is the soundtrack in the car:

Big Truck, Momma, Big Truck
Busssss, Momma, Bussssss

I love my guy! I'm just ready for him to have a few more words.

American Idol

2009-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Here is another picture of Tanner's birthday party. The leader of the class is Ryan Kalama and he lives in San Clemente, where Kipp and I live. His brother is on this seasons of American Idol, his name is Kai Kalama and he is also from San Clemente. He has a relaxed Jack Johnson feel. If you are looking for someone to root for, he is my pick.

Tanner's Birthday Party

2009-02-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

Tanner's birthday is March 7th, but we had his party last night due to the arrival of Peyton girl. We had his party at Gymboree and it was so much fun. They took care of everything, down to the goodie bags. All we did is show up and have a good time! Aunt Kristen made the cupcakes, Grandma Lyons brought healthy snacks for the kids, and Grandma Howerton brought drinks and snacks for the grown-ups.
We were so blessed to have so many friends come and play with us. Tanner had the time of his life. Every time I looked at him he had a big smile on his face.

Ryan was the leader of the party and he did such a good job. He got all of the kids involved.

Uncle Mark and JJ helped all of the kids climb up and jump down. It was so fun to see all of the adults helping all of the kids.
Who doesn't love bubbles??

All of the kids got along so well and had so much fun together. Tanner is holding Gymbo the Clown.
After all of the play time we went into the party room for treats. Lexi looks on as Tan tries to blow out his candle, he needed a little help from mom.

After a good work out and a cupcake Tanner has Partied as much as possible. It was such a great day! Thank you friends for making it so special! Please look at my friend Dionne's blog to the right called POT LIQUOR for a cute picture and video of the party. It is too cute.

Yummy Yucky

2009-02-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

My mom gave Tanner a book for Christmas called Yummy Yucky.
Tanner loves it and we read it all the time. The thing is that now he says that ALL food is Yucky. We has pasta for dinner, that is why Tanner is shirtless. We had strawberries for desert. -Thanks mom!

Peyton Elizabeth's Room

2009-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a lot of pictures of Peyton's room. It was Tanner's old green nursery. We used Tanner's crib and changing table. Now, as you know, Tanner is in a big boy room and bed. Tanner and Peyton have the same # of letters and Tan had his name on the wall so we replaced a few letters to spell Peyton.
I ordered her bumper today so it should be here in a few days. That is the last touch and then the room is ready!

Her room is kind of a bird, birdhouse, owl theme. The pink and white flowers were centerpieces of our wedding. They have been in the closet for a few years and I thought they were super cute.
Tanner had a quilt hanging in the same place so we just changed it out. Her diaper bag is ready to go to the hospital with us. Peyton's dresser is a hand-me-down from my mom. It matches her crib perfectly. My mom gave me the birdhouse and the little pink dog for my shower gift. The dog was a shower gift to my Grandma when she had my mom.
I put a pink cover on the changing table to completely change to look. There are newborn diapers ready to go in the baskets.
Tanner loves her lamb. He knows it is his sister's lamb, but we say that she is sharing it with him.

This is her bedding. I love it!
This is her car seat. Again, it is Tanner's old car seat, but I got the cover at a store that was going out of business. It is so girly and I love it!

9 months

2009-02-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is a picture that was taken at Jodie's sister, Jaime's wedding last June. The morning of her wedding I took a pregnancy test in the church bathroom and it said positive! Now we are about 2 1/2 weeks away from meeting our little Peyton girl! I am feeling so big and so excited to meet this little girl. I can't wait to see Tanner meet his little sister and for Kipp to fall in love with her. Being a wife and a mommy are the best parts of my life. Her room is ready and her clothes are washed and hung up. We are registered at the hospital and now is the waiting game. I will keep you posted.

Shower the people you love with love

2009-01-27T13:49:00.001-08:00

On Saturday Peyton's 2 Grandmas gave her a shower at Mimi's cafe. It was so perfect! Peyton got some new clothes and things to go in her nursery. I spent the rest of the weekend washing her things and putting them away.
Grandmas love their baby girl!
Kristen and here baby girl (due in April), Beth, Elise, Me, Stephanie and Tammy. As you can see Peyton is a BIG girl! I have 3 1/2 weeks to go before I get to hold my girl!! I can't wait.
Tanner and India are 5 months apart to the day. Peyton and baby girl Howerton will only be 2 month apart. I am so excited to see our new babies!

Haircut

2009-01-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

Look at this long haired kid. Tanner is almost 23 months old and we thought we should give him his first haircut before baby comes. Here are some before shots of our little surfer boy.

