Easter in Idaho

While we were in Idaho for a month with Todd during his last and final rotation we got to celebrate Easter while we were there. This year was so much fun cause Tatum was old enough to go find the eggs and put them in her bucket. We did her own personal egg hunt after the older kids were done cause we didn't want her to get trampled on or have anyone steal her eggs. She was so fun to watch as she would find the eggs randomly hidden.
Here she is checking out what treats she got in her eggs.
She had great help from her cousin Madison.

We had some real crazy events while we were staying with Todd in Idaho. I went to Idaho feeling sick and then ended up going to the Instacare finding out I had bronchitis. I couldn't stop coughing and it really got annoying with being pregnant and not being able to take any medication. My doctor here in Utah wanted me to get checked out to make sure I didn't have walking pneumonia. Luckily not!!! So I decided to share my bronchitis with my poor hubby so he was miserable as well. And if that didn't top the cake he woke up April Fool's morning with a rash from head to toe. It was the worst I had ever seen it. He has had it before in the past like 4 different times and no one can figure out what triggers it. I felt so bad for him and so we yet again took a trip to the Instacare to make sure he was okay. They once again couldn't tell him what triggered it but told him to take Benedryl and if it didn't go away with just that he was to take a steroid to get rid of it quick. He had to end up taking the steroid and it worked. So happy he is past that. Talk about being miserable being so itchy from head to toe. Tatum had a few colds and coughs while we were there also and even got a rash on her bum and woman parts that wouldn't go away so I had to get some cream to help that go away. I know we were one messed up family for a while there. We called it the Idaho curse along with the rainy weather we had for the entire month except for maybe 5 days we got of sunshine. We had to be as positive as we could and say at least we were together as a family even if we didn't have the best of luck starting out this rotation. But now that Tatum and I are back in Utah so I can have the baby here it seems like the bad luck is gone. Todd only has two more months there and then he is finally done and graduates in JUNE!!!! SO excited for him.
Here is the nasty rash on a part of his arm.

More nasty rash on his inner thigh. So sorry honey, that is miserable.
On the days when it wasn't raining in Idaho we would bundle up warm and go to the park that was close to our place. Tatum and I both just had to get out of that one bedroom studio. We got stir crazy a lot and getting out helped a lot.
What you see is what you get. This is the just of our one bedroom studio. It was super small but we made it our home temporarily. Tatum slept in the bathroom in a pack in play and did pretty good for the most part. She is a champ if you ask us.
Taters loves her chocolate pudding and just HAD to have it for breakfast one morning.

A few days before Easter I took Tatum to a toy store that was doing a free egg hunt in the store and she had so much fun playing with all the different toys there. It was hard making her leave when it was time to go home. She found some baby dolls and you just can't take baby dolls away from her. She feels it's her job to take care of ALL the babies in this world.....real ones or fake ones. She is so cute with them. We can't wait for her to be a big sister, she will be a big helper.
Kissing a huge monkey stuffed animal. She is a very affectionate kid. I love it
Sweet Taters has slept pretty much where ever we stick her in a pack in play. Poor thing has no clue where or what "Home" really is. Soon we will be in one place for 3 more years.
Tatum got some bubbles in her Easter basket and had so much fun blowing them with her daddy. She loves to say the word "bubbles" too so it was really fun seeing her enjoy herself.

Having fun with her daddy.
Bubbles mommy BUBBLES!!!!
Tatum had a few play dates while we were in Idaho. She was quite the chef at my step sister's house. She has two girls that just adored Tatum and having her there to play with them. I know that Tatum had so much fun with her cousins and all the attention she got from them.
This picture wasn't actually in Idaho but I threw it in there. She had fun in this swing that was in a Pier 1 store in Utah. In fact too much fun cause when we had to leave the store she cried and pulled a little fit cause she wanted to "swing" some more.

