Where do I Start?

So while I was working on this today....


Tanner did this. (This picture does not even start to do justice to the house. t

He has been playing so good lately. Today he brought ALL of his toys out to the living room, he even included the toy box. Now I have toys, three different "frains"(trains) plus their "frain fracks" (train tracks) to handle along with all of the balls, guns and cars one could wish for. It is 6:30 and I have no plan for dinner but we are all hungry. Hmmm where do I start?

Projects Done!

This last week or so I have been able to check off my biggest projects of the summer/fall. I am really excited to have them done. Maybe I am just really glad to get them finished, but I think they turned out pretty great.

So if you have anything in your house that you just want to get rid of talk to Brian he is sure we can use it. That is how we inherited this fine love seat with a matching couch. Call me picky but this just was not going to be part of my house without a little tlc.



When I started this project I thought reupholstering them would be the hardest, but with Cindy's expert help we got most of it done in a day. I was naive enough to think that using a varnish stripper on the wood would make refinishing the wood easy. Yah that didn't work and after more sanding than I ever want to do again they were ready to be re stained. Was it worth it....still working on that one, but I am definitely glad to have some more "new" seating in our house.



The next project was to get Tanner into a twin bed. I found a great deal online, and with a little help from Grandma Sorensen's quilting machine finished up this bedspread to go on it. It has fishes and baseballs on it. He loves it!


Finally I really wanted to have a matching blanket and bumpers to put in baby sister's bed (we still have no name for her). Being the cheapo that I am with a little time and less talent I decided to make them myself. I recovered Tanner's old bumpers and then made this blanket to go with it. Brian doesn't undestand what was wrong with what we had, but I think it was worth it!






Now I need to finish up things for my class and get working on my holiday lists!

Am I Biased?

I am sure that I am at least a little biased, but I think Tanner is pretty much the cutest cowboy I have ever seen. He had a really great Halloween. That afternoon we carved our pumpkins together (he was all kinds of excited to help). It is fun to see him get excited about the holidays. Saturday morning while I was getting him dressed he asked if we could go trick or treating again that day.


Thanks again to Grandma Sorensen for the material.

B is Ready for Halloween

We spent our day Monday in the mountains getting more wood. As the last tree fell Brian took off in the opposite direction as fast as his little white legs would take him. Unfortunately he ran into a live standing tree. (I am told he hit a branch that was sticking out and that "you would run fast too if you heard that tree coming down"). Being the manly man that he is we were still able to finish the load.

This is gross I know but here is what it looked like before he cleaned it all up.


After he cleaned it all up he decided that he needed stitches. Silly me suggested he go to the Urgent Care. What I didn't remember was that he took a class in facial something something reconstruction and therefore was qualified to do it on his own. He headed out to the office and came back within 30 minutes with these really nice looking stitches (I know scary).

The morals of the story: 1. Watch out for standing trees 2.Apparently a DDS is pretty much qualified to do anything in the medical field (Right?).

P.S. Please feel free to blow up the picture of him chopping wood so that you can closely examine it and then be thoroughly impressed with the size of the tree, and Brian's manliness. Apparently the picture I took and posted doesn't quit give it justice.

The Process

We have being working on potty training for some time now. Tanner has been really good about keeping himself dry all day long. The poo poo part of the trainig wasn't going so well until we develped the process. Here it is.
So I put him on the toilet at about the same time each day. He needs to have this towel on him, not for modesty purposes, but apparently it is too cold to sit in the john and relax about your business without it. Then he gets "his" magazine, or another book. Within 15-25 minutes we have success everytime. Gotta love it!

Chopping Wood

For Brian's birthday he bought himself a hitch for the Jeep. His main reason being that we needed to chop a bunch of wood to use in our fireplace this winter. (I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that it is one step closer to getting a boat, or pulling up four wheelers and snowmobiles to his favorite play spots.)
Anyway yesterday we got our first of at least three loads. It took about 10 trees to fill up the trailer we were using.

Cowboy Boots

I bought these boots before Tanner was born to decorate his room with. Last Monday Brian took Tanner horseback riding and of course he needed some cowboy boots. I was sure they wouldn't fit (they are still two sizes too big). With an extra pair of socks and a little practice wearing them he continues to tell me "They fit mom, they fit me."


We have also inherited this play horse add that to the boots and hat and we have a real cowboy. The boots are the first thing on in the morning (I caught him putting them on this morning with half closed blurry eyes) and the last thing off.


