First Birthday Party!

Tanner celebrated his first birthday party. We found these cute invites on Shutterfly.  

I ordered them before we went to San Diego and decided on an Ocean/Beach theme. I couldn't come up with a theme for the life of me that fit Tanner perfectly, but the second we hit the beach and Tanner loved it, I knew the answer. We blew up beach balls, had seashells, fish and fishing pole centerpieces. It was great and he loved it. He was beyond spoiled with toys and clothes. His toy box is overflowing with toys and we had to get more bins to hold all of his toys. Here are some pictures of his big day!

 We put out his photo albums, and his brag book.

 He loved his balloons

 His birthday cake. It was yummy!

 A shirt we had made for him to wear. :)

 His cake bib. The candle is a towel that comes out.

 We hung pictures of him with ocean/beach cut-outs.

 He didn't really understand what was going on with the presents, but liked it none the less.

 Awesome shirts from Aunt Kip and Billie :)

 Elmo Jack-in-the-box! Perfect gift for a kid that loves to be scared :)

 Some super, adorable clothes

 Before the cake... :)

 His own birthday cake

 Playing with his balloons while he waited.

 The next pictures are of him eating his cake...

 His loot!

 Post cake eating and bath...still stained blue!

 Back to the really hit of the party...his balloons.

The end. :)

Thank you everyone that came to his party. We know that Tanner is truly loved by many!!

12 months!

Tanner is officially 12 months old. A whole year old! WOW! Time has flown by! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect little guy. He was such a good baby. He was a good eater, sleeper and is always happy. He is walking/running everywhere. He is also talking and signing. He can say: dada, mama, up, no, bye-bye, and sometimes nana. He tries to mimic words and sounds that he hears. He will sign more when he wants more food. He can point to his nose when we ask and will follow simple directions, (i.e. Go get the ball!, Throw the ball. Give that to _____., etc.) He LOVES music and will dance almost anytime he hears it; in the car, store, doctor's office, at the pool, etc.) He just stops what he is doing and starts dancing.

Here are his stats:
Weight: 24.1 pounds
Height: 30 1/2 inches
Tooth Count: 8 and he is working on some more right now

California

In early June, we took our first official family vacation. We braved the open road with an 11 month old and went to San Diego. Tanner did pretty great in the car, and the poor guy was in there for a long time. We stopped and took breaks so that we could all walk and stretch our legs along the way. We went to Sea World, the beach, went swimming, and relaxed. It was a nice trip and it was MUCH needed after the last whirlwind of a year.
The beach is where we found out how much Tanner LOVED the water and the ocean. The first day we arrived, we dropped off our bags and went straight to Mission Beach. We took him out of his stroller and he took off toward the water. No fear in his eyes, strictly determination. He didn't even care that the water was very cold.




He was squealing with delight! He screamed and threw his first temper tantrum right there on the beach in front of hundreds of other tourist. It sounded as if we beat the little guy. I am sure one of the first of MANY tantrums we will have the luxury of experiencing.

 
This was the aftermath of the meltdown...big crocodile tears :(

The next day we braved our first amusement park, Sea World with an 11 month old. An 11 month old that had been walking for over a month and did NOT want to be in his stroller for very long, or at all. Also Sea World did not allow strollers at most of the shows and exhibits. We had to carry him or let him walk (that is always interesting...) We all had fun though. He loved the fish, and dolphins and being outside and not sweating to death. The poor kids LOVES the outdoors and we live in HOT...HOT...HOT Arizona!

We also went to Coronado Island and played on the beach. We all had a blast. It wasn't very crowded and the beaches were clean and smooth. The sand also had gold specks in it and it made everything sparkle. It was pretty. Here are some pictures: