Tanner is 18 months old!

Tanner is an extremely active kid. He must be moving at all times, except when asleep. He sleeps really well and this is probably due to all the activity he does during the day. There is no height or physical challenge that deters him. We can't take our eye off of him for more than a second or he is trying to run into the road, climb bookshelves, shove things in the computer, etc. We definitely have had to baby-proof more of our house over the past few months.

Tanner is pretty social. He warms up quickly to people but still prefers to come to Mom or Dad. At home, his preference is Mom but is definitely okay if I leave for a while.

His favorites:

Favorite book: Dear Zoo or a BYU Cougar book we have in our church bag

Favorite toy: Cars or trains. He also likes anything Ashton is playing with.

Favorite word: "Bye." He will persistently wave goodbye anytime we are leaving a place. And then continue saying goodbye in the car for the next five minutes.

Favorite show: I recall doing this for Ashton because she could express more preferences at this age than Tanner does. He watches whatever Ashton picks for her show for the day. He doesn't care.

Favorite Outing: The park or anywhere with sand and water.

Favorite food: Mandarin oranges. He can easily eat an entire can of them at lunch. He also likes fruit snacks, bananas and milk.

Favorite activity: Climbing/running/jumping. He also loves playing Patty-cake with me.

His vocabulary is starting to grow a little more. He now says: No, Go, More, Mama, Bye, Woof, Clap, Milk, Book, and probably a few others that I can't think of right now. He still signs "All Done" but that's his only sign. I'm excited for his language explosion to happen soon. I like when kids can tell me what they want instead of screaming "NO!" at me and kicking their legs.

Tanner is the typical baby brother who loves to annoy Ashton. Anything that makes Ashton scream pleases Tanner and he is often seen smiling while walking away. Aside from that, he does love to gives Ashton hugs and kisses much to her disapproval.

Typical schedule:Wakes up between 8 and 9am most daysErrands/plays until lunch time.Naps from about 1:30-3:30/4Goes to bed around 8:30-9pm

Some pictures of this cute kid. We'll head to the doctor next month when we get back so we'll see what his stats are. He is one big kid, though!

Never get in the middle between Tanner and his ice cream.

He loves filling up cups during bathtime.

Month of June

Joseph's parents came for a visit so we headed to the beach and also got to tour Joseph's plant at work. It was a fun couple days and the kids enjoyed all the attention.

For those who don't know, I was called as the Young Women's president last December when our ward split. The transition was HARD and that is a complete understatement. It was difficult physically as Joseph also serves the youth as the Young Men's president in a different church unit so trying to figure out what to do physically with our children for youth activities was (and still is) challenging. It was hard emotionally and spiritually as I felt completely unqualified to serve in this capacity. Previously, I was serving as Relief Society president and thoroughly enjoyed the calling. I never pictured myself serving with young women as I felt (and still partially do) I don't relate very well to them. The past seven months have been a good challenge for me and I've definitely gone outside my comfort zone. I decided to attend Young Women's camp for the first time this summer. Attending camp was very rewarding. I enjoyed spending the week with the young women in our ward and getting to know them on a deeper level than what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays. Ashton begged to go with me and I look forward to going with her when she is 12. Joseph stayed home most of the time and the kids loved that. Here are a few pictures of his week with them.

Ashton wearing the camp beads I received for my week at camp.

We did some science stuff this month and made a volcano. Then we did shaving cream painting too.

I also took Ashton and a friend to a morning movie at the theater. They do a summer deal where for $4, you get a ticket, popcorn, a small drink, and fruit snacks. She got to see the Lorax and enjoyed it.

Ashton's favorite missionary came back to town for a visit. We kept it a surprise from Ashton and planned a little get-together at church one night to meet her. Ashton was shocked. Luckily, we get to see her again when we go to Nephi later this month.

For Father's Day, we celebrated by making Joe's favorite dinner. Burritos. I think he had a good day and Ashton kept saying, "Happy Father's Day" all day long. His gift is a lesson/training on flying a drone from a guy in our stake who has a few drones.

Tanner is excited to take our suitcase on our month-long trip this summer!

Saturday morning run. Tanner is normally more excited that he shows.

Ashton has been counting down the sleeps until we leave for Wisconsin. Just 2 sleeps left! This is her "I'm soooooo excited: face.

Our garden is still growing well. I canned 16 quarts of pickles from our cucumbers and we will still have lots to eat up. Our cantaloupe and watermelon are growing now and tasting delicious. Ashton still loves going out there each day to find new produce.

Joseph and I got tickets to Lion King on Broadway and went with another couple. It was a great night to get away and enjoy something that little kids would not. We went to this the summer we interned here five years ago and it was well worth going again.

Another Busy Month

I always feel our month isn't that busy until I look back at the pictures we took. I guess we were pretty busy in May as well.

I took the kids to the zoo again with some friends before the heat of the summer hit. May was a little cooler than normal, which we gladly welcomed.

BYU Football came to north Houston one day. Joseph and Ashton went up and had a blast. The lines to meet Coach Sitaki were really long so they skipped that. Joseph did say there was a contest for the first person named Tanner to get an autographed picture of Tanner Mangum. No one claimed it and we were bummed that Tanner was at home. He could have won something! In case you didn't know, Tanner's name was brought up during BYU Football season so we always joke about Tanner Mangum.

The next weekend, I took Ashton to Nasa Space Center with some friends. We knew Tanner wouldn't last the whole day there. Ashton loves pretending to be an astronaut with her best friend.

We went to the beach a few times and the kids loved it. Tanner took a while to warm up to the idea of the waves but once the first wave hit him, he was more than okay with it.

Entertaining Tanner at church is a big feat each week. Six more weeks until nursery. For now, Joseph takes him and Tanner finds his own version of entertainment.

Tanner has no fear of just wandering off. Good think we live in a cul-de-sac.

Still loves to fall asleep on me. And I don't mind one bit.

Our garden is going very well this summer. We've made lots of blackberry ice cream and been eating fresh blackberries for weeks now. Ashton loves picking them every day.

Tanner prefers to dump bubbles on the ground or drinking from the hose while we look at the garden.

Preschool ended in May. They did a Red, White, and Blue parade on their last day. Ashton keeps asking if summer is over so she can go back. Next fall, Tanner and Ashton will both go so I will have some time to work more for BYU-Idaho. Hooray! At home, she is now working on writing her letters better and learning lower case letters.

And she demands to dress herself most days.

Setting up chairs for primary after a baptism we went to.

 A nearby town hosted a "Touch-A-Truck" event that Ashton loved. We went with her best friend again and they had a blast exploring all the trucks.

 At the end of the month, our youth had a talent show and Ashton sang in it. She had no fear and I was very proud of her.

 We also had our annual church crawfish boil. Ashton tried one crawfish and liked it but now tells me they are spicy.

 I also ran a 5k Mud Run in north Houston with some friends. It was a fun race.

 Also, the annual video by Ashton for Mother's Day. Such a cute girl.