Things to Remember...

It is amazing to me how fast Tanner has grown up. All of a sudden we are able to have conversations and he understands everything. Here are some cute stories that have happened in the past couple of weeks.

Tanner woke up at 9:30 and so I went in and tried to lay him back down, he refused and so I tried laying down with him. Once again he refused my efforts and so I asked him, "What do you need?" He answered me, "Dada." I said, "OK we can go find Dada," and so we went and got Brad. Brad picked him up took him back to bed and he was asleep in less than a minute. I guess he really did just need his dad.

In addition to learning sign Tanner has made up a few of his own
bathroom: covers his bottom with both of his hands
plane: swings his arm around in a circular motion
pumpkin: pats his head
light/luz: pulls down (as if he were turning on our lamps)
I am so amazed that he does this-what a creative little man

After we decorated the tree I would find toy cars and binkies stuck in various places. I guess he does get the concept and wants to help.

Tanner can say anything you ask. Some need a little translation, but he always gets the right number of syllables. Here are some of my favorite words to translate:
Alligator: a-gay-gay
Dinosaur: dinobe
phone: voice (still haven't figured how this came to be)
Popcorn: popie

The other day after we said a prayer to bless the food Tanner started to say the end all by himself, I about died that he could remember 7 words in a row.

One morning I wanted to sleep a little more and so I brought Tanner into our bed between me and Brad. Tanner snuggled up to Brad put his arms around his neck and gave him a kiss and said, "I lub ew." It was so cute later he had his sippy with him and Brad was still asleep and Tanner said, "agua Dada?" and set his little sippy right next to Brads mouth. The whole morning was darling.

Tanner loves horses and the noises they make. He doesn't have one to ride, but lucky for us anything can be a horse. He will stick random things between his legs and say, "horse mama," and continues by telling me what they say.

On the 2nd of January we were getting ready to go to the Smith reunion and I was telling Tanner that we were going to see everyone and this was our conversation:
Tanner: Grandma?
Me: Yep Grandma will be there.
Tanner: Grandpa?
Me: Yes Grandpa will be there too.
Tanner: Jesus?
Me: Well I am not sure he will make it to the reunion ( I was just trying to not crush his faith).

Tanner got a new kitty from my mom that makes noise and he loves it. The other day he was holding it and would touch it on the nose and say, "I lub ew." It was the sweetest thing ever.

Tanner is not a fan of "noises." This entails anything he hears that he doesn't know what it is and is also one of the reasons he does not like his cousin Isaac's dinosaur. However, even though he doesn't like it there is now a slight obsession in our house with dinobees. As long as they are not over a certain size and don't make too many noises he loves them. The others he doesn't like, but he has to know where they are at all times. You never know when a dinobe will come out and get you.

Another love of Tanners is four wewes- otherwise known as four wheelers. While we were are Brad's parents house over break we could not get him to stop talking about them. Every time his ride ended he was absolutely heart broken- even though his face felt like an icicle.

Tanner loves cats and dogs and wants to talk to them. Cats are a little more difficult, but lucky for Tanner dogs are a little bit easier to talk to. Tanner will put his face right next to my sisters dogs and say, "hello," anytime he notices them. The dogs don't mind I think that they just find it a little strange.

Halloween 2009

This Halloween was so much fun! Friday Brad had a camp-out and so Tanner and I went to the Manwarings. I am not sure that Tanner loved the Halloween festivities out there too much, but he sure did enjoy his day playing at their house. I was a little nervous that Tanner was not going to love Halloween any better and that he would not keep his costume on, but much to my and Brad's surprise he kept it on the entire time. We went to our friends house that closed off part of their street and had food and movies playing on a screen. We loved it all! Tanner was in heaven once he found a little car that they had to play in- I think that is why he kept his costume on. I was laughing at him so hard in the car because he was scooting around so fast and loving every minute of it. After that we went trick-or-treating. Tanner loved knocking on doors, but was a little confused when we didn't go in. He kept trying to get by people and go into their house- after all they did open the door for us.