This is Tanner riding the bucking horse(just like at the rodeo).

Think Pink

IT'S A GIRL!!!
My ultrasound experience was much more interesting this time around. They had a monitor for me to conviently see what was going on so that was nice. Plus it took some time to find out what we were having (legs cross and cord in the way). We got to see some really great 3D shots also. The 3D showed up on the monitor in orange and black. When there was a really good shot of the baby's face I heard this conversation.
Brian: "Look Tanner there is your baby sister"
Tanner: "That's an orange baby, that's an orange baby sister"
Brian: "That is just how the picture is she won't be orange when she comes out"

I am sure he is wondering how that orange thing is going to look like a real baby.

What September?

Well I can't believe that it is September already. The past couple of weeks have really flown by, it doesn't seem like we have done too much but I guess we have stayed busy.

Most of our free time has been spent up the canyon on the lake. The boys really love the fishing. I like the relaxation I get some of the time.

Tanner really loves his fishing pole. The last time we were there he caught some moss. He kept saying "What is that yucky thing?" It was pretty funny.

My parents have been up for a few trips. My dad brought his little fishing boat. Tan had a lot of fun out on the boat with the men.

I was told that this picture had to be part of our blog. This is just one bunch of fish that have been brought home to eat. I think that this summer I have filleted 22-25 fish. Thankfully my mom helped with a bunch of them. We are getting good at it.

After a long day of fishing he still has the hat, fishing pole and backpack. What a kid!

The biggest change for me this month is that I am a USU student again. I am taking one class online to get my teaching certificate renewed. I wasn't too happy about it at first (it still have a current Ohio Certificate...long story), but it has been fun to be learning again. I guess I really like to be a student. Besides that we are working on potty training and refinishing an old couch. We also find out if we are having a boy or girl next week so I will keep ya'll posted.

Tagged

Amber tagged me and I am supposed to list 6 quirks that I have really only 6 this will be easy

1-I have to have the butter on my toast completely melted. This means I toast the bread, put butter on it, then pop it back in the toaster for a couple more seconds it is the only way to eat toast.

2-I have diagnosed myself with people claustrophobia, this is where you can't handle being surrounded by a crowd of people. Watching people rush the football field after a great game can get to me. How can they breath with all of those people around them?

3- I love to exercise, especially running. I have run nearly every day of my life since the 7th grade.

4-Chew with your mouth closed what more can I say.

5- I am very anti-coconut. At least I don't gag anymore if I accidentally take a bite of something that had hidden coconut in it.

6-I sleep with two pillows, one for my head and the other for my side. I started this when I was expecting Tanner and it has continued.

WE DON'T PLAY WITH OUR POOP!!!

Doesn't he look so nice, calm and sweet? Don't be fooled! Tanner has turned into a crazy man. Here is a list of some of his latest accomplishments.

1. colored on mutiple doors, walls, and furuniture

2. found some pens and decorate my couch with ink

3. got into my make-up... two full lipsticks and two eyeliners later you can imagine the mess

4. started drinking milk out of his sippy cup then spitting it out on a chair, (or his bed the second time) and then smearing it all over. He used about 2/3 of a sippy cup of milk before I caught him both times.

So all through this I have told myself he is just two and curious. I even considered myself lucky because he wasn't playing with his poo like some kids do.....So today he was in his room playing away nicely I heard toys out so I wasn't too worried. He played for about five minutes and I decided to check on him, by the smell in the room I knew something was up. As I started what I thought was a pretty typical bum change I noticed some markings on his leg. At this point Brian was called in for back up. Upon further investigation we found traces on his hands and in his carpet. Apparently poo is yucky. Should you still want to take a taste, just go ahead and wipe your hands off on the carpet. Once this is done be sure to continue to play with your toys like nothing has happened. The lesson he learned "we don't play with out poop". Also he now knows that poop actually does taste yucky.

Fun times. So after this I have two questions.

1. What should I expect next?

2. How long does this phase last?

Top Ten List for July

July really slipped away from me and I didn't get a chance to blog about some of the great things we did this month, so I decided to make a top 10 list. This list includes both the great and not so great things I remember about July.

1. Brian started working at his 0wn practice yipeee


2. We went camping with a couple siblings from my family and B's.


3. While we were trying to get to a great fishing hole (really I think Brian just wanted to test the jeep's 4 wheel drive abilities) Tyler got his parents Explorer high centered.


