18 months

We had another reason to celebrate July 4th this year...Alex turned 18 months!  That means that he is finally in the nursery at church.  I knew that he would love it in there because he is so active and they have so many toys as well as snacks (and who doesn't love snacks.)  for the last few months I have felt like I was inactive at church because after the first hour at church I would just go home.  Alex would not sit still and I didn't want to keep chasing him for two hours so I would go home and put on Conference talks to listen to or read the Ensign while Alexander played.  I was counting down the weeks until he was 18 months old and it finaly came.  I was a little suprised when I went to leave him in there the first week.  I fully expected him to run to the toys and not even notice that I had left because he was having so much fun.  Instead he clung to me and screamed if I even hinted that I was going to leave.  I was able to leave during snack time because the food distracted him.  The next week I had to teach so I just droped him off and left.  He cried for a while then went to play but when they brought him to me because he needed to be changed he totally broke down like I had left him for weeks.  I do think it won't take long before he bonds with the nursery leaders and then I won't have to feel like a bad mom abandoning my crying child (his words, not mine.  I know he is just fine.)

Anyway, he has come so far in his short 18 months.  I went back and watched the videos of his first few weeks.  It was so fun to see my little Alex as a newborn.  It wasn't that long ago but I have already forgotten what it was like to watch him with wonder and amazement as he cooed and moved with no control over his limbs.  He is such a special little boy and we love him so much.  He loves balls, especially ones you can eat (like grapes, tomatoes, watermelon, etc.) Unfortunately he tries to eat his toy balls too and they don't fare so well against his sharp little teeth. 

The two things he loves most are being outside and being in the water.  Playing in the water outstide is total bliss for him.  He hates having to come back in side or get out of the water. 

He is still allergic to milk even though he can eat cheese.  I asked the doctor why he can't have anything with milk in it like ice cream (poor kid), pudding, yogurt, and even cottage cheese but he can eat sliced cheese, mac and cheese, and cheese sticks.  He said it was because he is probably allergic to the protien in milk and cheese doesn't have so much of that protien.  He also said he should start to outgrow this allergy after he turns 2.  I sure hope he does because I didn't realize how much dairy is in our family's everyday diet until I have a child that can't eat it. 

He is starting to talk and I am loving it!  He can say about 8 words without prompting and even more when prompted. I love it when he says his name, he pronounces it "Ow-licks".  The word he uses the most besides "mom" is "stuck".  He knows that word well.  And all food is "hot", even if it's ice cold he still says it's hot and blows on it.  He also knows all the animal sounds and can count to 3.  Even with all his new words he still gets frustrated easily when we don't understand what he wants.  He hates not being able to speak as much as he hated not being able to walk.

Here are a few pictures.  I keep forgetting to get out the camera so there aren't as many as there could be.  He is always doing funny things but I never have the camera out when he does them and by the time I get the camera out...well, you know the rest.

This picture was taken in May.  Instead of the April showers to bring May flowers we got snow showers that killed my flowers.  Alex is longing for the warmer days so he can spend more time outside.

By the end of  May the temps had finally reached 70.  My friend and I took the kids to the park because it was72 deg. with a cool breeze that made it feel 68. We only stayed there for an hour so I was shocked when I saw how badly burned Alex had gotten.  He had big blisters on each cheek and little ones on his nose.  The rest of us got a little pink but he crisped.  I feel so bad.  I have been very vigilant with sun screen ever since.

Normally when he finds the girl's lip gloss he eats it.  This time he decided he wanted to apply it to his face like he sees them do.  Not too bad for a first try without a mirror.

Two of the cutest little baby boy feet.

You know he's super tired when he goes back to using his thumb and his "monkey" to fall asleep.

That smile says it all.

Impromptu Picnic

I think the kids had been out of school for about 3 weeks when I decided one day to just pack up a lunch and take the kids to the park for a picnic.  I really need to do that more often.  It was so nice to just get out of the house and enjoy time together. 