He got to sit in a rocket chair and watch Dora on TV. He was also getting treats so he was very good!
Just like Uncle Trent, when the TV is on Tanner is in the zone.
Driving the rocket! We were so worried that she would cut it too short but we were very happy with the way it turned out! She put gel in his hair when she was finished. We were so proud of our big boy!!

My Big Boy Bed

2009-01-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we put Tanner in his big boy bed. From the first night he was great. He stayed in bed all night and in the morning he would yell out Mommy. Kipp and I were so proud of him. He is growing up and is such a big boy.
His new room is a Surfer Room. He feels so big. It has let us set up the nursery for Peyton.
When we were on vacation he slept on a little mat and still did great. We are so lucky to have such a good sleeper. Good night friends.

Vacation in Clear Lake

2009-01-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a great vacation with the Tompkins! Jen and Trent are our college friends and they were both in our wedding 6 years ago. We are so blessed to still be close friends with them. Last spring they came down to our house for a Disney vacation. Sydney wasn't born yet and Tanner was still a little young to have a real playmate. So we really didn't know how the kids would be. Tanner and Carson loved playing together. Tanner loved saying "Hi Baby" to Sydney and waving to her.
You can see in some of the pictures how beautiful it was. The weather was amazing and that was a real treat for our Oregon friends. We took so many pictures and here are a few that I want to share first.
Carson couldn't stop throwing rocks in the water. We had just had a picnic and the boys played at a playground. And by boys I mean Carson, Trent, Tanner and Kipp. The big boys had a contest to see who could jump off of the swing with the longest jump.
Throwing rocks into the lake.

Tanner would wake up and be so excited to go out of his room to see Carson.
Story time with the kids.

All 4 girls! Next vacation Peyton and Sydney will get to play together.
Hugs for the boys. Sydney is hanging out on the floor.

My two dads.

We all kept saying we couldn't believe how well Carson and Tanner were getting along. The day after we got home Tanner was really missing his friend.
Tanner loved his Thomas backpack and wanted to take it on the walk.
It was a great vacation for all! It was nice to have this trip to look forward to towards the end of my pregnancy. I only have 5 weeks to go now. Kipp and Trent were the best dads ever! They wore those boys out every day! One day they went on such a long walk that Tanner threw up! That is some good fun!

Big Boy Jafta is 4!

2009-01-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

Jafta's birthday party was at a jump jump place. The kids had to watch a safety movie before they were allowed to play. What good listeners!
Tanner was the youngest kid, but he kept up with them. He was a great jumper.
Tanner was sitting at the far end of the table and every few minutes he would walk over to Jafta and give him a little hug.
Happy Birthday Jafta!

My New Skateboard

2009-01-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

Tanner got a new Skateboard for Christmas from Kipp and I. We got his pads and helmet at a second hand store. He loves to go skateboarding with his dad! There is a church above our house and it has a great parking lot for the boys to skate on. Today I had to work at church all day so Tanner had some good daddy time. Here are a few photos.

Merry Christmas From the Lyons

2008-12-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

All the Lyons together, we missed Kelle and Aaron. We can't wait for Kelle to get here on the 31st!
Tanner loves to show his teeth! This is his stocking at Grandma Lyons house.
Grandma and Grandpa Howerton with Tan, Jafta and India. Jafta just turned 4 yesterday and India is 2 an a 1/2.
What a busy day of gifts and play. Little guy is ready for a nap.
Matching shirts for Daddy and Tanner! Too cute! Tanner wouldn't put down his new car.
Mommy loved her Christmas hugs!
Merry Christmas friends. We hope you all felt loved!

Everyone Needs a JJ

2008-12-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs a JJ in their life. A friend who know you and loves you. Who listens to you, cares about you and the things and people that you care about! The Lyons family were lucky enough to have dinner with JJ for my birthday last week. It had been raining all day but let up that night so we could go out. We ate Bar-B-Q then walked around the outdoor Mall. Tanner LOVED being with his Godfather JJ.

YEAH! I think JJ had a little fun with Tanner too! Merry Christmas to Everyone! I hope you get to spend time with people you love! We are so excited to spend the next 2 days with our families!

Santa! I know him!

2008-12-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

I love my nieces and nephews! Alex and Caleb were down for Thanksgiving and we had such a good time with them. We knew that we wouldn't be together for Christmas so I gave the kids their gifts early; PJ's! They all loved them and looked so cute too! I love these 5 kids so much! It will be fun to try to take pictures next year with 2 new babies. I love how Tanner is just chillin with Alex.

Tanner has a candy cane as he listens to music and waits for the big man to arrive!

It was cold as we cuddled together. We were all so excited because we knew he was coming soon!