Good thing we had a tow cable with us in the jeep. I think the guys loved the adventure, some of the girls were a little concerned at the situation.


4. Probably my worst memory for July took place on the 4th. Our wonderful little town has a breakfast at 7:00 in the morning for everyone. Apparently in order to make sure everyone makes it, they start firing cannons and turing on sirens at 6:00 IN THE MORNING ON THE 4TH OF JULY OUR DAY OFF TO SLEEP IN. I am still really tempted to find out who is in charge of the ordeal and let them know that I have an alarm clock, and I will set it myself should I desire to eat their breakfast. (By the way Brian thought it was hilarious and just kept laughing at me about it all day)


5. I found two decent places to run, mild hills and no mean dogs.


6. We went to two rodeos, one was a home town not the greatest, the other was pretty great. Both rodeos have inspired Brian and Tanner to do a lot of bull riding.

7. Brian nearly killed us off. We went on a nice drive up to a new canyon near our home. Well it had just rained and was really muddy up near the top of the canyon our jeep fishtailed and came inches from going off the side of the road. I have never been so scared in my life. Brian was even a little worried so I knew we were in rough shape for awhile.


8. I got to visit with some Utah friends that I haven't seen in a couple of years. It was great to catch up with them.

9. I missed visiting with my Ohio friends.

10. I made it through the first trimester of my second pregnancy. I feel soooo much better now. We are expecting our new bundle at the end of January.

Well that is about it, hopefully I will be able to keep up better in August.

Runny Nose

Tanner has a really bad runny nose. He needs it wiped every other minute. Brian and I got tired of getting up to get some tissue for him, so we set him on the task. He kept just bringing us one square of toilet paper which definately was not enough to do the job... so we told him to bring us some big boy tissue for his nose. A couple of minutes later this is what he showed up with. Awesome, that should be enough!

Sisters

My sister Wendy came to visit us from Arizona and as an added treat, the rest of my sisters, their kids and my mom came to crash at our house. It was supposed to be for just one night, but we had so much fun I convinced them to stay for a second one. It was great to have them all here.

The first day here we set up Tanner's pool and slide the kids had a great time.

The second day we went up to the mountains to go fishing and enjoy the cooler weather. This little lake is about 30 minutes from our house. Brian caught one fish for each kid and let Andrew throw them back he was so gentle with them (not) that we were surprised that only one ended up coming home with us for dinner.

Just before they left we posed for a couple of pictures. It only took me two tries to get all of the kids to look at the camera! It was so fun I hope they will come back soon. (Yes even you Sara)

First Day of Work

So one of the greatest days of our life happend on July 1st! Brian started work in his dental office. To me it was a little more exciting that graduation just because the past month has been rough (Brian was more stressed than finals week in dental school... for a whole month) It is also nice to know that when Brian leaves home he is working to get us out of debt, instead of leaving home and getting us more in debt. What a great day!

I tried to get a picture of him in his office the day that he started, but some of his staff walked in right as we were getting ready for the shot and of course he was way too sheepish about it by then.

Brian has a really great staff. He has been pretty busy and likes the work. We are proud of him!

George the Snake

We went down to Gunnison to help with the hay (Brian helped and Tanner and I were just along for the ride). Toward the end of the day Brian found a baby blow snake. The boys were both in love with it, Tanner more so if he could look at it, but not touch it. So we found a bucket that was nearly as tall as Tanner and put the "nake" in it. Tanner carrried the thing all over the place. He showed it to Grandpa and brought it in Grandma's house to show her and Aunt Cindy,( there it was named George). Brian was sure that it needed to come home with us, so while he was distracted by food and T.V., Cindy helped me convince Tanner that George needed to go back home to his mommy and daddy. With a little whimper from Tanner the "nake" was released. Thank Goodness!

Tagged

Okay this is the third post for today I promise it is the last. I guess my sister Wendy tagged me so her we go.