Megan and Alex

Lizzie

Rebecca on slide patrol.

Dakota

There were kids just down the street from the park with a lemonade stand selling water balloons too so I bought their last six balloons and let the kids go wild.  It was a short lived water balloon fight but it was still fun.

Memorial Day BBQ

Memorial day is supposed to be the officially, unofficial start of summer.  This year however it wasn't even close to feeling like summer.  Our spring temps (and even snow) lasted so long that when Memorial Day finally came and we had our first backyard BBQ we had to sit in the sun because it was still too cold in the shade.  It was nice being out in the sun though.  We especially enjoyed the corn on the cob (except for Lizzie who was still sporting braces.)  We would have really enjoyed the watermelon too but we bought a seedless one so the little ones wouldn't have to worry about seeds but they just aren't as sweet as the seeded ones.  Still, it was a fun time to be had by the whole family.

Face painting

For a Girl's Camp fundraiser our Young Women held a carnival.  I wish I had remembered my camera that day but I have been really bad remembering to take pictures lately.  The kids really had a good time with all the games and we even entered the Funniest Home Videos contest.  They even had pony rides so Megan and Alex got to ride horses which they LOVED.  Lizzie was helping out with the fish pond and Rebecca was supposed to help with face painting but there was a mix-up and she wasn't able to paint faces like she had hoped.  She brought her face paints home though and they still had fun painting at least two faces. 

Lizzie painted Megan with lots of "girly" pictures.

Rebecca painted Dakota to look like a puppy.

When Megan saw Dakota as a puppy she made Lizzie
paint over the pictures to make her look like a puppy too.

Unfortunately, Alex got to the face paints so they haven't been able to do any more artwork yet, but they still have a goal of sitting out at the neighborhood park one day this summer to paint the faces of all the kids.

Budding Photographer?

Here are just a few of the pictures I get when Alex finds the camera. 

Trying different angles.

Self portrait.

A willing subject, striking a glamorous pose.

What do you think?  Does he have what it takes...remember he is only 1 year old.

Catitude

Remember this cute, sweet, playful, loving little kitten that we adopted nearly two years ago? 

Well, he aint so sweet and loving and all that jazz anymore.  He grew into a grumpy old cat that comes up to you and rubs your leg like he wants to be pet and then runs away as soon as you touch him, and he won't let you hold him at all (but I do anyway, just to see him squirm.)

Unless that is, your name is Dakota.  For some reason he will curl up in her lap and let her love him for as long as she wants. 

He walks around the house like he is "Mr. Big Stuff" acting all cool and tough. 

What he doesn't know is that I just found a picture that Dakota took of him while he was sleeping. 

Your cover is blown Oliver! 

Turns out your not so tough after all.

My Flowers

Last fall I planted some tulips and daffodils around my Maple tree.  I waited all winter to watch them bloom, hoping I had planted them correctly.  As the first little signs of life popped up in the spring I got even more excited.  I was very happy when they all opened up fully displaying their beautiful foliage.  I couldn't have been happier with them.

I also added more flowers to my front flower garden that surrounds my Aspen grove.  They took a while getting started because of the unusually long early spring we had that hid the sun and produced very cold temps.  Late spring never really did come, we jumped right into summer.  The abundant sunshine we have finally been getting has done wonders for my flower bed.  These pictures are a few weeks old, the flowers have gotten even more full since then and my favorite yellow lilies have finally bloomed and they are beautiful...but I don't have a picture of them right now.  Anyway here are some pics I took of my flowers.

Front view from the sidewalk.