Jafta and Tanner had to check him out for themselves. They were just too excited to sit down. Santa and the Mrs. were here for a visit.

I love the kid's hands in this picture. Tanner was all about hands in the mouth that night, India is loving Santa and Jafta is making sure Tanner is safe. What good cousins.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

My Gym

2008-12-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

I signed Tanner up for a Gym class. It is just what this kid needs. He is a High Energy kid and this class lets him be crazy and have fun at the same time. It is an 8 week class and it will end right after Peyton is born. I thought it would be something fun that we could do together. We have only been once but we are going again tonight. Tanner takes things so seriously sometimes. When he is on this swing you can tell he is really thinking about it. He is working on his core!

Tanner also was able to practice his surfing skills. He would not keep his hands up like his teacher was asking him to. I guess he doesn't need any help balancing.

Rainy Day

2008-12-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

I know we are all feeling this Winter Storm. Tanner and I woke up this morning to the sound of rain falling. It had been raining all night. Tanner and I love spending time outside and today we were house bound. We watched Yo Gabba Gabba, then we played upstairs together. We went downstairs for breakfast. Then we listened to Christmas music and played downstairs. Next it was arts and craft time. He sat in his high chair and ate a candy cane while coloring. Once he had finished his picture and his candy cane we went upstairs for some water play in the tub. He splashed around for almost an hour. Then I finally got him dressed in some comfy clothes. Now he is taking a good nap to the sound of rain falling on his window.
I hope you are all having a warm and cozy rainy day.

BFF's

2008-12-02T22:37:00.000-08:00

Beth and I last Christmas!

I have been so blessed by my friendship with my friend Beth. We have been best friends from the time we were in Jr. High. Today is her birthday and we spent the whole afternoon together with no kids. Her hubby had her 2 kids and Tanner was at his babysitters. We had a long lunch and we sat and talked for such a long time. We weren't having to feed anyone else or pick up crayons on the floor. It was so very nice. We went shopping at the outlets and got some Christmas shopping done. Then we got a Starbucks and sat again and talked for a long time. It had been way too long since we had that great of uninterrupted conversation. It was such a special day. I felt so blessed to have had that time with her.

I feel guilty when I spend time away from Tanner. Beth and I talked about that today and she reminded me that time away from our kids makes us refreshed to be better moms. When Tanner came home he was so excited to see me and it warmed my heart.

Happy December!

2008-12-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! Grandma wants to be Mrs. Clause when she grows up! Tanner thought there were 2 Grandmas.

Tanner was a little unsure about Santa. At least he didn't cry like he did last year. No smile, but at least he wasn't sad. We waited in line for a little while for Tan to get his picture taken.

We just got lucky and Santa walked by us. Kipp was on the phone and I yelled at him that Santa was here! Kipp held the phone down so we could get a family picture! I LOVE December, it is my favorite month. It is my birthday month and I love Christmas time so much! I hope you all have a wonderful December!!

I'm a Sucker!

2008-11-29T21:43:00.000-08:00

How do you shop with your kids? Tanner loves suckers and they buy me more time when I need to shop. I was running around the other day and I bought this sucker at the check out stand. Little did I know that it was going to stain his mouth and hands. When we got home he had to take a bath before his nap. I just thought that even though he was a mess he was too darn cute!!

A Fall Wedding

2008-11-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Tanner spent the night at Grandma's house and Kipp and I went to a wedding. It was the wedding of our friends Katherine and Adam and it was at Dana Point. It was very cold for an outside eventing wedding but it was beautiful.
Adam is Ashton's brother and he was the Best Man. Ashton, Tammy, Derek, Jackie, Kipp and I all had a great time together.

Jackie and I are all bundled up so we can keep warm.

Our cute friends Derek and Jackie danced the night away!

Kipp and I had a fun night together. It is good for married couple to remember all those feelings that we felt on our wedding day. Kipp and I have been married for 6 years and life easily turns into a routine. It is nice to hold hands during a wedding and promise to love, honor and cherish one another.

I Am Very Thankful!!

2008-11-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

I am very thankful
I am very glad
for food I eat
for friends I meet
for mother home and dad.

I feel so blessed that God has given me a husband who will set up Christmas at our house in November. I am thankful for Tanner who warms my heart everyday. I am thankful every time I feel Peyton girl gives me a kick.

I am thankful for our parents that they love and support us as a family. I am thankful for our brothers and sisters and their beautiful children who we get to see this week. I am thankful for friends as close as family. Friends that Tanner and Peyton will grow up calling Aunt and Uncle.

With the stress of life, it is easy to let that pull you down. God has blessed us so much. I hope this week you are aware of all the blessings in your life.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!