The Tanner Family

A Great Season

2010-07-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Jake played city league baseball with a couple of his buddies this year. He liked it well enough, but he decided he liked soccer a little better, because he said that he liked to be able to run whenever he wanted. Here are some of the highlights of a great season.

Jake was a great little hitter. He got at least a base hit at every at bat. He was so proud when he would get to first. What he lacked in strength hitting the ball, he certainly made up for in speed. Sometimes he even lapped a few guys running the bases.

Playing in the field. His favorite position was 2nd base, I think.
And, running the bases.

Here is the team, waiting for thier trophies.

This boy loves his trophies!

All three silly boys with their trophies: Jaden, Jake and Grant. So fun to play with friends.

Of coarse, this was my favorite moment of the season. I love to see my kids sharing and looking out for eachother.

Another sweet moment at the fields...

These two are meant to be together. They are courting already :)

Don't they look like the proud parents of a little baseball star?

Kindergarten Graduation...Again

2010-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here's Jake with his wonderful teachers, Mrs. Gormley and Mrs. Karen. He had a great year, and awesome teachers really do make all the difference.

This is a picture of Jake last year at graduation...notice how short he is compared to his two best buds.

Here he is at the end of this year with his best buds...notice how we have leveled the playing field just a bit, literally and figuratively. I think we made the right decision to hold him back. I think he will love 1st grade. I'm not sure I am ready for him to be gone all day, but I am sure I will manage somehow.

When this one leaves me for kindergarten, I might get a little emotional.

And here are the proud supporters... I am obviously present, just behind the lens :)

Even Jake's cousins came all the way from Alaska to cheer him on.

Birthdays in Seattle

2010-07-06T13:59:00.001-07:00

For our birthday gifts to each other, Ben and I decided to spend a weekend in Seattle. This was our second time visiting together, but the first time was only for about 8 hours to research a business idea just after Ben had graduated from college. This time we drove and stayed in a nice hotel right downtown. We parked the car when we arrived and walked everywhere we went all weekend long. We had a blast!

This is the famous Pike's Place Market, just down the street from our hotel. This is the place where all kinds of people congregate to wait for someone to buy a whole fish. Then these guys take a 25 lb fish and throw it over the counter to be cut up and packaged. We thought it was so cool to watch, but Ben wouldn't let me buy $400 worth of fish that he would never eat. Oh well, there were plenty of people who did.

For my birthday dinner, all I wanted was some fresh crab legs. So, we found a great little restaurant, right on the ocean, and I didn't even have to look at the menu. Ben did; however, and couldn't find a thing he would eat (not a fan of sea food or shell fish). Here's a funny story for those of you who know my husband well. We had passed a little burger stand on the way to the restaurant, so Ben left the restaurant, went and got a burger and fries, and came back to eat them with me. Talk about a little compromise!

I was in heaven with my crab legs, and Ben loved his 'bigger than your face' fries! Somehow I ended up choosing the restaurant two nights in a row and guess what I picked the second night. Yep, crab legs again! The second time around, Ben actually helped me crack them. It was fun, but he decided that was a lot of work for a little meal. Yum, how I love sea food!

One of the nights we went to see Candide at the 5th Avenue Theater. The musical was o.k., but the theater was unbelievable. This is the ceiling right above us. I couldn't believe how ornate and colorful it all was. We agreed that we should have gone to see Fiddler on the Roof, but we took a chance on one that neither of us had heard of and oh well, it was funny anyway.

Here is another funny story...we walked all over downtown searching for a place to have some dessert. We finally found a little bar with some mediocre apple pie and chocolate cake. When we got back to our hotel, we found an empty banquet room with a whole table full of desserts. Yummy cheesecake and tons of other things to taste.

Good thing our hotel also had an amazing two-story workout room with a great view of the city. We spent a lot of time in there and in the pool.

Here we are trying to take our own picture in front of the space needle. Little did we know the Folk Art Festival was going on down there at the same time. We saw some great musicians, some very interesting people, and were aproached by tons of supporters to sign a petition to legalize marajuana. How's that for some culture!

I wanted to take a closer look at all of this silverware art. I thought it was the coolest thing there, but as you can see, it was so crowded we couldn't even walk, much less browse. This is as close as I got.

We decided to take the monorail back after a long day and lots of crowds. I took this picture for my Buddy, who loves a good McDonalds cheeseburger whenever he can get one.

So, with our anniversary and our birthdays so close, I'm not sure what we were celebrating except for being together without the kids. Eight years of pure bliss and we are still so in love! Thanks to Grandma and Aunt Sarah for hanging out with our little Angels so we could have a weekend away! We loved it!

Nightmare Surgery Saga

2010-06-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post gets a little graphic and very long. But if you handle a long story, read on.

On May 27th around 11:00, I took Jake into the Southwest Idaho Surgery Center for an extremely routine, outpatient surgery: tubes in his ears and getting his adenoids out. This was his second set of tubes, so we even knew the drill. Not even a bit nervous, Jake knew he was in good hands. That little mask would put him to sleep and he would wake up half an hour later in my arms. No problem!

They didn't even put that IV in until after he was asleep.

He woke up pretty groggy and with a headache, but still my happy little Buddy.

Ben and I were planning a little trip for the next day, but we decided to see how Jake was doing before we really took off. The next morning Jake was feeling great. Since we had done this before and knew the recovery was quick, we left the kids with Grandma and Sassy and drove to Seattle for the weekend. Jake did very well, while we were gone, but on Monday, he started to get a headache. We were up all night that night. Jake was in so much pain that he couldn't sleep. I started to give him Tylanol and Ibuprofin when the pain was really bad. I did this for a couple of days. My friend who is a nurse told me to not let the medicine wear off. By Wednesday, after alternating the two medicines every three hours for two days straight, I called the doctor. He said that was a pretty unusual reaction and prescribed him a stronger antibiotic. We took the full round of antibiotic for 10 days, but I was still giving him tons of Tylanol and Ibuprofin. Nights were terrable, and he would wake up in the morning moaning in pain. He missed an entire week and a half of school. He would be o.k. with pain medication, but as soon as it wore off, he would go down in pain. We had Ben's entire family come and visit for a family reunion. Even Jake's cousins from Alaska came and surprised us and Jake was extatic! I knew he was in a lot of pain when he couldn't even play with them. Finally on Sunday, a week and a half later, when Jake was laying on the couch in so much pain, amidst a frenzy of playing cousins (there are 14 of them now), I paged his doctor in desperation. He told me to bring Jake in. After looking at him, saying everything looked fine, but that being in pain was highly unusual, he prescribed a steriod. I left the office in tears! How could he everything be fine if he was in so much pain. I wanted my happy, healthy buddy back. I wanted him to enjoy his last week of school, his cousins, baseball, and his birthday was coming up. He would say things like "Mom, what if the doctor can't make my head feel better?" I felt so helpless, but I knew that I would take him to every doctor in this country if I had to. So, after being on the steriod for a few days, I still wasn't seeing an improvement. His doctor ordered a CT scan to see what was going on. Here he is acting so brave again.

We loved this nurse, she made him laugh so hard. He had no idea what was about to happen.

Then she started putting in the IV. I had to look away.

Yipes! He was so brave, I couldn't believe it. I'm pretty sure I didn't handle an IV that well when I was in high school.

The cat scan machine was pretty cool, though. Kind of like Star Wars.

This kid was so brave! Here he is with his war wound and a popsicle. Way to go, Buddy!