Back view from the house.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

CJ hit the big 35 today!  We had a fun time decorating the house with streamers and confetti then hiding to jump out and surprise him when he got home from work.  (In a perfect world you wouldn't have to work on your birthday.)  The girls made his cake, as is our tradition, and he loved it.  Dakota baked the cake all by herself.  It was a marble cake which was a first for us but she had so much fun marbling the cake I think they might start picking marble cake more often.  Elizabeth put the frosting on the cake and Rebecca added the decorations for the finishing touch.  Megan helped blow out the candles for her contribution.  We had to sing to Dad twice because we forgot to light the candles the first time.  I didn't even realize we had forgotten that step until we finished the song and told him to make a wish before blowing out the candles only to see that the candles weren't even lit...oops.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Aaaand...They're Off!!!!

This day has been looked forward to for two long years, and counted down every day for the last week.  It still doesn't feel real but every time Liz smiles at me I am reminded that it is in fact real...her braces are off!  Her gums are a little swollen but her teeth and especially her smile look great.  She is very happy and loves her new smile.

An interview with Lizzie on disbandment day:
How does it feel to have your braces off?  Really good.
Do you miss your braces?  Sort of.
Why?  They've been part of my life for two years and it's different having them off.
How do your teeth feel?  Slimy
Did it hurt when they took them off?  No, it went really fast.
What is the one "forbidden" food you are looking forward to most?  Corn on the cob!
How would you like to celebrate your freedom from braces?   By staying up late and eating everything I couldn't have for two years.
Any advice you would give to someone else just starting out with braces? (Like Dakota, for instance.)  Take good care of them!

Happy smiling Lizzie.

I Miss Blogging

Ever since I started school I have had to put my blog on the back burner.  I was excited when school was over for the semester and I could catch up on all the blogs I had on hold.  Unfortunately I have yet to post half of the blog posts I have on hold and they just keep piling up.  I miss when I could just sit and write.  I am having a hard time putting the blog back on the front burner and I am quickly running out of time before I am back in school.  Hopefully it happens soon.

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Our little baby boy is finally here!  I can't believe it!  After debating for so long on weather or not we should have another one (I just wasn't sure when or if I would be ready for another one) I wasn't even sure it would ever happen again...but here we are with another little boy.  He is so sweet and cute and we are all in love with him already.  What a joy he adds to our family.  He came to us weighing 2 lb. 13 oz. and is 12 in. long and has lots of dark wavy hair.  He is tiny for now but he will soon grow and grow and grow as all little boys do.  As expected there was a little jealousy at first by Alexander, who is no longer the baby, but he has already gotten over that because the baby adores Alex and they have so much fun together.  The only jealousy that is still hanging around comes from Jack and Oliver (our ornery cats.)  They don't really hate the baby they just don't like it when he tries to play with them.  Being a baby he hasn't learned that they only like to be fed and looked at...not played with.  He doesn't care, he is a very outgoing and loving boy and he tries his hardest to win over the cats in hopes that they will finally learn that play can be fun.

Our new baby boy...Rascal.

He has lots of dark hair now (yes it's hair, not fur) but he
will lighten over time and probably be a light brown.

His toys are almost bigger than he is.



Rascal's first bath.

Like I said, I can't believe we have a baby boy...dog.  CJ and I were at the store last week and as we were leaving we saw a couple sitting out on the lawn with a box of puppies.  I usually pass these up as fast as I can because those dogs are too expensive for us plus we weren't even sure what kind of dog we wanted if we did get one, but I knew if I saw their sweet little faces I would want one.  This time was different however.  As I passed the couple with the box I had a strong feeling that I should go back and get one.  It was a feeling that I believe was from the Holy Ghost.  The feeling was so strong and I just felt that I was to go back because my dog was there.  I almost pushed the feeling away and kept driving because I wasn't ready for a dog yet but I figured it couldn't hurt to just look (the spirit wouldn't steer me wrong) so I turned back without telling CJ why and asked him if we could look at the puppies and he said sure.  He and I went to the couple and asked about the puppies.  They only had one left, a little boy puppy.  He was so mellow and cuddly.  His mom is a Yorkie, Shih-Tzu mix and they didn't know what the father was.  All I knew about those breeds of dogs is that they are small and don't shed very much.  That was a good thing because if I got a dog I really wanted a lap dog that didn't shed.  I forgot to ask how old he was but he looks to be about 8 weeks old.  I was really shocked when I asked how much they were asking for the puppy and they said they weren't asking much, they just wanted him to go to a really good home.  CJ and I stepped back for a minute to talk about the dog.  He said he didn't really like little dogs but he wasn't against us getting one so if I really wanted it I could have it and it would be my early birthday present.  We went back and paid for the dog.  When the girl handed me the puppy it just felt so right.  (Just in time too because as she placed him in my arms another lady walked up wanting a puppy and was so dissapointed to find that they were all gone because Yorkies are her favorite kinds of dogs.)

