ALMOST ONE!!

We went to the Ricks Family Reunion and went camping in East Canyon on the way home, Tate wouldn't learn how to walk soon enough so he spent more time than he would've liked in his pack-n-play...someday he'll realize it was for his own good!
We went to the Zoo with Cindy, Nellie, Brianne and all the crazy boys! So much fun!
Tatem and Spencer took turns "pole dancing" during lunch! What happens at the zoo stays at the zoo!

 Oh my goodness! Blogs are so hard for me to keep up with! Life just flies by when you're having fun.... quick update... Tanner is still with Directv and it's going great! He starts school in two weeks again, and me and Tate aren't looking forward to a Daddy pulled so many directions, but we feel so blessed to have him when he's home! I just finished a semester of school, three more to go, and it went well! I'm able to do the rest of my classes online so it doesn't impact Tatem at all, he doesn't even know I take classes because I do them while he's sleeping! (he LOVES to help type!)

Tatem is HUGE! My baby is a grown up baby now and I don't know what to do with myself! He doesn't need my help to eat, he likes to play by himself, and he is almost an expert walker! He loves to get up and walk, his main downfall is he tries to run and then he trips over his own feet! I'm trying to teach him to take one step at a time but he's just too crazy!

We are super happy here and things are going well! We can't believe we almost have a one year old (Sept. 16th!) before I know it, he's gunna be in college I think!!

8 Months Old!

Playing in the sink at Grandma and Grandpa Haddon's

Someone little got Legos for Easter and loves them! He can't wait to play with them everyday!



Oh ya, Legos are messy!

Tatem loves exploring in his walker. One morning he was playing and he had walked down the hall and got very quiet. So I figured something naughty was happening. When I went to find him, he had gone in my room, pulled a pillow off of our bed and cuddled up and went to sleep! So So cute!
This is a picture that we took on Grandpa & Grandma Allred's back porch. It's so cool to be able to see the temple out the back of their apartment!

My goodness time flies! I'm not what you could call a dedicated blogger I guess! Life has been so busy in the last couple months! Currently, I'm a returning student to Utah State University. I have it set up so that I can take all of my classes online and hope to be done with my Bachelor's Degree in Family Studies. Many people know that I've always wanted to be a teacher but once I started the coursework, I realized that I do love teaching and kids, but my passion is more in helping kids in their family settings. I hope to go on to teach parenting and marriage classes and firesides. Tanner is still working for DirecTV and is enjoying it and considering applying for a job opening with the Utah Highway Patrol at the end of the summer as it has been a goal of his for a long time. We'll see how everything goes. As of today, he is at Annual Training for the National Guard and we haven't talked in about a week with a week left to go. They're only in Dugway just outside of Tooele, but me and Tatem still miss him! He's a HUGE part of our family and we love him!

Ok, Ok, onto the reason why you're reading this blog! Tate!

He is just getting cuter and cuter by the moment.... well I think so. He's 8 months old, still no teeth but like we've said since 4 months old, it looks like he'll be getting some any day now... crawling is something he's SO close to, but still working on. He really wants to walk. He starts crawling, gets mad and tries to stand up to walk instead and of course falls. It gets ugly. He still loves to eat, but finally his growth charts are getting a little bit closer to to normal, still chubby but I wouldn't have it any other way. The past couple weeks he's started only waking up once a night! I haven't slept this well since before I was pregnant! He even goes down for naps and bedtime by himself! Heaven is smiling down on us!

I love being a mom and I can't get over how big my baby is already! I love being in the stage of growing my family and I'm so glad it's just beginning. I really couldn't feel any more blessed than I am now. I have a wonderful husband who sacrifices everyday for myself and our son, and couldn't love us more and I him. We have a happy healthy baby and family members all encirling us who we get to be with all of the time. I don't mean to brag, just want to say I feel so blessed and feel so thankful to be where I am at this time in my life.

5 Months Old

Shh don't tell dad, but I think someone is a Mamma's boy!

I tried to take him on a walk around the corner to the mailbox, he lost his mind! He better get over it because he came to a momma that loves going on walks...I've got baby weight to loose dang it!

Sitting at grandma and grandpa Ricks' house! Notice he has on streachy pants only!

Yum! Rice cereal...don't worry we got the wheat kind since the news says rice is no good now! But some how the rest of us aren't dead from eating rice cereal so it must not be too bad!

It the walker! Super cute! He just learned how to walk on the carpet too now which is kinda naughty!

awe! Cuddles with dad!

WOW! Time flies! I was going to get better at posting and now look! It's been a month and Tate will be five months old in two days! Crazy! Life is starting to get a little more manageable around here!

Tatem finally takes naps and I can usually plan around them pretty well! He also is a BIG eater! He only nurses a couple times a day and the rest of the time he's an expert in the high chair! He loves veggies, peaches and very very watered down apple juice...if he's being a "good" boy!