So, the ending of the story goes like this: the cat scan came back perfect. Nothing out of place. A couple days after Jake finished the steroid, he stopped having headaches. Almost a month after his initial surgery, everything was fine and he was able to enjoy his birthday party with some buddies, the day before his cousins went back to Alaska. The night after they left, he threw up all night and was fine the next day. Poor kid! My guess is that it was all the pain medication I pumped into him so he could enjoy all of the fun things we did with the family. Why we struggled for so long, I have no clue, but I am so glad that it is all over! And let me just tell you that watching Jake suffer like that was one of the most heart-wrenching things I have had to go through in my life. I know there are millions of mothers who have had to endure so much more and I am grateful that this has been the worst of it for me. Jake was so unbelievably brave and strong throughout. I just can't tell you how grateful I am to have my happy little Buddy back!

Painting the Garage

2010-06-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

We have been in our new house for 6 months now, and Ben felt like the garage didn't look finished enough. So, one Saturday, we decided to buy some white paint and finish it up. I spent the whole day on Friday cleaning it out and gathering the supplies, so on Saturday, we were ready to go. We spent the whole day and most of the night painting, and when we were done, the garage looked fabulous! As we were standing out on the driveway, admiring our work, our neighbor came over and offered us his paint sprayer. For some reason, we really like to do things the hard way. Oh well, we were together and we had fun. Ben's back was only sore for about a week :) Hooray for Saturday projects!

Fun in the Mud

2010-06-29T13:30:00.001-07:00

So, these are our new neighbors, and we think that they are great! While they were building their house and doing their landscaping, it rained, thus making a gigantic mud puddle.

The kids had a blast! Clothes, shoes and all...

Nothing like a full body mud mask. It was fantastic! I think their faces are frozen like that.

Here is the clean up. Gotta love being hosed down in the freezing cold! A very cold hosing down, then straight to a warm bath. I still haven't washed the muddy hand prints off of my front door.

This kid is so expressive, we all just love him! His face says it all!

Jake's 1st Lost Tooth

2010-06-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

When we got home from Texas, Jake had an incredibly loose tooth. He was always playing with it, but wouldn't let Ben try to pull it out. Finally, after a week of finessing, Ben bribed him with 50 cents to let him pull it out.

Jake was exstatic. He couldn't wait to put it under his pillow to see what the tooth fairy would bring. Well, the tooth fairy did come and brought him one dollar. He was so excited, until...he recieved a card in the mail from the Texas tooth fairy (my mom), who send him twenty dollars!
Now, he wants to loose all of his teeth in Texas. Smart kid!

Trip to Texas in April

2010-06-27T22:43:00.001-07:00

So, I am going back in time just a little, but when you see how long this post is going to be, you will see why I was putting it off for so long. There were so many pictures that I loved that I didn't include. In April, I took all three kids to Texas by myself to attend a memorial service for my Grandma Trudy and Grandpa Popito. They both recently passed away. My grandma passed away last year in January, and my grandpa passed away this January. My kids had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him in December when we came to visit for Christmas. He was pretty ready to go and he loved seeing my kids. He kept asking where my grandma was, so I am hoping they are together now and enjoyed seeing all of their family together remembering them. It was a great trip!

Feeding the Ducks with Pop and Mimi

When we first arrived, we met Pop and Mimi and Haley and Matt at a park to feed the ducks. It was so fun. We missed you Kristin and Nate!

Haley and Matt and beautiful baby Landry

The kids had so much fun!

Brinley had so much energy after a 5 hour plane ride.

Jake was brushing up on some rock skipping that he learned with Pop last summer.

Pop and Mimi doing one two THREE with Brinley. It is Sophie's absolute favorite!

The Dallas Zoo with Pop and Mimi

Ready to see some really cool animals. I remember taking school field trips when I was young. So FUN!

The Gorilla exhibit was spectacular!

Pops in his Longhorn shirt and Jake supporting the Boise Broncos ;) Born to a third generation University of Texas alum, this kid bleeds orange. He thinks it might be Bronco orange, but with time he will learn the truth, that it is really Longhorn burnt orange!

Jake absolutely loved the crocodiles. This one is an albino and we couldn't believe it was real until we saw him breath. They called him the ghost of the bayou, and we searched the zoo all day, led by a very eager boy who was not going to give up until we found him.

Ice cream after a long, hot day at the zoo is a must. Thanks Pop and Mimi for the really fun trip to the Dallas Zoo.

Chinese Food with Nanny and the Fam

Love this picture of my brother with Sophie. He is the biggest teddy bear!

Brinley was pretty sick that night. She stayed pretty close to Nanny, but I think she just got a little too much sun at the zoo.

She did muster up enough energy to take this great pic of me and my mom

Cousin Lonny was totally in love with the girls, playing a little 'do as I'm doing'

All the girlies chillin' on the couch

Shopping with my best friend, Amber and her darling girls at the coolest store ever. No idea why we didn't take a picture of me and Amber, but here are our girls together. They hit it right off...Brinley, Sophie, Brooklyn and Addison.

Dinner at Maggiano's

My mom and Brinley get along so well! They are both such free spirits, it is like they speak the same language.

Another great picture of me and my Mom, taken by Brin, the budding young photographer. See how we are always having to bend down? We hope that will improve with time. Isn't my mom a Babe?

This picture of all the great-grandchildren was pretty challenging to get. My cousin, Brian has two kids, Henry and William. This was my first time to meet both of them. They are cute little guys!

Lonny worked so hard all night to win Brinley over. I think he finally managed to loosen her up a bit, and by the end of our trip she thought he was pretty cool. Too bad you live so far away in Arizona!

This went on for hours at our wonderful 4 course Italian dinner. Good thing we had our own private room. My grandma Trudy would have joined right in.

My dad took Jake to a Rangers game earlier that day. He made it just in time for dinner. They had great seats at the game and had a wonderful time!

Brian and Kim took their boys home early

Parting is such sweet sorrow...Henry really took to Sophie. Too bad they are like second cousins or something

Cute!

My Aunt Suzie has always loved playing with the little ones

We think Sophie looks just like my Aunt Joyce

Some things never change. These guys have always been best buds!

My mom and Joyce with my Grandpa's sister, Silvia

Love, love, love this picture! Who loves Uncle Zach?!

This is my little brother...that I used to beat up on...don't think I will mess with you anymore Lil' Bro!

Luncheon at the Crescent before the Ceremony

She has him wrapped around her little finger. We sure hope you are having a girl ;)

Stacking the little jams and ketchup bottles. Look at that intensity. She is my daughter, so I guess she comes by it honestly.

Suzie taught Jake how to use chopsticks and now he is a pro

Aunt Vel can be silly, too

All dressed up for the Service. My friend's mom made these dresses...so so so cute!

I loved watching my cousin Brian play with the kids. A true Harvard grad with his top button undone, his sleeves rolled up, and sunglasses in the shade.

I was a very nice Service. The Rabbi did a great job and it was so nice to be all together. We missed you Mark and Lauren!

My grandma was a truly amazing lady! She lived a fantastic, very hard life, but she never let it get the best of her. When we were small, we called my grandma Happy Trudy. Even a the very end, she never missed the opportunity for a joke. I will always remember her happy, hard-working, full of energy, and loving my kids! Thanks for teaching me the value of hard work, enduring to the end, and never taking no for an answer!

Starting to say Goodbye. Don't be strangers!

We went to visit my grandpa's friend, Martha after the Service. She had just had neck surgery, but was glad to hear everything went well. My mom looks great with her grandbabies. Isn't she a beautiful Grandma?!