18 Month Stats

Weight: 23 lbs 20%
Height: 34 in 90%
Head: 19 in 73%

Tanner is still such a happy little boy and is very polite and obedient. He loves to do what you ask him and will never take things he wants (unless he wants to be chased-see below) without asking please and waiting for you to say OK. I cannot believe how blessed I am to have such a sweet little boy that is full of energy. He is very sensitive of my feelings and shows it regularly. If I am sad he will just sit with me and let me hold him, if I am sick hunched over the sink he will come and just pat my leg until I feel better, and he will always take time from playing to come give me a hug, kiss, and eskimo kiss.


Favorites:
1. Talking- he will have full conversations with us pointing to things and moving his arms. We have no idea what exactly is being said, but we sure do enjoy them.
2. Closets/Doors- he loves to close anything and loves to shut himself in the closet or bathroom, even if it is completely dark. He loves to also knock on doors and if they are not answered he is a little put out.
3. Chasing- He will do anything to entice you to chase him. His signature moves are to take anything that he is not supposed to have (anything from the fridge, what I am reading, or any other object that I might need back), or he will walk by and undo one of the sides of his diaper. After he does one of these he looks at you sqeels and runs behind the couch laughing the whole time. It really is funny. Another way he will try to get you to chase him is by coming up to you and growling (he does this because it is the noise that Brad makes while chasing him).
4. Gum- He loves gum and hunts it out. He is just as happy if he finds the wrapper to gum- he eats both.
5. Dancing- still a favorite and hasn't slowed down a bit we are constantly seeing new moves.
6. Attention- loves to be the center of attention and he is lucky because he is the majority of the day, the only problem is that I am not that exciting for him.
7. Greetings- if anyone comes to our house he greets them and runs to find the first thing he can to show them. Often our guests are shown very exciting things like shoes, balls, walls, what ever.
8. Sun glasses- he loves to wear any type of glasses. Sometimes he just wants to wear them on top of his head.
9. Sitting on Dad's face- anytime Brad lays down Tanner climbs right onto Brad's face, I guess it is the perfect little seat. Poor Brad is usually to tired to even care, unless there are messy pants.

Happy Birthday Brad!

We had a lovely relaxing night for Brads birthday. Tanner enjoyed his presents the most...at least until they were unwrapped.

Funny Things

It seems like everyday Tanner does at least one thing that I cannot stop laughing about, and so I thought I would record a couple of them. p.s. These might only be funny for his parents.

1. Yesterday after Tanner took a 30 min nap and Brad took a 15 min nap in Primary they were both woken up needing more sleep. I had to go to a meeting that afternoon, so we got home ate and Brad we left with the hope of more sleep. When i got home this is the story I heard...

Well I rocked Tanner, but he wouldn't go to sleep so I put him in his crib and just let him cry. After he stopped I went into check on him and found him standing naked in his crib after having wet all over the bed.

I can only imagine the sight. So when I got home I found the mattress sitting on the ground with a towel on it and Brad telling me- I think that most of the water is from the water that he snuck into his crib (there was a sippie near by). Don't worry I knew better. I have also been told these stories aren't as funny come child #3 or 4.

2. Every morning when I have breakfast after feeding Tanner he thinks that it is for him also- and I love sharing. If I have cereal he will run and grab his own spoon and dig in. Today he would get some cheerios on his spoon set it on the ground and then eat out of it without any hands. He thinks that he is very tricky doing this- after that to put his binkie in his mouth he would set it down and get it without any hands. We see this trick often, but I thought the spoon part of it was hilarious.

3. Tanner doesn't mind going to sleep at night and usually gets rocked by his dad (as we have been trying to stop the nursing habbit) and Tanner is not always the biggest fan. There are some nights where he really wants me to put him down (and I love this because most the time he gets in Brad's arms and refuses to come to me). One night he just ran over sat on my lap and started waving to Brad saying, "bye bye."

4. At Target we were looking at the treat bowls and there was one where the had will reach down at you when you put yours in. Tanner tried it and scooted right next to me say "ooh, no." He then took the bowl from me and put it back on the shelf.

5. It is funny to see the learning of little babies- especailly when two words are very similar. Tanner thinks that every fruit is an apple and he grabbed a lime out of the fridge and said apple. I told him it was a lime and said, "roar," like a lion- they are kind of similar, but now in his mind their is a fruit that growls. Another one was while we were in Sandpoint. Tanner knows the sign for tree and loves to point them out to everyone and at my Dad's house there are a lot, and there are also trains. When Tanner first heard the train I told him what it was and from that point on when ever he saw a tree or heard a train he would do the sign. Who knew that trees could be so noisy.

