6 Months old

Tanner is now 6 months old! Hie is sitting up well on his own, and seems to have outgrown his reflux (WOO HOO!) He is a very happy little guy. He likes to "talk" and says "dada" all the time, he says "mama" only when he cries. He has learned to spit (make a raspberry with his tongue). He is a good little eater and has seemed to like just about any food he gets. Now that he is getting solids, he is sleeping through the night again (he took a little break for about 2 weeks and was needing a snack in the night). He loves to take baths, especially with his big brother.
He's developed some nick names; the tan man, Tanner Manner, monkey man, little man, baby(from Natalie), munchkinroo, sweet boy.

Stats from his 6 month visit:
weight: 15 lbs 6 oz
Height: 25 1/4 inches
Head circumference: 17 1/4 inches

Doing his usual grin

See, this is just what he does

Tanner's first food

Tanner had been showing signs of being ready for solids just before Thanksgiving, but his mean mom didn't want to hassle with that while we were traveling, so we waited. He had rice cereal on the 2nd of December.
And it was uneventful. No funny faces, no gagging, no nothing. He just ate his cereal like he'd been doing it forever. Which was great, but not entertaining!

The first bite

eating like a champ

P.S.-we were able to continue the tradition of Daddy doing the first solid food feeding!

Thanksgiving

This year my uncle Brian said that he didn't feel like traveling, so he bought everyone plane tickets to go to Green Valley, AZ. This was Tanner's first plane trip (and actually the youngest we've had any of our kids on an airplane). I was not very good about taking pictures on the way there, but got a picture of him on the plane on the way back. We flew out of Riverton, so the planes were very small.
It was great to see everyone, and the 60- 70 degree weather was a good break for us. We all laughed that we were all wearing short sleeves and when we'd go out, everyone else was wearing jackets.
Hunter and Natalie had fun swimming in Great Grandpa's hot tub, we went to the Sonora Desert Museum and had a great Thanksgiving dinner.

Natalie in the Hot tub

Hunter just got out of the hot tub

Thanksgiving dinner

Everyone (minus Kelli the picture taker)

at Thanksgiving dinner

On our way in to the Sonora Desert Museum

Tanner on the plane (Yes,he is in his PJ's and I don't just look like I just rolled out of bed, I DID just roll out of bed and throw on a sweatshirt, our plane left at about 7:00 am)

We sat in the very back of the plane and this is the view, all the way through the windshield

Halloween

For Halloween this year it was a little low key. We had just moved in to our new house, and didn't have a dining room table yet, so pumpkin carving on the floor. Hunter was Spiderman, Natalie was a lady bug and Tanner was a monkey. Since Halloween was on a Sunday we didn't do any trick or treating, but the school has a big carnival every year, so we went to that on Friday night. The kids went through the spook alley, played games, did the cupcake walk, had a blast and got plenty of candy. They didn't even know that they missed anything by not going trick or treating.

Natalie, Tanner and I also went with Hunter's class to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. It was a lot of fun.

Pumpkin carving on the floor (yes I made them take off

their clothes, less laundry)

Tanner "helping" (from a far enough distance

that he wouldn't grab something sharp)

Tanner as a monkey

The kids

Hunter and Natalie at the school carnival

At the pumpkin patch, I was so glad that I had the stroller,

otherwise how would we have carried all those pumpkins?

The New House

Yes, we have moved in to the new house. We spent our first night on the 23rd. No, I'm not posting pictures yet, because you can't see anything underneath the boxes. At the rate the unpacking seems to be going, expect pictures of everything put away in about 2 years.

4 Months

Tanner is now 4 months old. I can't believe it! Since we have been giving him Zantac regularly, he has been a MUCH happier baby. He still sleeps in his swing at night (I can turn it off now too), but I've transitioned him to his bed during the day. He usually goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps until between 6 and 8 in the morning.

He is always smiling and loves to laugh at his brother and sister. He is rolling over and "talking" a lot. I joke that I get woken up by an owl baby every day, because he starts making a "who, who" sound every morning when he wakes up.