Our last day in Texas

The girls were exhausted and watching the Princess and the Frog at Nanny's. Lots of family, good food and fun makes for some seriously tired girls.

Nanny desperately trying to get one last picture of the kids to watercolor. We took like three hundred pictures, but they had had it. Isn't that the way it always goes?

Saying goodbye to Pop and Mimi at Friday's. With all of his well intentioned advice, he is one proud Pop!

All in all it was a fantastic trip. When I got home, I told Ben that that was the last time I would ever travel that far with the kids all by myself! Exhausting, but worth it!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-06-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hooray for fabulous girlfriends! I'm not ashamed, I just turned 31. I'm hoping in this decade of my life that I have learned a few things and will be wiser! These are some of my amazing girlfriends who, once they realized that they would pretty much all be out of town for my actual birthday, hurried and took me out for a fun night before everyone left. It was a bit short notice an too late at night for some, but here are the die hards. We had dessert at the Cheesecake Factory and went to see Letters to Juliet. Thanks for a memorable night. My hubby took me on a fantastic getaway to Seattle... post soon to come.

Brinley's Preschool at the Zoo

2010-06-02T22:54:00.001-07:00

Oh, what a day!

When we first arrived at the zoo, it was so busy with tons of kiddos and their parents. Our group consisted of nine mothers and their children. About 10 minutes into our trip, I noticed that Brinley was no longer with me. I figured she had just attached herself to one of my friends. After I located all of the moms in our group and no one had her, I started to look around for her. When I realized she wasn't anywhere around us, I started to worry a little. After a few minutes of looking around, and just as I was starting to panic, a man pointed me in the direction of the front gates. I left Sophie with a friend and started to sprint towards the front. Just at that moment when I thought my heart would leap out of my chest, I spotted Brinley in the ticket counter at the entrance. When I reached her, she was telling the lady that her mom's name was Monica and that I was wearing a pink shirt. I was unspeakably relieved to find her and also really proud that she knew exactly what to do. After that little fiasco, she held my hand almost the rest of the trip. We had a great time, but she rarely let me out of her sight. That was a cheap lesson... I didn't have to yell at her, and I didn't even pass out!
The kids really like the new Africa exhibit and the elephant that sprays water.

The giraffe slide is almost as cool as any real animal at the zoo. It is always a big hit!

It is a tradition in our family to take a picture of the kids on this tiger everytime we go to the zoo. I use it to measure their growth. What would I ever do if they took the tiger away?

Brinley took this picture of the Komodo Dragon, which is almost always Jake's favorite animal. We sure missed the Buddy on this trip!
James and the girlies on the Komodo Dragon

This little ocelot exhibit was hilarious. Sophie ran right up to the glass and was so excited to look right in. The animal lunged toward the glass in equal excitement. Sophie jumped back as fast as I have ever seen her move, and she is super-fast! Her heart had to be pounding, but she soon realized the glass would keep her from harm, so she enjoyed watching the little rodent, from a safe distance.

Sometimes I think that the little structures at the zoo entertain my kids more than the actual animals on exhibit. Oh well, on a nice day the zoo is always fun!

Oh, how we Love the Summer!

2010-06-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hooray for warm weather and snow cones! One of our really good buddies opened a snow cone shack on the corner of Eagle Rd. and McMillan, right by the skate park. You know we will be his best customers!

Our family loves snow cones!!!!!!
Do those look like happy faces or what!

Fun with Sassy and Baby Ester

2010-06-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here is Aunt Sassy reading to all of the kids on a sunny, Sunday afternoon at Grandma's house.

I absolutely love this picture of Brinley and Sarah.

Look at me with my darling neice, Ester. She is the cutest little baby, but very serious. Brinley is very good at making her smile, but she doesn't always give them out generously. This picture is courtesy of my Brin, who loves taking pictures and making Esy smile.

Performance of a Lifetime

2010-06-02T15:22:00.001-07:00

Brinley just had her spring dance recital. She was absolutely darling! Here she is ready for the show with her little buddy, Brooklyn.

If you want to experience some serious side-splitting laughter check out these links. She did one ballet dance and one tap. I might be a little biased, but she really is the best dancer out there. In the performance of a lifetime, here she is...

Brinley's ballet performance

Brinley's tap performance

After a truly amazing performance, her absolute favorite moment of the night was getting flowers from her dad. Daddy had only one job that night, but he was running late from work so Grandma saved the day. Thanks for stepping in with the flowers, Grandma...it made the night totally perfect.

I was feeling pretty lucky that night to get such a warm hug from our budding, young Superstar. Also, proof that I was, in fact, in attendance.

Strike a pose, Baby...the camara loves you!

Not pictured...me and the Buddy. We handled all of the camara work that night. Thanks for coming everyone!

A Lucky Boy!

2010-05-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

So, last week I blogged about Jake saving all of his money for a DS. Yesterday, he and a little neighborhood friend decided to have their own lemonade sale. They did pretty well for a cold day, so Jake had saved a whopping $40. Today, he was dying to go yard saling with me, which is a tradition we have started during the warmer months. Jake just loves going with me to find bargains, and this year he has become pretty selective in his choices (I have to take the credit for that after years of explaining that we don't pay money for junk, even if it is cheap junk). This morning, the stars aligned for this budding, young consumer. He found a DS in mint condition, with all the accessories and two Pokemon games for $30! He had already spent $1 on a rare Pokemon card he had been searching for, so he did all the math and decided this was a deal he couldn't pass up. Even on sale, it is impossible to find a DS under $100 and the games are usually expensive. Ben and I had decided no DS, but I couldn't say no to those big brown eyes (with really long eyelashes) and it was his own, hard-earned money. We walked away with an unbelievably happy boy, and he learned that when you save your money and find a deal, it feels fantastic! I'm proud of the kid! Now, to come up with some rules of conduct for the new technological addition to our home :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful Mother's Day! I swear that I am the luckiest mom around! Ben was out of town that day, so no sleeping in or breakfast in bed, but my kids were so well behaved. Jake agreed to wear a tie and suitcoat to church (just becuase it was mother's day) and the girls didn't rip the flowers out of their hair (I don't think they knew that it really was a special day).
It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we enjoyed every minute of it!
My favorite moment of the day was while I was getting ready for church, I heard this faint singing. I looked out of my bathroom to see Jake sitting on the floor with the girls reading and singing church songs to them. They were all ready and not getting into any trouble. I spent the rest of the time getting ready with a smile from ear to ear. I have been bragging on my Buddy a lot lately, because he really is the Best Buddy around! My little Sophie is such a little monkey! She lights up the whole room anytime she walks in. If you have ever wondered what I looked like as a child...it couldn't be any closer than this. Someday I will find a picture to show. So anyway, here is a blast from the past and a Happy, Happy Mother's Day to my Mother and all of my mothering roll models out there (there are so many of you...Thank You)!

A Moment to Sit Back and Smile At

2010-05-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Being a mother is all about those tiny teaching moments. I absolutely love the moments when I have the opportunity, out of the blue, to pass along some pearl of wisdom that I have gathered along my journey to my wonderful children. The only thing I love more, is witnessing an older sibling passing a pearl of wisdom to a younger sibling.

Tonight I had the pleasure of enjoying one of those moments. Jake was up later than normal, because he was working with his Dad on some service (helping a neighbor lay some sod). As we were in the kitchen enjoying a late-night popsicle, Brinley came down the stairs and offered to pay Jake one dollar for a bite of his popsicle. Jake looked at her and said, "Brinley, would you like to buy an Areal toy?" To which she answered "yes". He then explained to her that in order to do that, she would have to save her money. He said plainly, "Do you know how much money I have?"