6. This video is so cute and shows some of Tanners funny things. He figured out what a dog says and what cookie says from hearing them and so I think that they are especially funny.

Sandpoint

On September 17-23 Tanner and I went to visit my Dad and Grandparents in Sandpoint. It was a nice break from the heat and we loved visiting everyone. Tanner LOVED the entire trip and I put up some of his favorites. One of his favorites that I don't have a picture of is his new love of smashing. My dad taught Tanner how to smash cans and it has now transferred to smashing anything.
My Dad, Tanner and I spent one day in Spokane and had so much fun feeding the geese (OK I didn't feed them because I was too scared, but Tanner and Dad loved it), riding the carousel, and feeding the garbage goat.


Tanner loved swinging and although it is a blurry picture I still love it.


Tanner and Grandpa Bob. He loved seeing m grandparents and was sure to help Grandma keep all of her possessions close. If he saw her purse or cane anywhere (even right next to her) and she didn't have her hand on it he brought it to her. He was a busy little worker-especially in their cupboards. His favorite was being able to scoop out coffee grounds onto the floor- lucky for me he only got a couple out before I caught him. He also loved it if Grandpa would leave his car door open for just a second because he could climb right in.



Another favorite was the cats. He didn't want to hold them he just wanted to look into their eyes and the darn cats just wouldn't let him- he was very upset. I was impressed how nice he was when he did pet them.

Translations

These are some of Tanner's new favorite words that may need some translation...

"Dot" = Dog
"Bap" = Ball
"Baddy" = Birdie
"Eyet" = Eye

"No".. well this could be a couple of different things. He likes to show me all the things he is not supposed to do and will point to it and say "no." He also likes to help if he hears the word at all. The other day we were walking outside and some people asked me if I wanted to buy something, I said, "no thank you." Next thing I knew Tanner was hanging out of his stroller waving his finger at them saying, "no, no, no." What a big help.

15 Month Stats

Weight: 21.1 25th percentile
Height 31.5 in 75th percentile
Head Circumference 19 in 75th percentile



Here are some of Tanners Favorites:

Hide and Seek- He loves to play this with objects and people. When he finds an object that was hidden it is always found with a loud "whoo."
Being Chased- One of his favorites and he will do anything to entice you into playing this game. His signature move is to get something that he knows you want and start to back away with it. When he notices you are in pursuit he starts to run with a squeal.
Talking on the phone- He will just pace the house "talking", he doesn't even give the other person time to respond.
Dancing- As you know one of his favorites and Michael Jackson always seems to get a little extra attention.
Showers- He does not believe Brad or I are supposed to have personal showers- he thinks he needs to be in all of them.
Swimming- aka running into the pool. He will even fall in repeatedly and will not stop.
Pillows- On beds, off beds, on couches, off couches- he doesn't care as long as he can hide behind them, lay on them, or smash his face into them.
Basket Balls- If he finds one around the house he has to show it to everyone and says "dada."
Attention- From ANYONE. As soon as he gets someone to look at him he will bashfully look away but is quick to look back for more. At times this is a little embarrassing because he will not leave people alone and will just stand at their feet.
Nursing- despite my efforts to stop he loves to nurse. What was once panting to nurse has now turned into him smashing his face into my chest and then breaking down throwing his head back. Nothing like drawing unwanted attention to your chest.
Chicken walk- I am not sure how to explain this... He bends at the waist and holds his arms back and walks around bobbing his head. I am not sure the reason either.
Walking- The only time he really walks is if he is practicing walking backwards (this usually ends by him falling over something) or walking on his tip toes.
Cleaning- He loves everything about it- he is always "mopping" the floor with the car squeegee, dusting, or wiping something with a baby wipe, but above all these his favorite is the vacuum. He will go to the closet and cry until I get it out- I think he knows it is my least favorite thing to do. When we go to Target we always have to set aside 10 min or so for him to go down the vacuum isle. When we get there you can tell he in in awe and starts "oooh"-ing.
Grandma Lunt's Quilt- This is a very colorful quilt that has to be on the floor every day. Once we get it down he starts to dance on it and roll on it.