Easter onesie I made her.
Having fun with Daddy at the park.
Tatum sporting mommy's shades. I think they look better on her.
We found a fun store in the mall one day and I HAD to take a picture of her by it since it's one of her nick names. And how fun since it's in Idaho and they are known for their "taters."
We ate at a Smashburger the first week we were there and really liked it. I had to take a picture cause it's my nickname that was in the back ground. Don't mind the pregnancy face and double chin I have going on.

Our Wish List.....

Finally the time has come that the Air Force has sent us our "wish list" to different places we could be moving to. We wanted either west coast or east coast locations and funny enough that they are mostly east coast and none out west. We would liked to have been closer to both our families so we could make drive visits home but it looks like we will be flying again like we did when we lived in Ohio.

So here are the places we could live and will be anticipating to see where we will be end up living:

Illinois, Montana, Texas, Georgia, Maryland, D.C., North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Guam, Japan

I of course would love to live where we can go to the beaches everyday!!! But we have to be open minded about it since we have no idea where we will be. I do think most of these places would be great places to live for the next 3 years and know that no matter what we will be there together as a little family and we will make some great memories we will talk about our whole lives. We just feel so blessed to be a part of the Air Force and are so grateful that we will have a set income and feel like we are stable. We are so very proud of all the hard work Todd has done to get to this point. He and I can't believe that he graduates in 2 1/2 months. It's a crazy thing to think that the entire time I have known Todd since we were 18 years old that he has been in school and it's finally coming to an end. He has gotten a few gray hairs in between it all from the stress and becoming a dad through it all. He is a wonderful husband and dad to our sweet Tatum and is going to be a daddy again soon to our son which may bring a few more gray hairs but we can't stay young forever right?

I feel like I haven't written many thank yous on our blog lately for the life I have been blessed with. My heart is just so full and I couldn't be any happier.

So here is to the anticipation of waiting and wondering where we will be for the next 3 years. We will let you know once we find out!!!!

Many Aventures

You can usually find us outside at the park with Tatum cause she just can't get enough of it. She would play there for hours if we would let her. It's fun to see her climb, slide, swing, and explore. The weather in Utah this winter like I said before has been unheard of. There have been more days of warmer so to speak weather where we can go outside and enjoy the fresh air and the sun beaming down on our faces. No complaints from us!!!
Here is Tatum hanging out in our Idaho one bedroom studio we are renting from. She has made friends with the local cats because they actually let her pet them, unlike our cat Scout who runs from her ALL the time.
These two play so well together. Tatum loves when Daddy takes her for a horse ride on his back and let's her climb all over him like a jungle gym.
We have attempted a few times to go poo-poo on the big toilet and have had success. But it's not everyday and we realize that it's going to take some time. But she is too cute sitting there like a big girl.
Tatum loves playing in her pretend kitchen making all sorts of yummy treats. She is so good about sharing with her mommy and daddy too. Here she is enjoying a cookie and one scoop of chocolate ice cream. It's so fun to see her playing and using her imagination.

30 Weeks down, only 10 more to go!!!!

Yikes, I am already looking a bit on the ready to burst side but sadly still have 10 more weeks left. This sweet and VERY active boy is making me eat more than I did with Tatum. Oh well, all I care about is a healthy happy baby in the end. It's all worth it!!!
I love and have always loved sweet Tatum's cheeks!!! She is the highlight everyday for me. (besides my husband that is...) She has grown up into a little girl too fast and we can't stand it. She is pretty much 21 months old now and is going to be the cutest older sister to her baby brother. She LOVES babies and always wants to take care of them, hold them, feed them their bottles, or give them their binkies. I know she will be a great helper for her mommy and for that I am grateful. I will just have to keep a close eye on her so that she doesn't just pick up her baby brother and carry him around like one of her baby dolls. That would freak me out!!!

She has been learning new words almost daily and still uses some sign language for a few words. We love her little gibberish talk and how she likes to read us her bedtime stories. It's moments like these that I wish we could push the pause button and savor just a little bit longer. This stage has been one of my favorites so far with Tatum. She does have her moments where she can push mommy's buttons but I know that it's all a part of growing up and learning. I try to be EXTRA patient with these moments and know that it's a lesson for us both.