"No..."

"I have $37, and do you know how I got that much money?"
"No..."

"I saved it. Even when I really wanted to buy something, I thought about getting my DS and I had to decide if I really wanted to spend my money on that thing."

"Oh", replied Brinley.

"Now, do you really want to pay me a dollar for a bite of my popsicle?"

"YES!"

Well, the transaction never did take place, but I had to sit back and smile. He is learning to be so responsible with his money and trying to pass this skill on to his younger siblings. We have pretty much outlawed the idea of a DS at this point, but he is trying so hard... What would you do?

And we're Back!

2010-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

So, here is just a sampling of the family pictures that were taken last fall by our amazing friend, Katie. These are what would have been sent out on our Christmas cards if we had gotten to that last year. Since we didn't...here they are. Happy very late Christmas to all of our loved ones! I guess this is just par for the course in this little Tanner family. We had a wonderful Holiday season filled with happy memories and great times with family and friends. For now; however, we will keep those to ourselves and I will start fresh posting our fun in the sun highlights. I love to keep the blog updated during all of our summer adventures and end up busy and running ragged by the fall. I am hoping to be sane enough this year to make it past August and hopefully post our happy Holidays as well. Here's hoping!

Monkey Business

2009-08-09T21:56:00.001-07:00

Summers in Boise are fantastic! We usually spend lots of time at the park and the neighborhood pool. But, every once in a while there is a super hot day and it's nice to have somewhere indoors to take the kids. There is a new place in town called Monkey Business that the kids absolutely loved!

There is a great little toddler area where Sophie could play and not get clobbered by the bigger kids.

Jake climbed about one fourth of the way up this wall, and then climbed right back down. He got that fear of heights from his dad.

This is the bottom of a huge inflatable slide. They came down so fast with smiles on their faces all the way down.

Brin cried the first time I took her down the slide. I convinced her to try it again, and then she was hooked. Three hours later, I had to drag her out of there. Good times were had by all!

Ice cream for FHE

2009-08-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

One of our very favorite summer FHE activities is ice cream of course!

Those faces say it all! What could be better?

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

O.k...so I'm just now posting this, but I'm still trying to catch up, so give me a break!

Jake's school had a darling little kindergarten graduation ceremony on the last day of school. They sang a few songs, and here he is walking across the stage.

Here are his proud supporters (Mom is here, I'm just behind the camera documenting the important moments in my children's lives!)

Best buddies! These are Jake's best friends, Jayden and Evan! Handsome little devils, all three of them!

Jake absolutely loved his teacher this year. Great teachers are such a blessing, and make the school experience so wonderful! We just found out she is moving to 2nd grade next year, so we might get to have her again. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Megee!

So, this is actually the first of two kindergarten graduation certificates that Jake will earn. Yes, he will be going to kindergarten again next year! After much deliberation with his school administrators, we decided to hold him back so he can be the oldest in his grade. Because he was on target academically and emotionally, the school was totally against it, so Ben and I decided to let Jake be the final say. We explained how some of his friends would be going on to 1st grade, but that if he stayed in kindergarten, that he would be the oldest, and he could show all of his new friends the ropes. He was surprisingly a big fan of that idea. He was really excited to ride the bus home and be able to have lunch with Mom again. I wasn't ready for him to be gone all day anyway! His biggest concern was actually whether or not his new teacher would have legos in her room. And the school was worried that he was going to get bored...Hah!

Simple Interest

2009-08-09T20:54:00.001-07:00

What a Stud!!!

So Jake has been super interested in money lately. He was always gathering it up and asking me how much a handful of coins was worth and what he could buy with it. I took him to the dollar store a few times to spend it, but the toys we picked out usually never even survived the car ride home. With Ben proding me to open a bank account for him, I finally decided to give him a lesson on simple interest and what happens when we put our money in the bank to save for college and his mission. I wanted it to be his choice to save. I explained to him that mommy and daddy put their money in the bank (so we don't lose it), and every month, they give us some extra money back. I explained that if he put all his quarters in the bank, that every once in a while, they would give him an extra quarter. His eyes got all sparkly and wide. By the end of our discussion, he was so excited to put his money in savings! We spent the next few days rolling all of his coins, then he was ready to take them to the bank. Wells Fargo has a great program for kids. Everytime they make a deposit, they get to earn points towards different prizes. The first one he earned was this carriage piggy bank. He looks forward to getting his statement in the mail every month and to see how much he has saved, and to see how much the bank "gave" him. We haven't been as diligent about reading this summer, but he is really learning about money and how we can accumulate more of it when we save. What a chip off the old block. I'll let those of you who know us well to figure out which block I am referring to. That's one valuable money lesson out of the way, now on to tithing :)

Spring Pics

2009-08-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite spring pictures of the kids. My sister in law, Emily got a really good camera and was practicing on my kids. I think she is getting the hang of it...as you can see. They weren't super cooperative, except for Jake, and these are some great pics! It'll probably be a while before I get a good one of the three of them together...oh well!

Memorial Day 2009

2009-07-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day this year was a super-event filled blast of a day! It is a long-time Tanner tradition to hike up to the top of Pine Top on Memorial Day. This year, we had a few extra kids with us, due to our friends on a nice vacation. So, we assigned each adult a kid or two and headed up the trail...

This was my attempt at getting some food (peanut butter crackers) in those little tummies before the big hike

Here is the whole crew at the trail head. Cami took the picture. We loved having the Clark kids with us this year. They were fun.

Jake led the way for a long time. Can you see him way up there?

Baby James cried for a bit, but as soon as I got him, he slept all the way up.

Devotional and goal-making at the top. Thanks Grandma and Cami for putting that together!

Group shot in front of "the alter", about half way up...gorgeous view!

Brinley was obsessed with pine cones the entire time. She brought this one home and Jake threw it over the fence a few days later. That was not a popular move.

Ice cream at our favorite little Westside Drive-in after a long hike.

Look at those happy little faces! I love them all!

Then we took all those exhausted little kids swimming in the neighborhood pool. Needless to say, they all slept very well that night.

And what wonderful day would be complete without little girl mani/pedies? Just Perfect!

Jake's Zoo Fieldtrip

2009-07-05T20:35:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to go with Jake's kindergarten to the zoo. I only got to take a couple of pictures before my camera battery died. It was a great trip. The kids had a blast looking at all of the animals, and then it was off to the park for lunch. Jake loved the new lion exhibit, and he said his favorite part was the very long bus ride.

Here are some of the buddies...

And a silly monkey...and that was it!

Another great soccer season

2009-07-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Jake had another great soccer season this spring. At the beginning of the season, Ben refused to coach Jake's team again. His theory was that he didn't want to be "one of those dads" that always coached his son. He wanted to give someone else a shot at coaching the team. So, when nobody volunteered, the Y assigned someone on staff to do it. This woman was very nice, but she admitted that she had never done this sort of thing before, and didn't know very much about soccer. Well, Ben could only handle that for about 3 minutes, and then he was out there on that field. He has a very hands on style, and these are pictures of him "not coaching".

After 2 games, this very nice woman had a schedule conflict that left our team without a real coach. So, Ben stepped up as the "official" coach and asked his friend Ty to coach with him. They did a great job with the kids and it turned out to be a great season!

Here is the team picture

And that is my little soccer STUD!

Jake was a good sport on and off the field. Way to cheer on your team!