His stats from his 4 month Dr's visit are:

Weight: 13lbs. 12 oz; 24.5 inches long and a head circumference of 16.5 in.

Happy as can be in his bouncy seat

Chillin' in his Bumbo

P.S. Yes, that is drool or spit up all down the front of his shirt, but that's how he always looks.

Hunter's first day of Kindergarten

Since Hunter's birthday is July 21st, we really debated about whether or not to send him to Kindergarten or to wait a year. We decided to send him, and his first day was August 23rd. He was SO excited, especially about riding the bus. I had to convince him to let me take him the first day. I had a hard time leaving him, but at least I wasn't the only one, there were about 6 moms who just sort of hung around after school started. Gradually we all started leaving (and I wasn't even the last one there.)

My goal was to make it to the car before I started crying, and I was close, I made it to the parking lot. I still can't believe that he is in Kindergarten! He has been LOVING it. It is a very long day, he leaves the house with Justin at about 7:30 and gets off the bus at 4:30. He fell asleep on the bus the first day, but has managed to stay awake since then. Natalie asks about 6 times a day if we can go get Hunter.

We are thrilled that he likes school so much, I just wish he could tell me what he does! All I ever hear about is recess, P.E., art and music. Thank goodness for the weekly newsletter that Mrs. Pattison sends home.

Here he is listening attentively

In front of the school

With his brother and sister (and yes those two are still in their pajamas)

Natalie's Birthday

Natalie's Birthday was the 23rd. She is now 3 years old, I can't believe it. She is such a girly girl, she loves pink and purple, tea parties, babies, shoes and princesses. She is VERY independent and knows what she wants. She can be a real sweetheart one minute and the next minute she is showing off her Natttitude! We sure love this sweet little girl! She got some fun clothes, a bike and a tea party table for her birthday.

She requested a pink princess cake for her cake. I had a little trouble making it. I made the cake on Sunday and then Monday we went to buy the Barbie to go in it, and apparently I REALLY underestimated the height of a Barbie, because the cake was way too small, but it was too late to start over. So the princess cake had a mermaid style gown instead of a ballgown. I guess all that counts is that it tasted good, right?

For her birthday dinner she wanted pink pancakes, with pink applesauce, pink strawberries and pink whipped cream, pink milk and bacon. When I told her bacon really wasn't pink, she said, "that's OK because I love it."

Natalie eating her birthday dinner

The dinner in full glory (of course we had to get pink plates!)

The princess cake (she helped write her name

and did the sprinkles)

Happy Birthday Natalie, WE love you sweet girl!

Tanner's blessing day

A few weeks ago we blessed Tanner in church. His dad gave a beautiful blessing and we loved to see family. To start a new tradition, my mother made a boy and a girl blessing outfit out of her wedding dress for all of her grandchildren to wear. I didn't remember it seeming too big for Hunter, so I was very worried that "Giant Baby Tanner" wouldn't fit into it. He is QUITE a bit bigger than Hunter was, and he is two weeks older than Hunter was at his blessing. But he fit into it and the only thing that was snug were the sleeves, apparently Tanner has a little Popeye in him (maybe its because his mom likes spinach). It was a great weekend full of family, food and fun!

All the family that made it to the blessing

Cousins playing at Morton Lake (Tanner and I hung out in the shade)



Tanner in his blessing outfit




Everyone at the parade (and of course Natalie is
being the boss of where everyone should stand)

House progress

I haven't posted pictures of the house in a long time, but that doesn't mean that I never took any. I kept taking pictures, then by the time I got around to downloading them to the computer, they weren't current any more, so then I'd take new pictures.... and so on.

So with Justin in San Antonio for a conference, I had a few days of not much progress, so I could post some current pictures of the house!

We are almost finished with the siding, the roof is done and the upstairs sheet rock is in and ready to be textured today and tomorrow. The septic system and leach field are in. So things are moving along!

The front of the house

The North side

The South side (the last side to have siding)

Inside looking South ( showing drywall)

Inside SW corner, the fireplace is in!