She LOVES her fruit snacks, and eats like a champ still. She will eat just about anything we give her and will taste it first with the tip of her tongue to see if she "approves" of it. Although when it comes to ice cream, treats, or cookies she doesn't even hesitate to "approve" of it. She just shoves it right on in her mouth. But aren't we all that way with our treats???

She brings us such joy and we can't wait to add to that joy with our sweet baby boy in 10 weeks!!
Such a good girl folding her arms for the picture. She did that on her own. I love her big girl outfit and her cute piggy tails.

Happy Valentine's Day

I love our sweetheart Tatum and just have so much fun being her mommy. This weekend when we had a good snow fall we finally got to take Tatum out to play in it. She was a little hesitant at first but really got into it when we showed her how much fun it was. Her favorite part was eating the snow. She is a huge ice lover so I can see why she was so into eating it. She also hates coming in from playing outside no matter the weather conditions. She loves being outside just like her mommy does. Hopefully this winter will go quickly so we can enjoy the outside more often. Although Utah has been having a crazy warm winter this year. That is why this is the first time we have really taken her out to play in the snow. It's just never snowed long enough to play in it really. It has melted too fast which is so strange for Utah. But we have enjoyed the warmer days at the parks so I can't complain either. Warmer weather= 45 to 50 degrees. (so not 70's but still nice when the sun is shining and you only have to wear a lighter jacket.)
Daddy was trying to build a snowman with Tatum but ended up just making snowballs and throwing them at the cement wall. Guess that is more fun for boys.....
Tatum loves feeding the chickens and ducks that her grandparents neighbors have in their backyard. She knows exactly what we say when "want to go feed the chickens and ducks some bread?" She lights up and charges for the door.
Tatum has a slight shoe fetish, which could be bad when she gets older. She will put anyone's shoes on that are lying around the house. Here she has her older cousins "Cars" rain boots on. I think I will need to get her a pair soon cause she loves them.





Shoe fetish again. She found daddy's shoes in the closet and had to put them on. Sorry not the best picture with all the shadows.
I get to see this sweet face every morning and enjoy all the crazy hairstyles she wakes up with.
She loves playing in her crib for a bit in the mornings before I go and get her. She tells stories to her stuffed animals and I enjoy hearing them through the monitor.
So Scout is hanging in there this winter just sleeping most of it away. He is a good sport for letting me do stuff like this to him........but hey it's Valentine's Day and he is a part of our family too.

Updates for the New Year 2011

Tatum is such a joy and is growing up too fast on us. She has the cutest personality and always seems to make us all laugh. She loves to wear any glasses she can get her hands on. She just may want to be just like her daddy when she grows up.......we'll "see."

Tatum loves her ice cream and will have it anytime if we give it to her. I know I am the same way.

Here I am at 20 weeks along and having a BOY!!! We can't wait to have one of each and for our kids to be able to play together. I need to take a current picture of me at 25 weeks since my belly is changing a lot.

Tatum had fun going for a ride on this school bus that was in the mall.

Mommy turned 32 on Jan.5th and can't believe how fast the time is going. I sure don't feel like I am 32 but you just take each year as they come and enjoy all the in betweens!!

Our sweet little cowgirl!!

My mom and all her girls on Christmas day. I love all these ladies to pieces.

My sweet dad with all his kids....my how we all have grown up too fast.

My dad with his girls and daughter in law.

All my family except my little sister Jentry and her family. I love being with family for the holidays and all the time for that matter. We have loved being closer to everyone and being able to spend more quality time with them.

Christmas family picture

Tatum loved opening her Christmas presents even if it was overwhelming at times.

Tatum got a talking cookie monster from her mom and dad and she just loved that she could feed it cookies over and over again. Such a fun and easy age to please our little ones.

Loved opening it with her daddy.

Tatum loved helping decorate the Christmas tree this year. She feels like such a big girl whenever she can help out.