Tanner Turns 1!!

  Tanner is now a BIG one year old! Talie and I talked about boycotting his birthday and just pretending that he wouldn't turn one, but somehow it still happened. Kennedi helped me bake his cake and all of the kids helped decorate it. Ashy and Talie did the beach theme, complete with sand (graham crackers) and of course Polly Pockets (that's when Dallin left). Peyton decided, since it was Tanner's cake, that Batman and Spiderman should attend the beach party as well.

    We put one candle and a sparkler in the cake and Talie and Dad had to keep Tanner's finger out of the flames (look at that determined face!).

     At first, Tanner was very neatly picking out the gummy worms and eating them, but then Dad showed him how to dig in! 

Tanner definitely didn't have any problems with that!

Here, his siblings and cousins are patiently waiting (except for Dallin=) for Tanner to dig in before they get their piece.

 

After Tanner enjoyed his cake, the only thing that could happen next, was a bath! But he couldn't leave his own party, so he bathed right in the middle of the party.

It took us awhile to decide to go for a number six and we couldn't have asked for a better number six!! Tanner is so sweet! He is so happy, but I guess who wouldn't be when your life consists of constantly being surrounded by 7 people who think you are literally the cutest baby in the world and that every thing you do - ok, maybe except poop - is absolutely adorable. Tanner is very easy going, which is probably out of necessity, and already has a sense of humor. Tanner, Happy Birthday!! and we love you!

Life Size Spiderman.

For Christmas, Benson found this cool, almost life sized poster that he knew Peyton would just love coloring and putting together (Peyton is always making or drawing something). And now, three months later, we finally completed it! (I think it took Mom 3 days to finish assembling it).

Of course we have to take pictures of the finished product! Peyton wants to beat Spiderman up.

And Kennedi, who never wants to miss out on a photo opp., comes running over and says, "Mom, take a picture of Spiderman saving me." It cracks me up how different they are.

And Tanner is, of course, always around, not caring about getting his picture taken, but he's so cute, I can't help myself.

Crash!

Yesterday was crazy! After running a bunch of errands, we got home, I set Tanner in the house and ran outside to get some more groceries. When I came back in he had crashed on my floor.

The other end of Tanner. How come every body part on a baby is so cute? I mean look how cute the bottom of his feet are! I don't know any one else that I could say the same thing about.
I guess five year olds can still crash as well. I couldn't find Peyton anywhere, and then I found him under Benson's desk. And his feet weren't cute enough to take a picture of, although he did fall asleep in his snow boots, which was kind of funny.

Dallin just turned 12! I can't believe he's a deacon. We are very proud of him for his desire to receive the priesthood. He takes his worthiness very seriously. Dallin is a very bright kid who works hard - a great combination! He is currently being pulled out to do 8th grade math. He works hard in all subjects at school, he is excelling in piano and works hard at learning new skills. Among his new skills this year are: a mean game of Ping Pong, jumping (to touch anything high), Flag Football, and taking 3rd place in the school Spelling Bee. He is working hard at becoming taller than me and is almost there (he measures everyday).
Dallin continues to play basketball and has become a defensive monster - especially with rebounds. He decided to start a snow shoveling business in the cul de sac, but ran into a little bit of trouble when his business partner's mom said she couldn't drive in the snow. . . hmm.
Dallin is very persistent which is great when it payed for his Outdoor Ed. field trip - by being the top seller, but not so great when it shows up in arguing with Mom and Dad.
He loves watching the Utah Jazz, playing with his two younger brothers, and making his three sisters scream.
Dallin still makes us laugh.On the way home from a trip to St. Louis, Dallin was sitting in the front seat and asked Benson, "Dad. Do you have to go on a honeymoon?" Followed by, "But do I have to pay for the girl too?" Although we give him a hard time, we love him and are proud of the good example he is to his younger siblings.

It's a Shiner

The other night, we were all in the basement, hanging out, and Peyton keeps pestering Ashlynn. trying everything she can to get him to stop, she crawls towards us as he keeps jumping on her, and finally, after getting fed up (which usually takes a lot for Ashy), she kicks her foot at him, to try to get him off of her. Of course, Peyton comes running over to me, crying. And I have to admit I didn't show him too much sympathy, because he kind of asked for it. Well, the next morning, he comes down from bed, and he has a big 'ole black eye. Oops! I felt bad, because I didn't realize that it had been hurt that bad the night before, and I call Ashlynn over to see what she had done to Peyton. Instantly, she bursts into tears. After she calms down, she immediately interrogates him on what he is going to say when people ask him how he got a black eye. His answer was, of course, "My sister, Ashy, kicked me." Well, more tears followed, until he agreed to add in the word accidentally. So there you've got it, "My sister, Ashy, accidentally kicked me."