Dancing Update

Like I said this will never get old to me. He does some of my favorite moves in this dance.

Baby Talk

Here are some of Tanners words..
Mama
Dad
Hot- he uses this for anything with a different feeling cold, wet, etc. it is by far his favorite
Oh Man - sometimes he puts a t on the end to make it similar to hot
Oh Yuck
Up
Hi
baby
Thank you
Wet - only after I say it; otherwise it is hot

Other than these words he is saying a lot I just don't know what it is, but he thinks I do.

Tanner's Teddy Bear

Tanners teddy bear is not like that of others, in fact it is not a teddy bear at all, it is a broom. He has wanted it for a long time and I finally bought it. When I gave it to him he just sat in the cart and would not let it go. On the car ride home he had to be holding it as well. The next morning after he woke up, it was still dark in the house, he ran straight to it. I am still not sure how he even remembered where we had put it. If he had the choice I am sure he would love to sleep with it. Now if I could only get him to use it.

Clothes are Optional...

As you can tell from majority of our posts Tanner runs around in a diaper more often than not. There are times when I am doing his laundry and Brad and I will just laugh because it is only pajamas that are being washed. Hey what can I say when our day consists of living in 100+ degree weather and playing in the water all day. Sometimes I only wish clothes were optional for me as well.

Dr. Bradley Smith

It is official there is a Dr. Smith in the house! After four years Brad finished his dream to become a dentist -only to realize that he wants to be an orthodontist. We are all so proud of him and all the hard work he has put into these past four years. In a way it is bittersweet because all of our friends from Brad's school are all packing up and moving all over the U.S. , but at the same time it is one step closer to being done with school. The two weeks before graduation have been jam packed. The first week was Brad's WREB test where he had to preform 2 fillings, 2 root canals, and 1 scaling and root planing. This was the most important and stressful tests that Brad had to complete. He did such a good job and passed them all. The week of graduation was not full of stress, rather just full of activites. On Thursday we had the awards ceremony in the morning. Brad was awarded the "Outstanding Dental Student in Implant Dentistry." He was very surprised by the award; however I was not. Brad's friends at the awards ceremony.


The next event was the Founders Ball that evening. This was the first time that I have not been with Tanner to put him down and so I was a little nervous to say the least- even though we had a wonderful babysitter (Brad's mom). Tanner did so good and I am not sure he even missed us one bit-and that is one of the reasons we all love grandmas. Brad and I had so much fun getting dressed up and going to the ball- and Tanner had taught us some new dance moves to use that night.
Saturday June 13th was the actual graduation- and could not have been more perfect. Some of Brad's brothers and sisters were able to make it to graduation and Brad's dad was even able to "hood" him.

12 Month Photos

Dancing Machine!

Tanner is a dancing machine! He will dance to singing (this includes hymns at church), any kind of music, and the washing machine (it does have a rhythm). His best moves always come out right before I get the camera out. He will do turns and have his arms in the air. I have taken a million videos of him because I cannot get over how funny I think it is. I spared you all the videos of me singing and decided to share one with our friend Olivia. Our house is regular dance party.

5 Minutes of Peace

Like most men (especially his dad) Brad appreciates his time alone after (and before) a hard days work in the bathroom. Tanner has decided that he enjoys this time as well. If Brad leaves the door open I will find Tanner sitting on Brads lap as content as can be. For those of you who know Tanner sitting anywhere for any amount of time does not happen very often and so it makes this even funnier. When Brad wants to go in without Tanner he will sit by the door and put his little hands under to let Brad know that he forgot to let him in. Sometimes he will just lay on his tummy trying to look in. If the door does not open there are always tears until it does. The hard part is that when guests come over and use the bathroom Tanner thinks that it might be his dad in there and will cry at the door.

Showers

It is always interesting when my shower and Tanner's nap don't line up and I am left giving a one year old free reign of the house. This morning when I came out all the toilet paper was off the roll and was wrapped around both of his ankles. I am not sure how he managed this, but he did and was still able to get around and empty as many drawers as he could. He is so funny.