Tanner at 2 months

Tanner had his 2 month check-up today and weighs 11 lbs 9 oz. He is 22 1/4 inches long. He just seems like a giant baby compared to Hunter and Natalie. He did not like his shots. He got VERY red and just screamed and screamed, but after some Tylenol and cuddle time ( and nursing time) with Mom, he was smiling again.

He is starting to reach for things and make more sounds than just grunting! He is a very smiley boy and makes this face when Mom says, "Hello Handsome!"

He has a little bit of reflux, so doesn't sleep well in his bed, but will sleep 6 hours at night in his swing. He spits up a lot (reflux again). He loves to take baths, even when Natalie "'helps". He is still tolerating the "love" from Hunter and Natalie.

Man alive he's already 5!

So July 21st was Hunter's 5th birthday. I can't believe that he is five years old already. It really doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was putting Hunter in the very same clothes that Tanner is now wearing.

Hunter had a VERY long list of wishes for his birthday. To sum up the list, let's just say that if it is in a toy store isle or has a commercial on TV, it was on his list. This is partly my fault because if he ever asks for something, I simply tell him, "we'll put it on your list for _____ (fill in the blank with Birthday, Christmas... whatever present giving holiday is next)."

We went in with Grandma and Pop Pop and got him a four wheeler. He's had one of the battery powered ones since he was 2, and he just has been wearing it out. It was time for a gas powered one. We found one with a governor and a remote kill switch. He has been very excited and is really good about always wearing his helmet. He also got some toys, clothes and fishing flies and tackle box.

He asked for a Spiderman cake and when I showed him some pictures online he picked one that was pretty easy, luckily!

This year we just had a small birthday lunch. Hunter wanted chicken nuggets, Cheetos, blue punch, cake and ice cream. Then he left with his dad to go on a camping trip with the young men.

So happy Birthday my big boy, we love you so much.

1 month old

Tanner is now one month old. He is a pretty good baby and tends to be fussy if he has to burp or just wants to be held. He has been smiling (but only at his Mom) and has survived the "love" of his big brother and sister. Mom is adjusting to getting less sleep, and has even been able to have all three kids asleep at once several times! Tanner now weighs 9 lbs 4.4 oz and is 21 1/4 inches long. He is a pretty sweet baby and we are enjoying watching him grow!

Tanner smiling (sorry the picture isn't that great, I wasn't looking

at the camera when I took it)

And then there were three

Tanner Michael was born at 11:02 am on Monday June 7, 2010. He weighed 7lbs 1 oz. He was 20 inches long with apgar scores of 8 and 9 (for Kelli's nurse friends). Everyone is doing great.

The three Walker kids

Tanner

Tanner's first family picture

Soccer

Hunter was old enough for soccer this year. He was so excited to play. He had a good season and ended up scoring 3 goals throughout the season. The way they do soccer here, he played with the 6 and under kids and they play 3 Vs. 3 with no goalie on a very small field. The teams have 6 or 7 kids and they play 4- 8 minute quarters. It seemed to work pretty well and cut down on the amoeba effect where all the kids surround the ball and kick each other in the shins.

It was a cold April and May so most of the games were pretty chilly, but we still had fun. Hunter seemed to fall down a lot, but really tried to listen to his coach and seemed to have improved by the end of the season.

Note: the teams alternate between red and blue, so sometimes he is in blue and sometimes he is in red.

Hunter showing off his new cleats, shin guards and socks

Hunter in action

Half time = snack time

Hunter freezing before the game

I managed to catch a goal on video, I didn't get any of the lead up to the goal but the celebration after is the best anyways!

House update

So the house is coming along well. Since the last update we moved the house away from the canal a little and decided to have it sit up out of the ground a little more. We did not hit water in the new hole, but decided to put in a foundation drain just in case. We now have the basement walls all framed and the sub floor for the upstairs done. We've had a few delays due to weather, but seem to be making good progress!

The kids have had fun running through the walls and telling everyone who will listen what all the rooms will be.

After they poured the basement floor

Grandpa working on framing in the basement interior walls


The basement all framed in with the garage off to the right,
floor joists on and main floor sub floor on too



The basement, complete with stairs!