Easter Greetings!

Easter Egg Hunt

Tanner knew just what to do...

And didn't waste anytime doing it.

Checking out their loot

Avery was mad that Tanner got more than her.

Even after it was over - she wanted to keep on looking and did.

She had to fend for herself and go w/the big kids and run fast -

and that's something to be proud of.

All Tanner's eggs were filled with bubble gum (seriously - what were they thinking!)

- which she got to keep and was happy.

Afterwards. Tanner enjoyed playing on the playground

running around - ganster style

and riding down the 10 ft slide

but NOTHING could beat - rocks, rocks, and more rocks!

Man I LOVE this boy!!

Avery was laughing hysterically during the Easter Bunny's Magic Show.

She even got to do the Bunny Hop next to her too.

Tanner, on the other hand, was trying to play hide n seek in the bushes.

Spring Break - Dallas Zoo

For more fun filled adventures, we headed over to the Dallas Zoo.

Tanner's been before, but just as a baby. This time, he really got into it.

His favorite animal - the monkeys.

The zookeepers had just fed them lunch and they were swinging all of the place.

We also got to watch a huge gorilla enjoy his lunch - up close and personal. The only thing separating us from the huge mammoth was a piece of glass.

Avery is Tanner's best friend - so we thought it would be more fun if she came along with us.

Avery's favorite part - riding a real horse! She was smiling the ENTIRE time.

She said it was even better than riding the carousel.

Most of the kids were scared of the horses - but I thought I'd let Tanner get close to see how he did. Turns out he wanted to go for a ride too - so they let him.

Any like any cowboy, he was holding on tight all by himself.

On the Children's section, he got to pet a live chicken.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever actually touched one before either -

but it was the softest thing ever.

Not nearly as exciting as the real horses, but they pretended

The duck pond. Tanner was trying to make a statement - leave me alone!

Tanner and Avery had fun peaking through at the chicken, lamb, and one fat pig.

But have you ever seen a pig that wasn't fat?

This elephant was trying to find every last piece of hay - even if it meant sticking it's nose outside the fence. It was just a few feet away.

And last but not least, the carousel ride. Tanner was having so much fun, he refused to get off. He had no concept of the ride being over and us being broke :)

But the smile, absolutely priceless.

Spring Break - Water Park

Put on some shades and read with caution - otherwise you might be blinded from the WHITENESS!

It's not warm enough to go swimming outside - unlike my friends in AZ or Southern CA - so we went to this fun indoor water park.

While Tanner had a panic-attack at times when he dove face first into the water - I've never heard him laugh and giggle so much!

Chillin in the water

One second he's loving the water.

Thinks about if for a second, then goes for a dive.

And it did not end happy.

Tanner tried to get as close to the water as he could - but didn't want him splashing the rest of him! Look at how far he's sticking out his bum!!

Lazy River - Tanner also loved the lazy river - at least until we were goofing around with him and is face went underwater. He wouldn't forget it.

Slide - We got him to go down the slide by himself, but there was a huge pile of water waiting for him at the bottom that we overlooked - so he was having fun until he face planted into it. Oh well.

His favorite part - pulling himself up along the ledge of the pool. He was SO amazed at how strong he was and/or how much less he appeared to weigh in the water. Once he discovered he could hold himself up ALL BY HIMSELF, he didn't ever want to let go.

Added bonus - hot tub!

Tanner's First Haircut

...has been long overdue. Finally, the mullet had to go!

BEFORE:


DURING:

He got a little nervous when he heard the sound of the clippers, but otherwise was fantastic. He stayed still and didn't make a peep.
But maybe it was the sucker, tv, toys, and everything else that was distracting him. Definitely worth paying a few extra bucks to go to a kid friendly place.

AFTER:


He looks SO much older! He's not my little baby anymore!!!

Future Bobsledder

Tanner's in training for the 2026 Olympics. He's already got the pot-belly like gold medalist Holcomb so we'd figure we'd start training him early.

But in Texas, you have to impromise. Our driveway became the sledding hill and the garbage can lid and water floaty his sled.

Take a peek at the first few runs...

Except I'm freaking out about him going down this 10-ft course by himself - I don't think I could ever stand to watch him go the real bobsled course after watching so many experienced people wipe out during the Olympics.

After we went down a few times, the track got faster and Tanner was loving him sledding. He wanted the sledding part to last forever and didn't like that he had to walk back up when it was over.

Winter Wonderland

Dallas had a record amount of snow - over a foot - in one day. As a kid, I use to dream about these days, but learned to settle for the 1 inch of hail that would instead fall.

Tanner got to experience the snow it is full majesty the first years of his life. But not knowing if or when it would ever come again, we suited up and made the most of it.

At first he just kept staring at in amazement...

This quickly became his favorite activity - building a snowman & knocking him down.Poor snowman didn't stand a chance.

Clearly he didn't understand the importance of keep the gloves on!

The next morning there was even more snow outside. Avery built a huge snowman.

I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - Anthony or Avery.

The trees looked absolulely beautiful. Luckily they upheld the massive weight from the snow. Unlike our neighbors and friends, we didn't have any trees or limbs go down.