ATTACHED OR SINGLE? Attached, for 4 years
BEST FRIEND? Too many to name one, Brian says "put me down", so Brian
CAKE OR PIE? Cake
DAY OF CHOICE? Saturday, long runs and B takes Tanner for the morning
ESSENTIAL ITEMS? running shoes?
FAVORITE COLORS? Red and Navy Blue
GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS? Bears
HOMETOWN? Magna
INDULGENCE? Currently Swedish Fish but I always love a browie sunday
JANUARY OR JULY? July definately!
KIDS? Oldest: Brain, Cutest: Tanner
LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT? My family
MARRIAGE DATE? April 8th
NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS? Three sisters and two brothers
ORANGES OR APPLES? Oranges
PHOBIAS OR FEARS?Feet (Brian says not being in control)
QUOTE: Not sure...
REASON TO SMILE: The sun shines in Utah :)
SUPERMAN OR WONDER WOMAN? Superman
TAG 3 PEOPLE: Tammy, Bethany, and Emily
UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: When I was little I a bite of an orange that my sister peed on (I didn't know about the pee until I had the bite, then I spit it out... not a funny joke)
VEGETABLES?Asparagus, corn, and broccoli
WORST HABIT? Forgetting about the laundry (in the washer or dryer)
X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND? Ultrasound YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Steak
ZODIAC SIGN? I have no idea..is pieces a sign, that might be it.

Big Boy Bed

So I have really been dreading Tanner's move to a toddler bed. I was sure he would take some time to adjust to it, by getting up in the night two or three times, kicking at his door, and or refusing to take his naps. What was I going to do with no sleep at night and no break during the day (I know life is pretty tough with one kid). Anyway after the move we converted his crib to a toddler bed and.... he loves it! He doesn't get out of it unless we come and get him out. He also runs in it when it is time to go to bed or take a nap. A couple of days ago he shut himself in his room, when I went to check up on him he was in his bed just chilling. Up next: potty training!

Graduation

Yipeee no more school!!!

I know I am really late at posting this blog, but with the move and waiting to get our internet set up I have just gotten around to it. We went to B's graduation on June 1st. I was great to see him walk across the stage and get his diploma (mostly because it meant that we are done with school and school loans). In case it wasn't really obvious to you all before now, Brian really hates anything formal, so getting dressed up for graduation and attending it was a big sacrafice. It was also nice to have his parents come in for the weekend. Now that we are mostly settled into our house he has been working like a dog trying to get all of the paper work finished and set up so that he will be ready to take over the practice on July 1st.

Dr. Sorensen in what he called his clown suit.

After graduation Tanner just couldn't focus enough to look at the camera.

Big Boy Baseball

Last night we went to see the Columbus Clippers (known as big boy baseball in our house). Tanner was so excited to go. While we were driving he kept asking us where we were going (just to be sure we really were going to the game.) I asked him if he was excited and he immediately said yes. Then he asked me if I was excited, when I said yes, he asked Brian if he was excited. This continued on until he saw the stadium lights... a sight so wonderful it left him speechless. It was a little cold but we had a really great time.

Tanner was watching the pitches very closely. He would say nice pitch, stttirike, and hey batter batter swing... pretty much whatever Brian would say he had to repeat it.

Sung Choon, Hye Kyung, and Tyson came to the game with us.

Packing

I spent most of the afternoon packing today. By the time I was done I could actually see progress in my house. Thinking back on my day I realized that today was the first Wednesday I have not planned to watch the Greens since June (okay I have taken a few vacations). Packing and quitting babysitting just make me realize that we really are moving. I wanted to let all of you know that we have had a great time here in Ohio. You really have been our family out here. Thanks for all of the recipes, advice, talks, runs, and time spent watching the kids play. I only hope the ward and neighborhood we move to is half as good as the one we are leaving. I wanted to include some pictures of friend here in Ohio and I realized that I am usually the one taking the pictures and it is usually of Tanner and his buddies. I guess I better charge up my batteries and get snapping pictures before we go. Thanks to Henry, Parker, and Corinne for being such great friends to Tanner. He will really miss you.

Notice Tanner is watching Henry and Parker to see what they are doing just to make sure he is copying them just right.

My First Blog

I have entered the blogging world. After stalking may blogs for the last couple of weeks I decided it was time for me to start one for our family. I hope this will help us to keep in contact with all of our family and friends especially when we move. Moving and saying good bye are at the forefront of my mind right now but it makes me too sad to write about now so I thought I would post some pictures of our trip to Louisville. We went there for my marathon and had a great time. The best part is that is only took me three days to walk normal!

Tanner cheering me on at the race

Outside Churchill Downs

In front of the Louisville Slugger Museum

Tanner hit the sidewalk with his bat for two blocks until we reached the jeep,

then he insisted on holding it all the way home... not my idea, not a good idea!