Jake scored quite a few goals this year. He always turned to me to make sure I saw, and I loved how Dad was always there to give him a big 5!

There was always quite a cheering section of girls with Grandma, Brinley, Soso, and of course, a very proud Mama

There were many friendships forged at the fields every weekend.

We had an amazing group of parents, who all chipped in to get trophies for the kids and have a sweet little ceremony at the end of the season. Jake was so excited to finally have his first trophy. He's hoping it is the first of many, many more championship trophies...quite a chip off the old block!

Couponing

2009-07-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

As most of those close to me know, I have been super-into this couponing thing for a few months now. Here are a couple of my more noteworthy shopping trips...well, the ones I bothered to photograph.

This was an Albertsons trip under $50! I now have cases of that peanut butter and those Dole manderine oranges that I paid literally pennies for.

This was $6 at Walmart. The whole thing is a bit addicting, but I am slowing down a bit these days. I'm running out of room to store my loot, and have been able to cut my grocery budget by more than half.

Easter with Friends

2009-07-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

This year we had another hunt with a few of our friends.

Brinley was very slow and deliberate, so she didn't end up with too many eggs.

Jake had a bit of a rough morning, so he missed the hunt, but when he finally arrived with the biggest frown you have ever seen, all of his friends donated some candy. What a blessing to have such wonderful friends! His countenance soon changed and here he is with all of his pals. There is nothing in the world like good food and great friends.

The boys usually talk much more than the girls when we all get together.

I walked upstairs to find Ella single-handedly entertaining all those boys. Look at that smirk...watch out for her, Clarks!

"Daddy, have you any idea what I have been shoveling into my mouth all day?" Thanks to the Homs for hosting a great party!

Easter Festivities

2009-07-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

We started celebrating Easter early this year, so we could do some fun activities with all of our cousins before they had to go home.

Tia helping the kids dye Easter eggs...

Take a look at that technique

Maddy had some great techniques to share, too

He gets that intensity from me...but he did end up with some spectacular eggs this year.

Brinley was much happier coloring

Cami helped them make some stellar sugar cookies

The boys loved it

So did Brinley...I'm not sure if she got more frosting on her cookie or on herself

Eliza really enjoyed helping with Baby Soso

So...we tried again to photograph all of the grandkids together in their darling Easter dresses and shirts from Grandma. All ten of them...HA! I don't think we got a good one of all of them together, but there are some great ones of a few at a time.

Cute boys and the babies with Grandma

Brinley was way more into tormenting the cat than posing for pictures, but I did manage to get this great one...I should be a professional :)

After the torture of pictures was over, we all went back to Grandma's for a great Easter egg hunt. Nobody here looks very excited.

Ben, reading off everyone's colors.

Jake found all of his eggs, even in the trickiest of spots. He's a hard one to fool.

Brinley after a tragic spilling of eggs...she recovered quickly. Easter at Grandma's is always the best. Hopefully we are starting some great traditions there, too.

Conference with the Cousins

2009-07-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

General Conference is a great time to get together with Ben's family. We have started some pretty awesome traditions, including M&M bingo, GC scones and some great backyard football!

The cousins love to be together and enjoy slumber parties at grandma's house.

These two have become pretty inseparable during these little get togethers.

These two really like eachother, too!

Removing a tree for Mom while enjoying the Saturday afternoon session by radio.

Even Gracie was a big help on that project...so cute!

Followed by some great Tanner football...the teams were a bit small this year.

A little double coverage on Uncle Ben...but Maddy is wide open!

And of course, swimming at the Y is always a favorite, especially with James.

Back to Dallas in March

2009-06-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

In March, I flew down to Texas to help my mom and my aunt pack up my grandmother's china. I took only Jake and Sophie with me, so we could actually get some work done. Brinley stayed in Boise for a little daddy/daughter bonding time. We also spent a little time with my Popito and the rest of my family.

My Popito is so in love with little Soso. He always cheers right up when he sees her.

She mostly loves it when he shares his Popsicle with her.

He loves to pinch her cheeks! Who can blame him...they are very pinchable cheeks!

Everyone loves Popsicles with Poppy!

I have a picture just like this of my Poppy feeding me a bottle at about this age. That bottle, however, happened to be a beer can with a nipple on it. Budweiser, I believe. "No beer for the Soso, Poppy!"

We visited Poppy everyday we were there. Sophie is the only one that can make my grandpa smile like that.

She also enjoyes helping him eat.

Jake entertained all the old men with this little toy Bakugon. They were all so amazed by the way the little toy transforms when it touches metal. Jake was sticking it to all the silverware in the dining room. All of the old people wanted a turn to try it. I love these pictures of my Pops smiling... my mom says he really doesn't do that very often. Leave it to the cutest great-grand kids on the planet (and one cute granddaughter, too)!

This is Sophie's way of helping pack up the china.

I had to include this picture, because I can't even believe how much Sophie looks like my grandma here. It is a striking resemblance. I think my Grandma Trudy would have been proud.

Soso was so cute in this box...that is how I kept her out of the way. My mom and Joyce would fight over who got to take care of her. That way, they didn't have to do too much of the work. They are both wonderful overseers, but not the best workers.

Jake was busy digging through all of grandma's treasures. She had so many treasures, it was hard to narrow it down. My mom helped him find all the best ones.

Look at all that treasure! We almost couldn't get it all home because of the weight limit on the plane.

Soso spending a little quality time with my dad

Jake, of course, conned my dad into taking him to Chuck E' Cheeses, to get even more treasure!

Soso loves those swings!

Calling home..."We miss you, Daddy and Brinley!"

Fun at the park with Pops and Mimi...and ice cream from the little boy peddling from a cart.

My dad teaching Jake how to skip rocks in the river

He was pretty stoked when he finally got it!

Sophie slept through the whole glorious event.

Back to my dad's to see the rest of the fam. "Thanks for the grub, Aunt Kristin"

Jake and Uncle Matt sword fighting the back yard. I guess they never really grow out of that sort of thing.

Pretty in purple!

Jake pretty much schooled Aunt Kristin at connect 4.

Uncle Matt tried his hand, but I'm pretty sure he got beat, too.

That's good practice, Aunt Haley..."try to get some of it into my mouth!"

Jake was pretty smitten when he was invited into the cockpit on the flight home. He even got to push some of the buttons to make his seat move up and down. He was pretty blown away by all of those buttons.

Home at last! The kids were pretty excited to see eachother again. How come we can't love eachother this much everyday? All in all, it was a successful trip. We played with family, and packed alot of china!

First Day of Summer

2009-06-28T20:26:00.001-07:00

It seemed like winter lasted a long time this year. We were so excited for the first warm day, that we went right to the park!

Sophie loved swinging in the swing!

Grandma pushing Brin

Jake and Everett. These boys don't get to see eachother very often, but when they do, it is like they have never been apart. Boys will be boys!

The Little Moments that make it all worth it!

2009-06-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the school year, the girls had some great times while Dad was at work and Jake was at school. This was a tender little moment that I just happened to walk in on. Oftentimes I feel bad when I get busy with other things and don't get to spend one on one time with the girls. But that is the beauty of having older siblings. Brinley has gotten really good at mothering her little sister. Thanks, Brin, for picking up the slack and reading to baby Soso!

My Little Helper!

2009-06-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Messmaker, messmaker, make me a mess... (sung to the tune of Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof)

How could I be mad? She's cleaning it up, right? Right!

What a day!

2009-06-10T21:02:00.001-07:00

WARNING: Do not read this post if you have a weak stomach!