I left CJ in the garage holding the puppy and went inside to the girls.  I told them that we found something in the store parking lot and weren't sure what we should do with it so I asked them to go help their dad bring it in so we could decide.  They knew something was up because that was a really, really stupid story but they played along because they are so sweet like that.  They didn't know what it was that we "found" but a puppy was probably the farthest thing from their minds.  The older girls broke into a large grin but Megan looked at the puppy as if a real live Princess was standing right in front of her...it was priceless.

He is such a good puppy.  Even though it is like having a newborn and a potty training toddler rolled into one I don't mind because he is doing very well with crate training and house training so far.  He comes when I call him and he is soooo good with the kids and the cats.  I am so grateful that I listened to the spirit and went back to look at the puppies with an open mind because if I hadn't I would have missed out on "the most perfect little puppy in the world" as Dakota likes to call him.

Our little Rascal.

My Crazy Family

Last year for Christmas all of my family went to Arizona.  Yes, CJ finally went with us to Arizona, but I am referring to my family that I grew up with.  It is a rare occasion but my sister and all of my brothers were in the same place at the same time.  Even though everyone but me and my brother Fred live in Arizona it is still very rare when we can all get together.  With every one's busy schedules even when we are in the same area we are rarely there all at the same time.  Last Christmas was no exception.  It took 3 days of everyone being in town before we had all the siblings together at the same house, at the same time, which was a close call since my brother Fred had to go back to Reno the next morning.  We all met at my parent's house to celebrate Alexander's first birthday so before we ate cake we all went outside and took pictures.  We almost had my entire family together, unfortunately we were still missing a few.  The three oldest grand kids weren't able to make it along with the two great-grand kids.  Still we got the pictures of the 6 Tanquary kids or 6 Tanqs (pronounced "tanks") as we like to say it.



All because two people fell in love.



All the grand kids except for the three
oldest and the two great-grand kids.
Can you pick out our 5?

Carolyn and Fred (a.k.a. Mom and Dad) and the six reasons for their gray hair.

In order of appearance into this world:
David, Christina, Fred, Matt, Shelly, and Aaron



Pyramid of Tanquarys.

 

My crazy family : )

Hope Of America

Every year the city of Provo hosts thier annual Freedom Festival.  This festival has several patriotic events and programs that start as early as April and end with the big 4th of July celebration and parade.  The Freedom Festival is the second largest patriotic celebration in the country.  As part of the festival they have a Hope of America student showcase performance.  All of the 5th grade students from Utah county gather in an event center wearing colored t-shits that when put together assemble an American flag and then perform patriotic songs.  Recently they had to split the showcase into two performances because the number of kids performing has grown so large.  When the girls first performed there were over 5,000 students participating, now there are nearly 8,000 so they do half of the kids on one night and the other half the next.  All of this is free to the public.  We look forward to this progam with great anticipation.  This year it was Dakota's turn to be part of the flag and her excitement was through the roof.  She even had her friends over so they could practice the songs for the performance.

Waiting for the show to begin.

Dakota in her position as one of the flag's white stripes.

She felt so special that night and had so much fun.

The flag is beginning to take shape as all the students arrive.

Finding Dakota was tough but we did it.  She is at the top in the center.

Here is a picture taken during one of the songs.