Tate's favorite things are snuggleing (I don't mind that one bit), Walking in his walker, jumping in his johnny jump, going on walks (if it's warm enough), reading fun books and he sits up on his own as long as is isn't wearing jeans! He's already got a knack for comfortable clothes! We're still working on rolling over, he just has a lot of chub to move and I'm not sure he's on the floor enough to really catch on. Mom's working on letting him play on the ground more often.

Tanner is still working, in the National Guard, teaching 11 year old scouts, church basketball and going to school. Life is busy but he always spends his extra time with Tatem and I and we love him for that. I'm planning on starting school again this summer, a new development in the passed couple weeks but I've really been feeling like its what I need to do for myself and my family...especially since I'm so close to being done. I'm earning a degree in Family Life Studies and plan to teach parenting classes and work to strengthen my family as well as others with the information I am taught.

We are very blessed to be happy and healthy! We love each other, our home and the many ways in which we are blessed.

Oh ya, if anyone is looking for a "deluxe" Audi A4 1999 send them my way, we have a hum dinger of a deal waiting for them... that's right, Stacey is for sale and she's a bargin (like you name the price and we'll accept it)! Time to get a bigger car to fit our baby in!

Chubs

My dad took this picture of Tate during a diaper change, ya he's a little chubby I'd say! So cute though! But I'm a little biased!

4 Months Old TODAY!!

Tatem is 4 months old today and I can't believe how time has flown! He is getting SO big and has reached a lot of fun milestones! I'm loving being a mom and spending time with him everyday. It is so much fun to watch him as he discovers new things, grows bigger, giggles at his daddy and gives me kissess... or I give him a bunch of kisses, one or the other!

Tate is now about 20 pounds and about 25 inches long. (this is dad's measurements at home, we're going to the 4 month appointment later in the week to find out specificis!) Needless to say, he's a big growing boy! I got out my baby book to see how big I was at this age and he and I weighed the same at 4 months old, poor little fella that means he's chuncky but I wouldn't have it any other way! Right now he's still just nursing but will also take a bottle at church and when he goes to play at his grandparents' houses. We're going to start trying rice cereal this week and we hope that is holds the key to our success to sleeping better through the night...bless his heart he still wakes up about every two hours!

Some of the fun new things Tatem has been doing lately have really been making us laugh...with him not at him! A couple days ago he really has mastered fun moves with his tounge! He loves to do all kinds of very funny tricks and even pokes it out just like Grandma Haddon when he's really working hard on something. He's also getting really good at holding on tight to all of his toys and playing a little bit better on his own which has really been a big help to mom. It buys me about 20 mins. here or there to get things done before he remembers that he needs to be the center of attention and really prefers to be held. The JOHNNY JUMP is our hero! Tate loves it! He really gets a good little workout in it and has become quite impressive. He falls asleep in it almost everytime...it tuckers the poor little guy out! His daddy has just started school this semester and luckily has all online classes, so while dad works, Tate sits and jumps and talks to him. It's so darn cute! I love my boys!

Church is at 9am now and Tanner and I have been called to teach primary. Tate isn't to fond of primary, or church and its been rough. He likes to sleep at home in his own bed right when he's supposed to be a church. We're lucky that his church clothes are his cutest outfits because if they weren't it'd be very hard to be patient with him! Today, Tanner had him all three hours because I taught our class and lead the music in sacrament meeting. During those three hours we had a mini nap, 4 large freak-outs, 1/2 a bottle, and one XXL blow out all up his back! It was dad's first blow out he faced alone and it seems that everyone made it out OK but it certainly wasn't easy.

All in all, Tate is a huge blessing to have in our home everyday! He's an expert smilier and he has such a strong, sweet spirit about him that we wouldn't trade the late nights, baby fits, and poopy diaper blow outs for anything in the world! He's the best little fella I could ask for!

Pictures

I was organizing his clothes and he was helping me so he's holding that hat and new shirt for me!

This is Tatem with his 5 year old auntie Hadlee! she "wuvs dat baby"

This is his sun toy for Grandma Haddon's house! He loves to grab it and pull it as close to his face as he can and chew on it! Its pretty funny! Most of the time babies don't like things so close!

He hates it, but you have to be bundled up to live in Utah in the winter and go anywhere safely!

This is Tate and I right before putting on his PJs! Look at that chubby smile and cute legs!


Awe! I love this church outfit with the tie and everything! He wore it about ten mins. because of his neck chub but it was long enough to get a picture!

He doesn't know if the Johnny Jump is more for jumping or sleeping! I don't mind, either way he's busy and happy!


Dad and Tate in their Christmas outfits, (don't tell dad I called his clothes an outfit) So cute! Found that brand new vest and white shirt at DI with original tags!

One of Tate's favorite games is peek-a-boo! So cute! In this particular video, he was about three months old. Just as he was learning to really laugh.

Thumb Sucker

I couldn't resist posting Tatem's new habit... thumb sucking! He only does it when he's really tired and although it's a little naughty, it's also very, very cute! He learned how from Grandpa Haddon and he's now addicted!

4 month old Video

This video is Tate on Jan. 15th, when Tanner was changing his diaper! It was so funny! He's Mr. Tickelish now! It's fun to watch him laugh!