So, let me begin with a little back ground. First of all, I feel like Brinley is a brilliant child, completely potty trained within a week from the first day we tried, even at night. Potty training is my excuse for her running around partially nude all day everyday, because it is hard to get pants off in a hurry when every second counts. That being said, my strong-willed, free-spirited girl now feels like she wants to be naked all the time. Yesterday, our sweet neighbor brought her to my front door stark naked...that was a super-star mom moment. (Apparently she was knocking on his door looking for a gumball) She also thinks it is very humerous to go peepee outside on the back porch and in various locations in the house.

So today, I was on the phone with my sis-in-law, when I hear a faint crying sound... Thinking that my own children were safely upstairs watching Little Mermaid or napping, my motherly instinct prompted me to check outside to see whose little darling needed help. I opened the front door to find Brinley, standing outside, stark naked, and screaming at the top of her lungs. Oh, and she was covered in something that I found upon closer inspection to be poop-very foul smelling poop, might I add! "How did you get out here, and what is the matter?" I asked in alarm, as I watched her wipe her face with her poop covered fingers. (Yes, I was horrified!) "Where is the poop?" was my next question. She pointed at a trail all down my front walk of leaves covered in the stuff that she had apparently used to wipe herself. As she contintued to cry hysterically and wipe poop all over her face, I swiftly picked her up and threw her in the first tub I could find. I have yet to find the original pile of poop (maybe Ben will stumble upon it when he finally decides to mow the lawn...good luck with that, Honey), and beyond my wildest dreams, I cannot figure out why my darling princess has absolutely no aversion to her own poop!

She also peed on her carpet this morning, fed an entire box of cereal to a large colony of ants on our back porch (yes, my husband owns a pest control company), pulled Sophie, fully clothed into the bathtub with her, and peed on the kitchen floor right in front of Ben. She did, however, carefully remove her pretty princess panties each time as not to soil them. Jake was safely at a friend's house for the majority of the drama today. That was my day...hope yours was better.

Randomness

2009-06-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Just a sampling of our crazy everyday life...

Crazy kids!

Brinley getting into my make up

Brinley sleeping with my make up. For those of you with more experience than me...how the heck do you keep them out of your make up?

Hi Soso!

Cute girlies

This girl loves her Daddy!

My little budding young artists...so proud of their work

Valentine's Day in Texas

2009-06-09T10:32:00.001-07:00

My youngest sister, Kristin, got married in Texas over Valentine's Day. We had an action-packed trip, and had a chance to spend some time with my family.

The first thing we did upon arrival in Texas was to go and visit my Popito. He was so happy to see his great-grandkids!

Then we went out to dinner with Pop and Mimi and Haley and Matt..."You guys look good with that baby!"

Playing with Pop at dinner

My cute Mommy with baby SoSo

Picturesque moments from the Rehearsal Dinner

Mommy loves this Girl!

Pop and the SoSo

Brinley and Aunt Vel

Jake got a nerf gun for being in the wedding party. He was pretty stoked about it!

A Valentine's Day Wedding

Getting ready for a wedding on Valentine's Day...Don't they look festive?!

Love this little couple!

Brinley wasn't feeling very well before the wedding started. She made it all the way until the family pictures after the wedding. Then, as we were posing for our family picture with the bride and groom, Brinley threw up all over Ben. At least we got one good one together. Leave it to us to add excitement to an otherwise uneventful occasion! I think Nathan was sick on his honeymoon...as well as Zach and Vel, my dad, and several others who picked up the bug from somewhere.

Zach and Vel posing with a darling little Angel!

Look at that unbelievably handsome ring bearer! He was getting his final instructions from the groom.

Kristin looked gorgeous in her dress. This is about the only good picture I got of her. Jake had a super front row seat to the cake-cutting.

Brinley loved the rose petals that we threw at the couple as they left.

Me and my Buddy on the way home from an awesome night

Valentine's Day for Me and My Man

Ben and I went to a great Brazilian Steakhouse to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Then we stayed at the W Dallas. Very Nice! Thanks to Pop and Mimi, Nanny, and Haley and Matt for taking such great care of our babies so we could have a night away.

Still in love after all these years!

This is Suzanna. She took care of me and my brother, Zach from the time I was born.

Her daughters were pretty much my siblings. Monica and Gaby. That's right... two Monica's in one household :)

Look at all her darling grandkids. It was fun to get everyone together!

Everyone loves my parent's doggy...Milo!
The Dallas Aquarium
We took the kids to the Dallas Aquarium. It was so awesome! The have so many different kinds of animals, and you can get so close.

Mommy and Brinley getting a closer look at the three-toed sloth

Real sharks, a manatee, sting rays, jelly fish, and tons of exotic fish. This place has everything!

Sophie had a great time, too. And isn't she adorable!

Yipes! That was a big crock!

Saying goodbye to Popito for this trip

Family Fun in Utah

2009-06-09T09:05:00.001-07:00

February was an exciting month! We first traveled to Utah for a baby blessing, and then down to Texas for my sister's Valentines Day wedding.

Uncle Brian as the human jungle gym. While in Utah we love spending time with Ben's family. We went back to Progressive Power Tumbling for some family fun, then over to the church for lunch and games and to celebrate some birthdays (Emi and John). Then the girls stopped at IKEA for some power shopping. On Sunday we drove down to Provo for Daniel's blessing and a nice meal at Cami and John's. Good times were had by all!

Brinley loves the foam pit and all the trampolines at Progressive Power Tumbling.

Grandma with the baby girls

Jake and Andrew had a blast! They even played in the sumo suits. That was a sight to see :)

Needless to say, they slept pretty good that night!

It's been too long!

2009-06-09T08:25:00.001-07:00

I have been a bit of a slacker about posting lately, but summer is my absolute favorite time to post about, so I will attempt to get myself caught up by doing the year in review. January in Boise was snowy and cold, but we had a blast with all the snow!

We have an awesome sledding hill right by our house, so the kids could just bundle up and go right outside. Friends of ours even called the prime spot "Jakey's hill". We had lots of fun with our new sleds!

We also had enough snow to make snowmen and women in our backyard! Jake and Brinley constructed their own self portraits. They lasted about a week. It was great!

The kids couldn't wait to try out their new scooters they got for Christmas. Snow is still on the ground, but that didn't even slow them down a bit.

This is exciting!

2008-11-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Come join us for some great shopping--handcrafted items from local artisans, gourmet treats, and great gift ideas! There will also be some great door prizes, including Jim Brickman Concert tickets and Pottery Barn decor items. Holiday House Boutique only takes place once a year and you don't want to miss it--so grab your girlfriends and spend your weekend with us!

Sophie Makes her Dallas Debut

2008-10-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last month, I took Sophie down to Texas to meet the rest of the fam. She travelled all over Dallas and was quite a hit!

"I love you too, Great-grandma Trudy"

"Oh Popito, I think we speak the same language"

"O.k. Aunt Haley and Uncle Matt...pets are not nearly as cool as babies...what are we waiting for here. I need some cousins in Texas!"

"Oh Aunt Kristin...I really like Nathan, let me know if you need any help with the wedding...I look great in plum!"

"Uncle Zach and Aunt Vel, you guys are the coolest, but I'm not really into that hair!"

"Wow...Not you too, Nanny"

Just chillen' watching the Cowboys with my Pops!

"Thanks for letting us stay with you in your posh apartment, Nanny"

Double duty Coach Tanner

2008-10-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ben had the opportunity to coach high school soccer this season. He was asked by his buddy, Chad Oyler, to be the assistant coach for the brand new Rocky Mountain High School Grizzlies. Can you see the two of them over there in coaching stance? Being a brand new high school, this team was very young and had never played together before. They had one heck of a run, putting up 2 W's on the season. Ben enjoyed working with Chad, learned a lot, and loved working out with the boys!

Ben's also been coaching Jake's little U6 boys PAL soccer team. I'm not sure if this team has put up any W's yet, but they have sure come a long way from last year. Jake is having a blast, getting better with every game, and making some great new friends.

That's my #3!

"Get in there, Jake!"

The all important after game treats

What a stud!

Pop and Mimi in Boise

2008-10-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

When Pop and Mimi come to town, we always have to pack it all in. This trip was perfectly timed so that Pop could see Jake's school (which he inspected thoroughly)...

Catch Jake's first soccer game and eat at Red Robin afterwards...

Take Brinley shopping for a princess bike for her birthday...

And of course...do lots of oogling over Baby Soso!

We also got to spend time with the Fairbanks Family who came all the way from Utah to hang out with us. My how time flies...I remember speaking at Alec's baptism, the day Jared was born, and Erika and Aaron when they were Jake and Brinley's ages. Jake loved playing with the boys, and I'm afraid he has a crush on Erika.

But of all the fun times, this was the best... Sorry Mimi, but Sophie is a fourth generation Longhorn. She can sense a Red Raider a mile away, and she came out making that hook 'em hand gesture. How about them Horns!

Labor Day Weekend Reunion

2008-10-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend, we went down to Utah for a short Tanner family reunion. O.k...has anyone ever heard of Progressive Power Tumbling? It's a place in Springville, Utah that has a bunch of trampolines, springboards, foam pit, inflatable toys, and more. Fun for children and adults alike. We rented out the whole place for a couple of hours. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but once the whole family got there and started to play, it was a blast!

Jake hanging upside down on one of the inflateables.

Brinley mostly stuck to the trampoline. She and James jumped and jumped some more.

This is Ben jumping off a springboard into the foam pit. There I am ready to catch him :)

Jake loves to watch this clip of Uncle Matt over and over again...

Well Jake, Mom can do tricks too!

Here's the whole fam in the foam pit!

When our time was up at the tumbling place, we packed back in our cars and headed to a park up in Provo Canyon for some delicious Subway subs, parachute games, soccer for the adults, and adventures in the stream for the kids...

Recipe for fun: warm air, cold water, running stream, cousins, and a little imagination!

Look at these little adventurers!

They were plotting their next conquest

Even Grandma jumped in for some fun...that water was soooo cold!

Later that evening, the girls all went out for dinner at Noodles and Red Mango, while the boys took the kids to watch the BYU game. Good times were had by all! Thanks Em for planning such a fun day...good food, good fun, and family :)

Jake starts Kindergarten!

2008-09-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Jake was so excited to start Kindergarten! After all the registrations, orientations, and back to school nights...the first day of school has finally arrived. "Look at me, Mom...I'm starting school today!" I was doing everything I could to hold back the tears.

Jake wore this perma-grin all the way to school. All the kids were lined up ready to go in and all the parents were giving last-minute advice and taking pictures.

"Last picture, Mom...I'm really going in now"

After we pulled away, Brinley kept asking "where did Jakey go?" I think that was a long three hours for her. She was very happy to see Jakey when we went to pick him up.

Gary Allen at the fair

2008-09-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Jake loves concerts!

Brinley...not so much

Ben with the kids on the Dumbo ride

Wild Weekend in McCall

2008-09-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sweet Smors! Give me some more!

Breakfast at the Pancake House...and the boosem buddies!

"Come here, Dad...I wanna give you a kiss."

"Anyone up for a water fight?"

Wow...what a stud!

Here's my little Gap swimwear cover girl

Playing in the sand

Sydney catching some rays...this is the life!

Baby Becks and Soso getting to know eachother better

Ben's 10-year Reunion

2008-09-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Ben's 10-year high school reunion was a total success. Good job to those who planned the events. It was fun to see all the buddies and meet their families.

This was the after-party. Snacks, soda, yearbooks, and remeniscing on old times.

Highlights of Nanny's Trip to Boise

2008-09-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Swimming with Nanny

Canyon County Fair

One of our favorite things to do with the kids every summer is to take them to the fair. This year, the Canyon County fair was the same weekend Nanny came to town, so we took her along to give her a real taste of Idaho.

Brinley is our animal lover. She wanted to touch every one we saw.

This is the reaction I got when I asked Jake if he wanted to pet the pigs.

I was so touched by this scene, that I had to capture it! Awwwwww.

Dancing to the country music tunes...Jake and Brinley can really break it down!

Brinley Turns Two!

2008-09-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Our Little Princess turned two on August 22nd!

I have been trying for the last week to come up with the perfect description of Brinley at age two, and all I could come up with is sugar and spice, fire and ice. So, it's a little cheesy, but totally appropriate if you know this little girl. Sweet as sugar, with a fiery temper! She is a little fireball, and always on the go, which can be quite exhausting most days. It is hard to believe that one little girl can be so entertaining and so infuriating all at the same time. She is convinced that "no, no", means move faster and with more determination, and that "let go" means hold on for dear life. Her passions include reading books, taking care of her babies (and Sophie - Yikes!), teasing Jake, and to my great angst...poopie painting. Her language is developing at the speed of light and we are always amused by her ability to tell us exactly what she wants. Oh how I love to hear her giggle!

Best Buddies!

Is this the face of a princess who is loving her birthday cake with ice cream or what?

Pop and Mimi came got Brinley her very own princess trike for her birthday.

"Watch out, Jakey, here I come!"

Cousins in Boise!

2008-09-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

The week before school started, all of the cousins came up to Boise for a visit. The kids had a blast together, and I loved to see them making memories at Grandma's house. Here are some of the highlights...

Computer time

Swimming with Cami and John

Brinley having to fight for Grandma's attention. Andrew may be bigger, but Brinley is pretty fierce when it comes to her Grandma.

They still love eachother :)

Sophie meets her cousin Rachel for the first time. These two gals are three weeks apart, and can you guess who is older? We think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Sophie finds a soft place to rest her head. That baby looks good on you Uncle Brian!

Palling around on the driveway!

Eliza took a special liking to Baby Sophie. She was very gentle and sweet with her.

Grandma is always good for some Creamies!

And last but certainly not least...pictures in the wheat. This was yet another attempt to get all of the grandkids in a picture together. The outfits were great, and the setting perfect, but the sun was a little too bright and some the kids a little too tired. If anyone out there has any tips on how to get 9 kids ages 0-10 to cooperate for the perfect picture, please let me know.

Here are my favorite candids!

Playing a little Catch up!

2008-09-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sweet Baby Sophie has blessed our family for 8 weeks now. Life has been a little busy with three little ones, but we wouldn't have in any other way. She is as sweet as can be, and so far she has been a great sport about being dragged around to keep up with her big brother and sister.

Sweet and snuggly, even her preemie clothes were too big for the first few weeks.

Smiling for the camara already at only 2 weeks!

Dressed in her Sunday best, Sophie is ready for her church debute.

As the summer was comming to a close, Sophie spent lots of time pool side. The sun was hot, but she was cool in the shade.

Sophie's 1st bath...she had her dukes up the whole time!

Baby Sophie at 5 weeks. I think the shirt says it all!

Sassy meets Soph for the first time at 7 weeks

Sophie was blessed in Provo, Utah over Labor Day weekend by her Daddy. We had a wonderful weekend, and we are so grateful to have Sophie in our family.

Home from the Hospital

2008-07-20T18:37:00.001-07:00

At just 5 lbs and 9 ounces when we left the hospital, little Sophie looked so small in her car seat.

Jake and Brinley are so proud of their little baby Sophie!

My mom is always such a big help when she comes to visit after I have a baby. She is now the proud Nanny to three little Rugrats.

Welcome Baby Sophie!

2008-07-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

At 7:17 on Friday July 11th, Moni delivered our second beautiful brown-eyed girl. Sophia Diane Tanner weighed in at 5 lbs. 14 oz and is 19 inches long. Moni and the wee babe are doing well. We are happy we made it to the hospital as Ben is a little rusty on the delivering thing.

Brinley is extremely excited to be a big sister. The only problem is that she is as gentle as a 300 pound cage fighter. We pray for Sophie everyday.

Fun 4th of July

2008-07-10T07:40:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

We started the day at the Middleton Parade. Very patriotic...completely exceeded our expectations. It was incredibly hot, but luckily we found a spot right next to a Baptist church that was handing out free water. Everytime I stood up, someone handed me two bottles of water...must have been the belly :)

Brinley in classic parade-watching position.

Jake in classic parade-watching position. That is a full-on, ready to catch the candy stance!

Later that evening we headed over to good old Saguaro Canyon for a barbque and fireworks with the old gang! They had a wagon parade pulled by a four wheeler...

A jump house water slide...very fun!

A bike parade, lots of good food, great company, and the grand finale was a priceless fireworks show. Thanks Spikers and Wilkeys (and anyone else who helped) for throwing a great party!

Last shot of those bellies together...we are almost to the finish!

Look how patriotic, stars and stripes :)

The fireworks were a hit!

This is how Brinley watched the show.

Little pyro in the making!

Jake turns 5!

2008-07-03T08:49:00.001-07:00

Jake wanted a Spiderman party with all his buddies for his 5th Birthday!

Combined family birthday party for Mommy, Daddy and Jake at our favorite family restaurant...RedRobin! They brought us tons of strawberry lemonade and a free chocolate sunday!

Mom can't believe as she is about to give birth to baby #3, her first-born is turning 5 and starting Kindergarten! This is my not-so-little anymore Buddy!

Father's Day & Ben's Birthday

2008-07-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

Ben works so hard during the summer that he is never home when the kids wake up in the morning. They were so excited to find Daddy in bed when they woke up. Daddy was excited to still be in bed...what a treat!

This was Ben's Happy Birthday/Father's Day cake. Jake helped make the cake while Dad had a great afternoon nap. Jake is a wonderful kitchen helper when he wants to be.

Mess-maker, mess-maker...make me a mess!

Emmett Cherry Days

2008-06-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

One of our very favorite family traditions is taking the kids down to Emmett to pick fresh cherries right off the trees. There is nothing quite like fresh air and fresh fruit to put a smile right on kid's faces.

Look at the miles and miles of cherry trees...ripe for the picking!

Once we were in the orchard, Brinley took a special liking to Jeff, one of Ben's sales guys.

The lower branches had been picked dry, so the kids had to get a little help to get the good ones!

These dads were super-serious about getting the very best cherries. They just had to be a bit creative to get the high ones.

Do those look like professional cherry pickers or what? Look at that loot...and look at those faces!

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy to my Tummy, Tummy Tummy :)

What cherry picking experiance would be complete without a seed spitting competion?

Of all the fierce competetors, I think we were all the most impressed by Jeff's wife, Ali.

It was a good day!

Eagle Fun Days

2008-06-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do every year is to attend Eagle Fun Days. The festivities include a rodeo, carnival, and best of all...the wet and wild parade. We decided to try the free rodeo this year, but the kids had more fun climbing on the railings and playing in the dirt.

Hey Fam...look who we ran into! Our buddies Ty and Chester.

The wet n' wild parade starts out dry, but...

soon turns into a humungous water fight. These little guys are armed with their big guns and ready to go, but they have fire trucks, army tankers, and garbage trucks full of bigger guys with bigger guns to contend with. Alas, they end up soaking wet, but still smiling!

Chillin' by the Pool

2008-06-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is finally here, there is nothing the kids like better than spending time in the water with their buddies. Thank heavens for good friends and the neighborhood pool! Not pictured: a couple of very pregnant Mamas.

Star Mule Days

2008-06-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

Ben had to fly to California this weekend to pick up a truck, so I decided to take the kids to Star Mule Days. In true Star style, the family events inclued a parade, a carnival, a tracter pull, and even a pie baking contest.

Jake loved the real army tank in the parade...
However, Jake and Brinley both loved the floats that threw out candy the very best!

I let Jake pick out a couple of games at the carnival to play. He won this goldfish by throwing a ping pong ball into little jars with teeny tiny openings. I couldn't believe he did it, but he did. Look how proud he is of his prize!

Memorial Day at the Boise Zoo

2008-06-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the kids to the zoo this year for Memorial Day.

Jake's favorite animal this time was the zebra, and Brinley's was the tiger. She kept saying oooh...tiger!

Despite all of the cool animals, the slides were the biggest hit of this trip!

Brian and Lisa's Wedding

2008-06-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Brian and Lisa seal the deal in St. George, Utah...YEAH!!!

Check out that kiss!!!!!

Finally a great family picture...Hooray!!!!

Fun in the grass waiting for Brian and Lisa to come out

Who's belly is the biggest? Sorry, Emi...I think I win :)

Check out this great-looking family! Stay tuned for three new grandkids coming this year.

Never a dull moment...does anybody know whose purse that is?

Look at that beautiful candy table. It sure isn't going to last very long with these guys around!

Wow...getting everyone in this family all married off is hard work!

Driving down to St. George

2008-06-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

On the way down to our second wedding of the month, we caravaned with family and stopped to see some fun sites: Historical Cove Fort and Zion's National Park.

Historic Cove Fort

The kids had a great time running on the lawn and looking out the gun holes. This was a great place to stop and have lunch on a very long drive.

Zions National Park

Jake and Eliza scale the wall...don't fall!!

Brinley only wanted Grandma the whole way up and the whole way down!

All of these cute kids are great hikers!

Catching this lizard was definately the focus and highlight of our hike...especially for Maddy :)

After a great hike, everyone was very excited for dinner at In and Out Burger and to head to the hotel to get cleaned up for the wedding. Hooray...Brian and Lisa are getting married tomorrow!!

Matt and Sarah's Wedding

2008-06-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

May was a busy month for the Tanner family. We had two big weddings and lots of fun between the two of them. Sarah and Matt tied the knot in Boise on May 2nd, then had a very nice reception in Diane's backyard on the 3rd. The weather was perfect, and the kids looked great. Here are some pics.

Goofy kids waiting for the couple outside the Boise Temple!

We tried to get all the grandkids to pose for a nice picture to give to Grandma for Mother's Day. It was very difficult to get them all happy at the same time. This is as close as we got. Nice socks James :)

Happy or not...we can see all your wonderful faces :)

After we got some sugar in them, they all posed for some great shots!

Gracie- 10mo. Brinley- 20mo. James- 23mo. Jake- 4 Eliza- 4

Andrew- 6 Maddy- 10 Mommy moment :) Helpful Girls Silly Boys

Ben Tanner Family Blog

2008-04-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Family and Friends,
Well, I never actually thought that we would ever have a blog...but I guess everyone is doing it these days. We are trying to catch up to the times and keep in better touch with the ones we love.